2005 BUICK TERRAZA NEW CAR BUYER'S GUIDE

What's New for the 2005 Buick Terraza?
According to Buick, the new Terraza's distinguishing characteristics are power, ride, quiet, and style that appeals to affluent young couples with children who "appreciate understated elegance on the inside and real style on the outside." It's based on a reworked GM minivan structure and intends to combine minivan comfort and utility with SUV style and all-weather capability. Competition in the premium minivan segment is stiff, with the Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey Touring, and Toyota Sienna XLE also vying for affluent consumers. Though an interesting entry, the Buick Terraza seemingly has its work cut out for it.

Advantages of the 2005 Buick Terraza:

• Standard OnStar telematics
• Available Versatrak all-wheel-drive
• Optional stability control

Objections to the 2005 Buick Terraza:

• Stability control and all-wheel-drive are mutually exclusive concepts
• No side curtain airbags with rollover protection
• Based on dated GM minivan platform

Editor's Advice:
Read the marketing copy for or look at photos of the new 2005 Buick Terraza and it's easy to find this new "crossover sport van" appealing. It attempts what most crossover vehicles do: it blends the styling and all-wheel-drive of an SUV with the comfort and driving experience of a sedan, this time coupled to the space and functionality of a minivan. We are compelled to point out, however, that the Buick Terraza is based on the existing General Motors minivan platform that dates to 1997. Additionally, for all the talk of fold-flat second- and third-row seats, consumers should realize that although the Terraza's seating does collapse and form a flat cargo floor, it still sits above the floor of the van compromising maximum cargo space, unlike the Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan and Nissan Quest. Furthermore, Buick claims "from the beginning, we engineered the Terraza for safety," yet the company does not offer side curtain airbags on its new premium crossover and the optional stability control system cannot be combined with the available Versatrak all-wheel-drive system. Our problem with the 2005 Buick Terraza is that it's a compromised stop-gap measure rather than a fresh design, a product that barely catches up with the competition rather than surpasses it, and frankly, we expect more from a huge corporation that could be (and needs to be) building substantially better vehicles than it does today.