Overview & Reviews

When Buick decided to offer its first minivan, it attempted to minimize the associated stigma by labeling the Terraza, a badge-engineered General Motors minivan, a "luxury crossover sport van." In other words, the Terraza was a minivan featuring a taller stance, an elongated nose and available all-wheel drive. While it shared a platform with several corporate siblings such as the Chevrolet Uplander, the Buick Terraza offered a few distinguishing characteristics and styling tricks that lent an upscale feel in comparison. Nicely finished leather and wood trim in the uplevel versions provided an elegant ambience not seen in the Buick's more lowbrow relatives, and it came with more standard features as well.

But as minivans go, the Buick Terraza lagged behind the segment leaders (as well as newer true crossovers) in terms of driving refinement and safety features. Shoppers are advised to check out models such as the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna or even Buick's own Enclave before settling on this "luxury crossover sport van."

Most recent Buick Terraza
Buick introduced the Terraza in 2005 and discontinued it after the 2007 model year. At first, it had an underwhelming 3.5-liter V6 providing 200 horsepower matched to a four-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive was optional. The Buick Terraza minivan came in three trim levels -- CX, CX Plus and CXL. The well-equipped CX offered the expected popular amenities, while the CX Plus added a sport-tuned suspension, dual-zone climate control and auto-leveling rear suspension. The top-of-the-line CXL provided alloy wheels, rear air-conditioning, rear parking assist and eight-way power front seats.

The Buick Terraza comfortably accommodated up to seven people and offered room for lots of stuff -- its second- and third-row seats folded down to provide up to 137 cubic feet of space. However, unlike most other minivans, the Terraza's third row did not fold completely into the floor, though it could be removed. The rest of the cabin was luxurious thanks to convincing faux wood and double-stitched leather seats with contrasting piping. A modular roof rail system allowed passengers to adjust the DVD player and storage compartment components, and folding center trays were located between the first- and second-row seats. There was also an available remote vehicle start system that enabled one to heat up or cool down the cabin before getting in.

Used-model shoppers might want to focus on 2006-and-later models, as these vans became available with first- and second-row side airbags inside and the more powerful 3.9-liter V6 under the hood of front-wheel-drive models. Rear DVD entertainment was made standard, and those wanting more choices could opt for the PhatNoise digital media system. All-wheel drive and the 3.5-liter V6 were dropped for 2007.

In reviews, we found the Buick Terraza's large V6 capable of delivering respectable acceleration around town and ample power for merging and passing at highway speeds despite its hefty mass. The suspension struck an acceptable balance between ride comfort and responsive handling, but other minivans offered sharper reflexes and a tighter turning radius. The Terraza's braking distances were also a little on the long side. And despite Buick's advertised "QuietTuning" technology, cabin noise levels were above average and not as whisper-quiet as we expected.

User Reviews:

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  THE BEST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED! - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Cheryl - November 5 - 12:10 pm

  I have owned 5 mini vans and this is the 5th and last. It is so comfortable and seats 7! The kids can watch movies or hook their xbox up to it. It has 2 household plugs in it, a compressor with an air hose! No matter how much weight there is in it, it adjusts in the rear and it is never sagged down. I have folded the seats down and put a full size refrigerator in it. It sits up high like an SUV, but, I LOVE the sliding doors in parking lots and the garage. It is front wheel drive, but, goes through snow like a charm!

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  Owned since new in 2005 - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By drjayz - December 29 - 10:02 am

  Have a long history of good Bbuicks, so when it became time for me to haul grandsons to hockey and loads of food and gear to the cottage, I wanted a van with AWD. I love this vehicle and would have bought another if GM still made a replacement. A few problems that dealer handled well: flush rear AWD transmission due to whirring noise on sharp turns, Rt front wheel bearing, front brakes after 4 years-not bad, after 7 years remote start/doors key FOBs quit - still working on that one. Have 100,000miles including 2 trips to South Mexico-beautiful to drive at 75MPH for hours. #1 issue: same DVD stuck in 2nd row player since 2006 . In 2012 drive heated seat has a hot spot - may be a short?

