Buick Terraza

Buick Terraza

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Manufacturer	General Motors
Production	2005–2007
Assembly	Doraville, Georgia, United States
Predecessor	Oldsmobile Silhouette
Successor	Buick Enclave
Class	Minivan
Body style(s)	4-door minivan
Layout	Front engine, front-wheel drive/four-wheel drive
Platform	GM U platform
Engine(s)	3.5 L LX9 V6 3.9 L LZ9 V6 3.9 L LGD V6
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic
Wheelbase	121.1 in (3076 mm)
Length	205.0 in (5207 mm)
Width	72.0 in (1829 mm)
Height	72.1 in (1831 mm)
Curb weight	4,426 lb (2,008 kg)
Related	Buick GL8 Buick Rendezvous Chevrolet Uplander Pontiac Aztek Pontiac Montana SV6 Saturn Relay Chevrolet Venture

The Buick Terraza was a minivan from General Motors' Buick brand that was sold from the 2005 through 2007 model years. It filled the position of GM's luxury minivan that was previously occupied by the Oldsmobile Silhouette until the division's demise in 2004. The Terraza was built alongside its Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Saturn sisters; (Uplander, Montana SV6, and Relay) in Doraville, Georgia. Contrary to popular belief, the Terraza was not Buick's first minivan – the GL8 debuted in China in 2000, where it was solely marketed and is still produced and sold today.

The chrome-trimmed Terraza was the most luxurious and costliest of the GM minivans, starting at US$28,110 in 2005. The Buick debuted with one engine, a 3.5 L High Value V6 that generates 200 hp (149 kW) and 220 ft·lbf (298 N·m) of torque, going from 0-60 mph in the 9-second range. For 2006, a 3.9 L LZ9 V6, with 240 hp (179 kW) and 240 ft·lbf (332 Nm) torque, was added as an option, which delivered faster acceleration and better response. It offered leather seats, and a wood trim on the panels and also offered on the steering wheel and gear shift knob unlike other GM minivans.

For 2007, the 3.5 L V6 was dropped, leaving the 3.9 L as the base engine. Consequently, the optional AWD system was also dropped, since it could not handle the torque of the 3.9 L engine. A flex-fuel version of the 3.9 L V6 also became available for the Terraza's third season. The 2007 Terraza equipped with side airbags scored a "good" in the frontal offset and an "acceptable" in the side impact IIHS crash tests.

Year-by-year changes

• 2005 • Buick introduces the Terraza, its first minivan for the North-American market. The Terraza was available in two trim lines: entry-level CX (FWD or AWD) and top-of-the-line CXL (FWD or AWD).
• 2006 • The 3.5 L V6 could now be upgraded to a 3.9 (in FWD only) LZ9 V6 engine. Second row seat-mounted side airbags were now an option.
• 2007 • The Terraza's last year, and all-wheel drive models were dropped. For 2007, the 3.9 L V6 was the only engine offered, however it was available with a flex-fuel option. More standard features were offered on the new CX Plus model, which slotted between the CX and CXL. The Terraza was removed from Buick's website in early fall 2007, around the same time it was dropped from Buick's lineup, in anticipation of the new Enclave.

Discontinuation

The fairly slow-selling Terraza (in Canada it enjoyed average sales, though it was not enough to let GM continue making it) was discontinued after the 2007 model year, and GM's Doraville plant closed on 26 September 2008.

Because of low sales of minivans, GM has decided to exit the minivan business altogether in the United States. The Terraza, alongside the related Rendezvous crossover SUV and the truck-based Rainier SUV, have all been replaced by the 8-passenger Buick Enclave crossover for 2008.

The last Terraza rolled off the assembly line on June 21, 2007.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Buick Terraza

• Official American site
• Official Canadian site
• GMC to add minivan, GM to discontinue others(although they will be redesigned).