2022 GMC Terrain vs 2022 Volvo XC90

Volvo had come a long way from its boxy cars of the past, maintaining its family-friendly, safety-oriented image while moving upscale. After Ford sold Volvo to China's Zhejiang Geely Holding in 2010, the brand developed new vehicle platforms, leading to the current lineup of sedans and crossover SUVs. The 2022 XC90, launched as a 2016 model, was the company's flagship SUV, riding on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform. It had a sleek, athletic profile with a long roofline and pronounced wheel arches, and its "Thor's Hammer" LED headlights added a nod to its Swedish heritage. The interior featured natural wood and metal trim, with exquisite details like a clear crystal gear selector handle, and offered a choice between Nappa leather and a tailored wool blend upholstery.

GMC updated the Terrain’s front styling, wheel designs, taillights, and interior trim for the 2022 model year. The new AT4 trim level featured a bolder grille design, black 17-inch alloy wheels, and AT4 badges, with a steel skid plate under the front end for off-road protection. Our test vehicle came with Ebony Twilight metallic paint, a black leather interior, and several packages, bringing the MSRP to $41,810. The Terrain offered more affordable SLE and SLT trims with standard front-wheel drive, while the Denali trim added luxury. However, the Terrain's entry-level status was evident in the quality of materials and execution of details, such as the optional head-up display on a clear plastic panel and pushbutton transmission controls that were not particularly intuitive.

The 2022 Volvo XC90 offered three powertrains: the T5 with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, the T6 with a supercharged and turbocharged version of the same engine delivering 316 hp and 295 lb-ft, and the T8 plug-in hybrid with a combined 455 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque. The T5 models were front-wheel drive with available all-wheel drive, while the T6 and T8 models were all-wheel drive only. All XC90 models used a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission. The T5 FWD models achieved 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway/25 mpg combined, while the T8 had a 27 mpg combined rating on gas and 55 MPGe with an 18-mile EV range. The XC90 handled like a smaller SUV, with minimal body roll and spirited acceleration, especially in the T8 Inscription extended range model.

The 2022 GMC Terrain had a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque. The previously available turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, which provided better acceleration and a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, was no longer available. The 1.5-liter engine could handle a trailer weighing up to 1,500 pounds. The nine-speed automatic transmission did a decent job of keeping the Terrain in the torque band, but the engine's 170 hp arrived at 5,600 rpm, and there was a delay off the line. The Terrain AT4 offered FWD, AWD, Off-Road mode, and Hill Descent Control, but torque steer was an issue in FWD mode. The AT4 had 7.9 inches of ground clearance and delivered a good ride and decent handling on pavement, but it struggled off-road. The EPA rating was 26 mpg, and we saw 26.2 mpg on the evaluation loop.

The 2022 Volvo XC90 came in six-passenger and seven-passenger configurations, with easy access to the third row via a one-handed slide and fold of the second row. The third row was suitable for kids but lacked legroom and thigh support for adults. The XC90 offered 15.9 cubic feet of luggage space behind the third row, 41.8 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 85.7 cubic feet with both the second and third rows folded. It could tow between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds, depending on the configuration. The interior featured ample storage space, comfortable seating, and a standard laminated panoramic moonroof. The air-conditioning system performed well during a heat wave, making the XC90 a comfortable sanctuary.

The 2022 GMC Terrain's interior was roomy for a compact crossover, with numerous comfort-enhancing features and storage solutions. Our Terrain AT4 included power-adjustable front seats, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air-conditioning vents. The back seat was spacious, offering proper support, plenty of legroom, and softly padded front seatbacks. The AT4 also had a rear USB charging port. Cargo space measured 29.6 cubic feet behind the back seat, with a large storage bin underneath the trunk floor. Folding the rear seat down created 63.3 cubic feet of cargo space, and the front passenger seat could be folded down for longer items.

The 2022 Volvo XC90 featured the Sensus infotainment system with a nine-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen interface, offering familiar smartphone gestures like pinch, pull, and swipe. However, the system was glitchy and slow to respond, working better with Apple CarPlay. The XC90 also had a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, a head-up display, a 360-degree surround view camera system, and an advanced air cleaner. The standard Harman Kardon Premium Sound could be upgraded to a Bowers & Wilkins system. The XC90 included two front USB-A ports, two rear USB-C ports, a WiFi hotspot, and the Volvo Care smartphone app.

The 2022 GMC Terrain offered two infotainment systems: a 7-inch touchscreen display for the SLE trim and an 8-inch high-definition touchscreen for the SLT, AT4, and Denali trims. Both systems included Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and GMC Connected Services through OnStar. The larger screen came with connected navigation, improved voice recognition, and a Bose premium sound system. The voice recognition system was excellent, accurately responding to various prompts. The Terrain also had a head-up display, front and rear park assist sensors, a surround-view camera system, a Tire Fill Alert system, and a remote engine starting system.

The 2022 Volvo XC90 came with a long list of safety features, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, parking assist, rain-sensing wipers, slippery road alert, lane-keeping aid, adaptive cruise control, oncoming lane mitigation, and road-sign recognition. Volvo's Pilot Assist system combined several safety features to keep the car in its lane with minimal driver intervention. The XC90 received the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ designation and a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA.

The 2022 GMC Terrain had a GMC Pro Safety Package as standard, including forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and a following distance indicator. The GMC Pro Safety Plus Package added adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, rear parking sensors, and a Safety Alert Seat. The Terrain received mostly "Good" crash-test scores from the IIHS but earned a "Marginal" rating in a new side-impact test. The NHTSA had not evaluated the 2022 Terrain's crashworthiness at the time of the review.