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  Luxury for Mommy - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By blastcap - December 6 - 3:41 pm

  I have had my buick for nearly 2 years and I love it! Its a smooth ride. Love the interior. very reliable. Have not had any problems so far. great for the kids, roomy. Great for traveling. only downfall is the gas mileage. I get about 15mpg city and not much more hwy. the automatic sliding doors are convenient but when you hit a bump in the road the door will un-latch, causing an ever so annoying alarm to sound until you put the car in park and shut the door. no regrets buying this vehicle.Treat yourself moms and buy this car!

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  Great car for travel! - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By fred154 - July 6 - 8:29 pm

  This car is sensational for comfortable long distance travel whether just for the two of us or when we take other adults up to six on a trip. It even beats our Lincoln Town Car for a comfortable long distance trip. Besides being handy to haul bulky items too large for an autos trunk, it has an elegant interior. In 90,000 miles, we have had to replace one front wheel bearing and one rear hub. Otherwise, only normal maintenance has been required. I dont want to give this car up since there is no suitable replacement on the market now.

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  A Real Beauty! - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By Dolynn56X - November 9 - 2:00 am

  Fantastic van, we got a great deal on it, didnt have to fianance, price was so low. Features are great, drives great, all around great vehicle. I would definately buy one again.

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  Great car for travel! - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Fred - September 3 - 4:09 pm

  Bought new in January,2005, our car now has 83,000 miles and has performed flawlessly. We have made several trips of more than 900 miles in one day with trade-off of drivers, and the comfort of its seats make that no problem. Mileage on trips is usually about 23 MPG, more at lower speeds. No repairs required except rear hubs became warped and noisy at 50,000 miles. Tires had to be replaced at 60,000 miles- good but not the 81,000 miles our 98 Oldsmobile van got. The interior design is very classy and car has many quality features. We wish GM would make more vans and not push everyone towards SUVs which are not nearly as economical and versatile.

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  The Ultimate Minivan - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Brian - July 16 - 1:22 pm

  My wife swore she would never drive a minivan, unless it was a Buick. We have no regrets. Buick has done a terrific job building this classy, well built versatile vehicle.

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  Love my 2005 Platinum Edition Terraza - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Richard - September 8 - 12:06 am

  I said I would never own a minivan, and was in the market for midsize SUV when I saw and test drove my new 2005 Platinum Edition Terraza 4 yrs ago. I fell in love at first sight. Mine is fully decked with every possible option including 17 inch chrome wheels. Ive owned many vehicles in the past, but none of them have been as multi-functional as this big shiny Buick. Whether its used for Home Depot, greenhouses, people hauling thru Rocky Mountains, or driving to the theatre, this van does it with ease and finesse. It has enough power when fully loaded while making my way home from vacations. It does not have the roar of my Mercedes, but I did not buy it for that reason.

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  Would buy again - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By vbf - July 28 - 7:15 pm

  We own the 1998 Pontiac Transport Montana and loved it. After 160K miles, we felt it was time to retire the Pontaic from daily driving. We bought the 06 Terraza fully-loaded, used, for a very good price...40% of MSRP when new with only 20K miles. Have owned the car for 8 months now and put 16K miles on it. Performs well with AWD on slick/snowy/icy roads, DVD is invaluable for kids and hubs when on long road trips and we can all listen through steareo speaker system. Also works great driving through construction job sites where I work. Loud cabin noise needs resolving and cup holder "platforms" need eliminating. They hinder access. Storage adequate. Tall theatre seats a hassle.

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  Love This Van! Even After Nearly 4 Years - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Butteview - May 6 - 5:48 pm

  I replaced a GMC Suburban with this van. I needed lots of cargo space and this has just 1.5 cubic feet less than my Suburban with the middle seats out and the rear seats folded flat. The storage in the rear, appearance and features sold me on this car. According to the computer, I get just a little better mileage than on the sticker. 18+/24+. I get especially good mileage on the highway. Accelerating really seems to burn gas. I got this van to take to dog shows and it is perfect. Mine has everything but heated leather seats. I would ordered that. I did not get good service from this particular Dealer.