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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  Love the Terraza!! - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Paul McCauley - February 9 - 3:49 pm

  I have recently purchased this van and my wife and I LOVE IT!! I am very confused with the reviews concerning the van not having enough power and wonder what some people expect. We have driven the van in a mountainous area and never felt the power was inadequate, but then again I did not expect a sports car to haul my family around in. The interior is well laid and loaded with bells and whistles (most of which are easy to understand). This van rides very nice and has performed wonderfully on several long distance trips. We have averaged 25 mpg on the highway and are ecstatic with these numbers. So far after 8K miles we are very pleased and would highly recommend the Terraza to others.

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  Loaded with Luxury and Amazing features - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By aminnj - January 4 - 12:50 pm

  I have CXL, AWD with all options except Navigation System. The drive feels like of an SUV & the room you get is of a Minivans. Compare to the class leader Odessey this car comes with many extras, such as AWD, Rearview Parking Assisstance, a built- in compressor, AC Power Outlet to charge Camcoders, Digital Cameras, Laptops etc, XM Radio is truly awesome, On-star 1-year free is great feature as well. If one can afford $199 a year from year 2, it is very useful feature especially if you have a family with kids. Compare to Honda Odessey, I think the pick up is less and the rear trunk room is superior in Honda. I would suggest to take a look at this Terraza instead of simply going with Honda

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  Open Road Performance - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By Ray - January 3 - 6:38 pm

  The Terrazas best feature is the response on the highway. Took a trip from NY to DC and the car responded beautifully to passing situations. Accelerating from 55-60mph to 65-70mph to pass, it handled smoothly and had enough engine power and feel that it could give you more power easily.

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  Super car, great traveler - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Fred - December 25 - 12:02 am

  This is the third van we have owned - 90 Chevy Lumina and 98 Olds Silhouette. Both previous cars were very satisfactory with virtually no extra service required in 107K and 93K respectively. This one looks equal or better in smoothness and build quality. In 12,800 mile over 11 months, there hasnt been a single blip of any kind. The interior is just beautiful I had compared Mercury Monterey, Windstar, Chrysler, Sienna, Odyessy and other GM, but none of them compare to feel and look of quality. There are many fine touches in car. Only negative is that I wish GM would adopt Chryslers stow and go seating. Second row seats are hard to remove/replace. Great ride on trips.

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  Nice car - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Rich - December 20 - 2:26 pm

  This is a very comfortable vehicle for us. I am pretty big 64" and the front seat is very comfortable. The second row seats dont have a bunch of leg room behind a tall person but our kids are young so this isnt a problem. Inside is nice. The ride is quiet and smooth. We have not had a problem with the power. No doubt other vehicles have more but we find the engine adaquate.

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  Get more, pay less - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Dan - December 12 - 12:36 pm

  My cousin has a Sienna. We knew the Toyota dealer, and we both test drove the Sienna. In the end, we could not bring ourselves to spend $5,000 more for a car that had fewer features than the Terraza. Dollar for dollar, the Terraza is a great buy! Weve now had the car for 6 months. This is our third minivan (one Japanese, one American, all fully loaded) and I can tell you that this is the best one weve ever had! From the remote start to the wireless DVD player to the automatic doors to the dual climate control to all that storage space - Buick, youve hit a home run! Never mind that it also drives great and you can hear someone whisper at 70mph! Who needs an SUV? Great family car!

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  06 Buick Terraza Highly Recommended - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By Dave A - November 22 - 3:19 pm

  Weve only had this van for about a month now but so far everything has been excellent. Fit and finish and general interior quality is excellent. Radio/CD and DVD Player are excellent easy to operate and sound great, right power door is outstanding, left standard door is very hard to close. Seats are very comfortable and can be adjusted 8 ways. Dual heating controls at front and addnl heating at back are fantastic. We opted for the new 3.9L V6 engine, exc pickup and still better mileage than our previous 03 Rendezvous, will be great for towing if I get that boat next year.

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  Terazza is the best by far - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By tracy - November 9 - 12:17 am

  I test drove several mini vans over a period of three months. Terazza, Montana, Senoma, Freestyle, also a van by Saturn. I kept going back to the Terazza it offers everthing that I wanted in a mini van. storage, comfort, style,dvd for the kids.( i have 2)it has a more sporty look to it then mini van. It handles the road great. I recently took it on a road trip to Salem, Mass and it performed wonderful. It was also great on fuel. I think that Buick hit the mark with this minivan.

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  Very Good - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By CRR - October 6 - 10:45 am

  I really liked this mini van. I was surprised at all of the smart features, like the information panel that lets you know exactly how many miles you have before running out of gas and oil, extra cup holders that can be hid away and a censored passenger seat to keep airbag off when a child is under weight. There were so many common sense things that most vehicles do not have, which makes traveling a lot more comfortable. The car told you specifically which door was not close. The down side was you have to shut the side doors real hard to get it to register close. It took me a while to get used to the truck look on the front end, then I recalled how some men prefer a more masculine look.

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  Great Vehicle - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Dave - September 29 - 12:43 pm

  I love everything about this vehicle except that it is slightly underpowered. We just completed a 500 mile all interstate trip at 70 mph and got 26 mpg, 2 more than posted for this vehicle. It drives, handles and rides very well - feels more like a car than a minivan. Excellent storage and seating comfort. Vehicle now has 4000 miles and no problems thus far. The grandkids love it, especially the DVD setup.