Tested: The 2026 GMC Terrain AT4 Is Grittier, Not Gutsier

Despite being GM’s “professional grade” truck and SUV-only brand, off-road-focused consumer vehicles have been few and far between for GMC. That started to change a few years ago with the introduction of GMC’s AT4 subbrand, which added off-road tires and trim to models like the Terrain but little else in terms of functional upgrades. The new 2026 GMC Terrain AT4 cranks the knob up on the off-road dial slightly more than its predecessor, so we took it out to some trails and the test track to see just how far the Terrain AT4 has come.

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Why It’s Important

Although we suspect few Terrain AT4 owners will ultimately venture off-road in any real capacity, the AT4 trim is arguably the variant in which all Terrains will derive their credibility. While its modifications for all-terrain duty are fairly minor, they're more expansive than the previous generation Terrain AT4. The most obvious change continues to be at all four corners, where 17-inch wheels come wrapped in beefy-looking General Grabber A/T Sport all-terrain tires. Other changes for the 2026 Terrain AT4 consist of a unique off-road tune for its suspension, a steel skidplate, and a new Terrain drive mode, which we’ll get into in just a moment. The Terrain AT4 also features red recovery hook and prominent AT4 badging.

Just about everything else on this GMC SUV is unchanged from other Terrains. Under its hood is a 1.5-liter turbocharged I-4 with 175 hp and 203 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic and gets standard all-wheel drive on this trim. Thanks largely to those beefy tires, fuel economy for the Terrain AT4 drops from an EPA-estimated 24/28/25 mpg city/highway/combined on other trims with the turbo four to 24/26/25 mpg.

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Pros: What We Like

While that fuel economy figure is disappointing when compared to rivals like the Subaru Forester Wilderness or hybrid-only Toyota RAV4 Woodland, the Terrain AT4 is an exceptional value in its segment (the 2026 AT4 starts at $41,095), undercutting those Japanese rivals by thousands when they’re spec’d out to match the GMC AT4’s standard equipment level. The Terrain also has a distinctive curb appeal, with handsome truckish sheetmetal, and on the inside, its cabin is festooned with fancy-looking screens and luxe touches like heated seats.

Thanks to the beefy rubber, the Terrain AT4 handles light off-road duties acceptably, with plenty of grip from the tires, though not quite enough to make up for the lack of grunt from the engine. The new Terrain mode—which can also be found on other GM vehicles like the GMC Hummer EVs or Chevrolet Colorado ZR2—allows for EV-like one-pedal driving, helping ease progress over trickier surfaces for novice off-roaders.

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Cons: What We Don’t Like

Unfortunately for GMC, the Terrain AT4’s lack of grunt is bound to be a problem for prospective buyers. Even with your foot to the floor, the noisy little four-pot under the Terrain’s hood accelerates at a leisurely place around town, with little highway passing power (it moseys to 60 mph in a leisurely 9.4 seconds). That deficit makes off-roading in the Terrain AT4 largely a momentum game—far from the best solution in a lightly armored, relatively low-riding SUV like the GMC.

Terrain AT4 owners will also pay a daily driving price for the off-road suspension tune and those bigger tires. The former makes the ride excessively floaty on pavement and can lead to increased roll in bends. Meanwhile, the latter ruins any semblance of steering feel and can make slowing down hard far less predictable, with multiple editors noting excessive shimmy under heavy braking.

The Bottom Line

Though stylish and priced well, the Terrain AT4 has many of the drawbacks of a classic body-on-frame SUV, with few of the benefits that come with being a unibody crossover.