Buick Terraza

Infobox Automobile


name = Buick Terraza
manufacturer = General Motors
production = 2005–2007
predecessor = Oldsmobile Silhouette (after Oldsmobile's dissolution)
class = Luxury Minivan
successor = Buick Enclave
body_style = 4-door van
assembly = Doraville, Georgia
platform = GM U platform
layout = Front engine, front-wheel drive/four-wheel drive
related = Buick GL8
Buick Rendezvous
Chevrolet Uplander
Pontiac Aztek
Pontiac Montana SV6
Saturn Relay
Chevrolet Venture
transmission = 4-speed automatic
engine = 3.5 L "LX9" V6
3.9 L "LZ9" V6
3.9 L "LGD" V6
wheelbase = auto in|121.1|0
length = auto in|205.0|0
width = auto in|72.0|0
height = auto in|72.1|0
weight = Auto lb|4426|0
front track = Auto in|62.4|0
rear track = Auto in|62.6|0The Buick Terraza is 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. In 2000, Buick released the GL8 to China. It remains solely to the Chinese market, where it is still in production 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.

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. [cite web | url = http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=536
title = Buick Terraza IIHS Crash Tests | accessdate = March 8 | accessyear = 2008]

Year-by-year changes

*2005 • Buick introduces the Terraza, its first minivan for the North-American market. The Terraza is 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 can now be upgraded to a 3.9 L LZ9 V6 engine. Second row side-curtain airbags are now also an option.
*2007 • All-wheel drive models are dropped for this year. The 3.9 L V6 is now the only engine offered, however it is available with a flex-fuel option. More standard features are offered on the new "CX Plus" model, which is 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 [cite web | url = http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/13083/velite-coming-for-buick-velite-name-could-stand-page2.html | title = Velite Coming for Buick - Velite Name Could Stand | publisher = Car & Driver | accessdate = 2007-05-31] , and GM's Doraville plant has been scheduled for closure in 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.

References

External links

* [http://www.buick.com/terraza/ Official American site]
* [http://www.gmcanada.com/english/vehicles/buick/terraza/index.jsp Official Canadian site]
* [http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/29/gmc-to-add-minivan-by-2009/ GMC to add minivan, GM to discontinue others(although they will be redesigned).]