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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  My First Buick Van - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Tom - January 26 - 7:00 pm

  I had owned two vans prior to this, both Oldsmobiles, a 2000 and a 2004. I enjoyed both very much. The Terraza I bought is very nice but doesnt seem to have some of the extras that came standard with the Oldsmobiles. For instance the roof racks had crossover bars, in the Terraza you have to buy them extra. I had 3 keyed entrances before (both front doors and the rear hatch), now I only have one, the drivers side door. The Oldsmobiles had little compartments for coins, pencils, etc. plus small storage bins with lids in the back, there are none in the Terraza, except for the comparment on the rails sys. The Terraza has been in the repair shop 3 times since 1-17-05 and had to be towed once.

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  Terrazza is worth a look. - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By jwh5700 - January 14 - 10:21 pm

  The Buick Terraza is definitely worth a look. It may not be as powerful as the Honda Odyssey, but the ride is much better, the fuel economy is also better and has more standard features than its sister the Chevy Uplander. Standard leather seats with cloth inserts and standard electronic load leveling and dynamic styling along with a great price led us to purchase ours in April of 2005. We traveled fully loaded to the max from Cincinnati to Myrtle beach through the mountains and all and had averaged 25 mpg. To date we have not experienced any problems other than a loose panel by the sliding door track and the Buick dealership treats you as if you bought a Mercedes.

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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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  Kids Love It. Comfort, Options, Style - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By EL PASO TX. - December 27 - 6:42 pm

  Owning this vehicle has been a good experience so far. We have already taken a trip thru the mountains with 6 people in it and it drove great...no problems at all. Buick hit it right on the money with the look but Im pretty sure they could have used better quality interior pieces. The compartments do feel cheap and are sometimes hard to close. It would have been nice if the back windows can roll down, but over all its worth the money. We shopped around & compared prices. With all the standard options it comes with a Honda or Toyota would have been at least $37,000. With the red tag sales youll probably pay about $28,000 for a Buick Terraza. $10,000 less. Gas is reasonable for a van.

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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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  Love my new Terraza - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Nebraska Owner - December 20 - 8:02 am

  Terraza is a dream to drive. Inside the cab is very quiet and the ride is comfortable. Dials are easy to read, 2 sliding doors are great. There are only a few minor design details that I would change if I were the designer ... the 3rd row seats are hard to lift once they have been lowered forward as there is no strap or handle to grip and lift..Im short & would love "move forward" pedals to keep me back from the airbag..hotter heat. Compared to Hondas Odessy, and for the money, I have all the bells & whistles for a lot less. I find it is a exciting vehicle to drive. Gas Mileage about 16-17 mpg/city

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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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  Overpriced for this vehicle - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By tony - November 24 - 12:19 am

  Terrible build quality. Noisy,hard riding, terrible glove compartment. Middle seats dont adjust far enough. Engine underpowered. For the money buy the Honda Oddessy. Test drove it after I purchased the Buick, no comparison. Honda wins, big time. My mistake, I should of test drove the vehicle.