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 (Uplander, Montana SV6, and Relay respectively), all manufactured in Doraville, Georgia.
Design
The Terraza retailed at US$28,110 in 2005 (equivalent to $43,853 in 2023),[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 now be upgraded to a 3.9 L (in FWD only) LZ9 V6 engine. Second-row seat-mounted side airbags were now an option, and wheels now had 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
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Buick Terraza IIHS Crash Tests". Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
- ^ "Velite Coming for Buick - Velite Name Could Stand". Car & Driver. Archived from the original on 2007-06-02. 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. Retrieved 2008-01-17.