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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  Van has been good - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By R Shipp - January 21 - 12:40 am

  This has been one of the better vans I have driven. Handles well in the Canadian winters and is very stable on the highway. Though I do mostly highway diving the mileage is great for this size of vehicle. 30 to 34 MPG(CDN) & 18 MPG in the city. I have not had any of the problems that I have seen written or heard about. Though I did feel the brakes needed replacing much sooner than I expected. I have noticed the road noise is getting louder and there are a few rattles here and there and I feel the temperature may have somethin to do with it. The warmer it is the less the noise.

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  Sad Buick Showing - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By JBundle - December 10 - 2:00 pm

  While I was growing up, my grandfather always praised how good Buicks were and so I was very biased in my purchase, but no more. I am very disappointed with this van. On the outside it looks like a beautiful vehicle, but on the inside, the engine stalls on cold starts, the vehicle shakes (replaced brakes and tires made it better). There is no room for cargo. My husband is wheelchair bound now and we can either have people or his chair. DVD player also has high pitch noise whenever used. The only things I like are the built in aircompressor and the power door. Other than that the front cupholder broke with the weight of a cup of coffee. I would trade it, but it depreciated as soon as I bought

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  Thanks for nothing Buick. - 2007 Buick Terraza
  By Shaun - August 29 - 4:40 pm

  I bought this 07 van used in the beginning of 07 with 24k miles on it. Since then it has been in the shop at least 15 times. One dealer printout of the work done was 14 pages. I contacted Buick about the reliability and safety for that matter of this vehicle which has warranty up to 50k miles mind you, and they (in so many words) said just keep taking it back till its fixed and offered me a year membership to their knock-off AAA. I am almost more disgusted with Buick then the car itself, they were rude and unaccommodating. The major repairs included brakes, transmission, wheel bearings, sliding doors, stability sensors, traction control, steering shaft...just to name a few! Do not buy!

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  Yikes - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By mmills - July 18 - 11:22 pm

  Wish I had seen these reviews before we bought this. Lots of trouble--some of the same as others. The stability control also went out at about 7,000 miles. Nothing like the brakes slamming on when driving! Fixed now and no problems, but lots of tire, wheel issues now. Have to replace tires at 27,000 all hubs replaced. New tires arent covered. Dealership blames on lack of rotating--seems like this is a problem on most. It is definitely a lemon but doesnt qualify as one.

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  Whoa! - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By iblocalca - May 2 - 4:09 pm

  I picked this car because I had rented a similar vehicle while on vacation. I love the extras, and the car itself, but I have had nothing but problems with it. The stability and the steering system have been ongoing since I bought it. I was making a lane change at 65 mph on the freeway when the traction, stability went out and the brakes locked and I had no control of the van. I feel that safety is a big issue and I cant that my car feels safe anymore. It has been in the shop on and off for the time I have had it. The dealership has been great fixing these issues but they continue to happen and so I think it is now a dealership issue for me.

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  Very Disappointed - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By MeMe - April 14 - 11:20 pm

  This is the first car I have purchased new, and I am very disappointed with the performance of this van. My van stalls when starting for day one, was told it is a manufactures problem and cant be fixed. It has lots of noises from the tires to squeaking in the seats. Bad blind spots in rear Windows because of back head rest. There is very little storage space in back. Had to have sliding door repaired, weather stripes on doors replaced, new cd player put in, two knew key pads in less than 3 yrs. Rear hatch hard to close, no rear heat, none auto sliding door hard to close, no room betw. Front console and front storage area. This is why they no longer make it.

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  Safety is issue - 2007 Buick Terraza
  By John VonBank - March 24 - 10:48 am

  Safety is major concern as power sliding doors tend to not latch and may come off in major accident. Service center have issues that they cannot duplicate and will not spend money to investigate or change parts out not covered by warranty. Left with very unsafe driving condition when transporting grandchildren.

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  "The All New Lemon" by Buick - 2007 Buick Terraza
  By Thomas - January 8 - 8:45 pm

  This has to be the 2007 Edsel! Worst new vehicle weve ever owned. We bought the first one in January, and within a month had so many problems Buick bought it back. We got this one in April 07. As of year end 07 it has been in the shop over 150 days. The sliding doors are a nightmare. They are especially fun when they wont open or close at all and 5 people have to climb in and out of the rear liftgate. This is the 6th or 7th Buick auto weve owned over the years. No amount of money would ever put me in one of these things again though!

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  Regretful choice - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By Bembie - October 2 - 11:18 am

  I have been very disappointed with my Terraza. The sliding doors are hard to close. There is no storage between the front seats and I have a hard time finding somewhere to put my purse when my cupholders are open. There are no air vents in the back and my kids hated this part. I had to have the rear end replaced at 35,000 miles. There are also many rattles inside. Road noise is annoying, too. I am in the process of trading, even though it is not a good financial move for me. The depreciation of this vehicle is terrible, but I am willing to go into a new vehicle after being "upside down" with this one. This is my first Buick and I have been disappointed.

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  Waste of Money - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Eric - August 8 - 9:25 pm

  The Terraza was a great van for the first 6000 miles after that stuff started going wrong with it. The interior is very noisy. The back hatch rattles. The passenger power sliding door pops open after you close it. The anti-lock stabilitrak has a warning and service brakes soon message, and the dealer cant find the problem. There is a clunking noise coming from the left front. I had an Oldsmobile van that this van replaced, I wish the Buick was as nice as the Oldsmobile. I would not purchase another one.