I have mentioned it a couple of times in this space that my trip to the BarkWorld Expo was sponsored by GMC. As a sponsor for BarkWorld, GMC provided 5 GMC Terrain SUV’s to teams of drivers/riders from across the country to drive to Atlanta.

I agreed to say a few things about the vehicle here as a part of the sponsorship arrangement. GMC wanted my honest feedback so that they can consider the best ways to accommodate their customers.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I think the GMC Terrain is a very comfortable and stylish vehicle that also is functional for many needs.

It is very spacious and can carry lots of cargo – an important feature for an artist or anyone else who finds themselves carting a lot of gear around. It can accommodate 4 riders comfortably and can also fit in another smaller rider.

It also can easily accommodate pet carriers, as we found out with my co-rider’s ferrets who came along for the ride.

The seats are quite comfortable and adjustable in a variety of ways. The vehicle rides very smoothly and has some great features.

• The climate control system was a GODSEND in the Atlanta heat and humidity.
• The Sirius XM radio ensured that we had a variety of musical and other programming to keep us from getting bored on the 12-hour trip.
• The OnStar turn-by-turn directions was a very helpful and easy to use feature. This feature alone will lead me to consider a GM product for my next vehicle.
• The automatic open and close feature for the rear hatch was very nice.
• The rear backing camera is an added safety feature to ensure that unseen pedestrians are clear before you reverse the vehicle.
• It has decent fuel mileage. We did not get close to the advertised 32 mpg because, having pets on board, we idled at stops. We did mange around 25-26 mpg.
• It has a reminder in the center dash to tell you when you leave your blinkers going – a helpful thing for this forgetful soul!

There were a few drawbacks that I would be remiss to not report, however.

• As stylish and downright cool the many features were, the controls on the dash display were a bit confusing and non-intuitive. I found myself having to take my eyes off the road to adjust things, and I had a hard time finding simple things like door locks. The reach to the center console was also quite far.
• There is a large blind spot on the rear right side. To be fair, I find this to be the case in most trucks and SUV’s. A blind spot mirror helped. I would not recommend driving without one.
• The Terrain that I drove had a 4 cylinder engine, which was a bit sluggish through the mountains of KY, TN and WV. People who have a lead foot like me would probably prefer the 6 cylinder engine which is also available.

GMC has made quite an effort to reach out to pet lovers to ensure that they can transport their animals safely in the Terrain and other vehicles. I give them many, many kudos for that. They have put together a full program to educate drivers about pet safety in vehicles, which I will write about in a future post.

I am thankful that GMC gave ma an opportunity to review their product in such a fun and productive way. I was able to transport many of my paintings to BarkWorld, allowing me to share them and network with people with an interest in my work.

Thx GMC!

Disclosure: GMC generously provided free test product and other benefits in exchange for our participation in the GMC Bark-N-Ride sponsorship of the BarkWorld Expo. I was happy to be a part of this campaign, however, all of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.