Compare the2023 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 GMC Terrain

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Subaru Outback has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Terrain doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outback (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the Terrain.

The Outback’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outback and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Outback is safer than the GMC Terrain:

	Outback	Terrain
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	159
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	363/349 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Outback is safer than the GMC Terrain:

	Outback	Terrain
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	109
Chest Movement	.5 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	195 lbs.
Hip Force	247 lbs.	357 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	288
Spine Acceleration	51 G’s	55 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	377
Hip Force	674 lbs.	730 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Outback is much safer than the Terrain:

	Outback	Terrain
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	69	131
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	290 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.54 in	1.69 in
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	387	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	201 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.42 in	1.57 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Terrain has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Outback’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 14 places higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (182 vs. 175) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 85 more horsepower (260 vs. 175) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Terrain doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the Terrain:

			MPG
Outback
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/32 hwy
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/28 hwy

The Outback has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Outback has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 15.6 gallons).

Transmission

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Terrain doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Outback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Terrain:

	Outback	Terrain
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.3 inches

The Outback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Terrain are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Terrain; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Outback has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Outback flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Terrain w/17” wheels’ (36.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Outback’s turning circle is 5.5 feet tighter than the Terrain w/19” wheels’ (36.1 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain SLE (8.7 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.6 inches higher than on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali (9.5 vs. 7.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The Outback has 5.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (109 vs. 103.2).

The Outback has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 3 inches more rear hip room and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Outback. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Outback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Terrain’s (2700 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Terrain is only 1500 pounds. The Outback offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Terrain. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Outback’s standard front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Terrain’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically. The Outback Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx Edition’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Terrain doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Outback has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Terrain doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Terrain doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Terrain doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Outback owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Outback will cost $650 less than the Terrain over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Outback is less expensive to operate than the Terrain because it costs $91 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Outback than the Terrain, including $105 less for a water pump, $773 less for a muffler, $151 less for front brake pads, $6 less for a starter, $250 less for fuel injection, $305 less for a fuel pump, $205 less for a timing belt/chain and $431 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Outback will be $3211 to $13865 less than for the GMC Terrain.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance. The GMC Terrain isn't recommended.

The Subaru Outback outsold the GMC Terrain by 70% during 2022.