Engineering:Buick Terraza
| Buick Terraza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | General Motors |
| Production | June 2004 – June 2007 |
| Model years | 2005–2007 |
| Assembly | United States: Doraville, Georgia (Doraville Assembly) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Minivan |
| Body style | 4-door minivan |
| Layout | Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive / all-wheel drive |
| Platform | GM U platform/GMT201 |
| Related | Buick GL8 Chevrolet Uplander Pontiac Montana SV6 Saturn Relay |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission | 4-speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 121.1 in (3,076 mm) |
| Length | 205.0 in (5,207 mm) |
| Width | 72.0 in (1,829 mm) |
| Height | 72.1 in (1,831 mm) |
| |uk|Kerb|Curb}} weight | 4,426 lb (2,008 kg) |
The Buick Terraza is a four-door minivan marketed by Buick from the 2005 to 2007 model years as a luxury crossover sport van. As Buick's first minivan for the North American market, it was a badge-engineered variant of the Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Saturn minivans sharing the U platform, all manufactured in Doraville, Georgia.
Design
The Terraza retailed at US$28,110 in 2005 (equivalent to $45,257 in 2024),[1] 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 became available; the 3.5 L engine was discontinued a year later. The Terraza offered leather seats and faux wood trim on the steering wheel, instrument panel, and gear shift knob.
Borrowing a design feature from the Rendezvous, all 2005–2006 Terraza models featured an independent short-and-long-arm rear suspension with aluminum crossmember and control arms, regardless of drivetrain. The independent rear suspension was replaced with a beam axle for 2007.
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.[2]
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 and top-of-the-line CXL; both trims were available in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
- 2006: The 3.5 L V6 could also be upgraded to a 3.9 L (in FWD only) LZ9 V6 engine. Second-row seat-mounted side airbags became an option, and the wheels featured six lug nuts instead of five.
- 2007: The Terraza's last year, and all-wheel-drive models were dropped. 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 independent rear suspension was replaced with a beam axle. The last Terraza was assembled in June 2007,[3] and the Terraza was removed from Buick's website in early fall 2007.
Sales
| Calendar year | U.S. sales |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 2,137[4] |
| 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 served as the basis for the Terraza.
References
- ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator/consumer-price-index-1800-.
- ↑ "Buick Terraza IIHS Crash Tests". http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=536. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
- ↑ "Velite Coming for Buick - Velite Name Could Stand". Car & Driver. Archived from the original on 2007-06-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20070602121849/http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/13083/velite-coming-for-buick-velite-name-could-stand-page2.html. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
- ↑ GM US Data book Auto Intell 2005
External links
- "Buick Terraza: 2007 Buick Terraza Luxury Minivan: CX, CXL". Archived from the original on 2007-08-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20070811111548/http://www.buick.com/terraza/. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
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