Buick Terraza Explained

Buick Terraza
Manufacturer:	General Motors
Production:	June 20, 2004–June 21, 2007
Model Years:	2005–2007
Assembly:	United States: Doraville, Georgia (Doraville Assembly)
Class:	Minivan
Body Style:	4-door minivan
Platform:	GM U platform/GMT201
Related:	Buick GL8 Chevrolet Uplander Pontiac Montana SV6 Saturn Relay
Layout:	Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive / all-wheel drive
Engine:	3.5 L LX9 V6 3.9 L LZ9 V6 3.9 L LGD V6
Transmission:	4-speed automatic
Wheelbase:	121.10NaN0
Length:	2050NaN0
Width:	720NaN0
Height:	72.10NaN0
Weight:	44260NaN0

The Buick Terraza is a five-door minivan marketed by Buick from 2005 to 2007 model years as a luxury crossover sport van. The Terraza was a badge engineered variant of the Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Saturn minivans sharing the U platform; (Uplander, Montana SV6, and Relay respectively), all manufactured in Doraville, Georgia.

Design

The Terraza retailed at US$28,110 in 2005 ($ in dollars), and debuted with one engine, a 3.5 L High Value V6 generating 200 hp (149 kW) and 220 lb·ft (298 N·m) of torque. For 2006, a 3.9 L LZ9 V6, with 240 hp (179 kW) and 240 lb·ft (332 Nm) torque. The Terraza offered leather seats, and faux wood trim on the center stack, offered also on the steering wheel and gear shift knob.

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. 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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash tests.^[1]

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.

Discontinuation

The Terraza was discontinued after the 2007 model year,^[2] the GM's Doraville plant closed on 26 September 2008, and the last Terraza was assembled in June 2007.

Sales

Calendar year	U.S. sales
2004	2,137^[3]
2005	20,288
2006	11,948
2007	5,569
2008	544
Total	45,385

See also

• Buick GL8 - A Chinese-exclusive minivan, whose first generation was based on the Terraza.

External links

• Web site: Buick Terraza: 2007 Buick Terraza Luxury Minivan: CX, CXL . 2008-01-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070811111548/http://www.buick.com/terraza/ . 2007-08-11 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Buick Terraza IIHS Crash Tests . March 8, 2008 . September 27, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927162046/http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=536 . dead .
2. Web site: Velite Coming for Buick - Velite Name Could Stand . . 2007-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070602121849/http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/13083/velite-coming-for-buick-velite-name-could-stand-page2.html . 2007-06-02 . dead .
3. http://www.autointell.com/nao_companies/general_motors/gm-sales/GM-US-data-book-2005.xls GM US Data book