If you’re on the hunt for a sleek and capable compact SUV that gets excellent fuel efficiency and easy driving through narrow, busy city streets, you’ve got to check out the GMC Terrain for sale. In this breakdown, we’re going to compare it to a popular rival model, the 2025 Nissan Rogue, and show you why the 2025 GMC Terrain is the better choice. An ever-growing class of vehicles, compact SUVs are often frontrunners for drivers seeking comfortable commuter models with a range of amenities and features as well as the versatility for weekend warriors to get out of the city to biking paths, hiking trails, or kayaking on a nearby lake.
With both the Terrain and the Rogue offering these abilities, we think that GMC’s model not only does it all better but also offers more bang for your buck. Looking sharp, having higher ground clearance, providing plenty of cargo space while seating five adults comfortably, and keeping the cabin’s occupants entertained with top-of-the-line connectivity tech, GMC indulges its drivers for miles and miles. Holding its value well, the 2025 Terrain is a great choice for your next SUV whether you’re a young professional, have a growing family, or are an empty nester looking for a comfortable ride that is easier on the knees to get in and out of. Let’s take a deeper look into what makes the 2025 Terrain so great…
The Hot Trend of a Boxy Style
Aesthetic design is certainly subjective, but sometimes form really adds to function and isn’t just for looks. Not only is the Terrain trendy with its boxy design, but the squared-off liftgate maximizes cargo space in the rear in addition to expanding the overall legroom throughout. With comparable base prices between the two models, you get more roominess in your vehicle by choosing the GMC. The Terrain’s outward appearance is more commanding and confident in its stance and nods to the off-road capabilities GMC provides over the Rogue. Taking a page from its lineup of capable and award-winning pickups, GMC has given the Terrain a rugged appearance that is growing in popularity right now.
The Nissan Rogue keeps it classy in its compact SUV body, but the drawback of sticking to classic lines is that it can lead to boredom. The Rogue isn’t much of a head turner in any trim, not when compared to the Black Edition of the Terrain, which adds mystique and luxury. The Rogue offers five trim levels that can be a lot to sort through to be sure you’re choosing one that best catches your eye. GMC makes it easy to decide by offering one Terrain trim that brings ruggedness and luxury, and your customization of it is through adding exciting packages to meet your driving needs. In a modern world with overwhelming choices, GMC keeps it simple!

Elevated Features in the Terrain
While the 2025 Nissan Rogue has better fuel efficiency and horsepower, the 2025 GMC Terrain offers stark advantages in transmission choice, advanced safety features, infotainment technology, front legroom, and off-road capability. These aspects make the Terrain a compelling choice for buyers prioritizing these features in their compact SUV selection.
Interior comfort is most important when you spend hours commuting every week or love to spend your weekends road-tripping to exciting new places. While both of these models offer the features drivers want most from a new vehicle today, we find the interior design of the Terrain to be a notch above the Rogue. Both models provide a digital information cluster behind the steering wheel and an infotainment center touchscreen on the dash, but visibility and usability score far more points in the Terrain than the Rogue.
GMC has installed a beautiful screen within the dash that is easy to reach from leaning on an elbow on the padded armrest lid of the center console. The Terrain’s screen is much larger than the one Nissan installed in the Rogue, at 15 inches versus 8 inches. This makes seeing nav directions, choosing your next song, and using the message center integrated with your smartphone so much easier on the go. Plush seating fabrics, a heated steering wheel, heated seats, and lumbar support are offered in both models, but only one has ventilated front seats available. You guessed it: GMC knows driver comfort!
Outperforming the Competition
When it comes to performance, you’re going to experience great fuel efficiency and smooth driving from both of these compact SUVs. But under the hood, some differences will stand out in certain conditions. The Rogue has a 1.5L three-cylinder engine. The Terrain has the same displacement for its engine but with an added cylinder. Four-cylinder engines provide a more powerful performance and refined driving at all speeds.
When considering an all-wheel drive model, the 2025 Rogue has only the same CVT; meanwhile, the 2025 Terrain has an 8-speed automatic option on top of the CVT that front-wheel-drive models come with. For longevity and more rugged and durable performance, the 8-speed automatic transmission can handle long travels better than a CVT. Their overall handling, responsiveness, and efficiency are similar, but, again, the Terrain pulls ahead with its Hill Descent Control feature for moderated driving on steep hills without having to stand on the brake pedal.

Advanced Driver Assistance Features
Today’s drivers love the advanced connectivity tech that modern cars have—and between the Terrain and the Rogue, these features are pretty even. Both can make seamless connections to your smartphone, provide convenient charging solutions, and have immersive audio systems. For voice assistance, the Terrain and the Rogue have Google Built-In, which will pull up navigation, direct you to the nearest gas station, select your favorite playlist, and even handle calls and text messaging hands-free. What pulls the Terrain ahead in this category, though, is the eight camera view angles available in the Surround Vision tool, including a 360-degree view that is a real boon with the 15-inch infotainment screen.
Lastly, no one wants to drive without the best possible safety tech. GMC’s driver assistance suite packs in a forward collision alert with automatic braking, a lane departure alert, a lane-keeping assistant with corrective steering, automatic high beams, and rain-sensing wipers, among others. An extra Terrain perk that city drivers will appreciate (and that the Rogue doesn’t offer) is Side Bicyclist Alert for parking on congested streets and avoiding a day-wrecker of an accident for both you and any number of cyclists in the bike lanes between you and traffic. New for 2025, the Terrain has a digital rearview mirror that projects the view of a rear-facing camera into your rearview mirror for a wider angle of behind you.
Find the 2025 GMC Terrain of Your Dreams
Between the GMC Terrain and the Nissan Rogue, the 2025 Terrain is the better investment for your money. Being a legacy automaker with best-in-class ratings for design, quality, and craftsmanship, you can’t go wrong with this capable and versatile compact SUV to meet all your driving needs. We can’t wait to help you choose the right trim for you and your family. Stop in and get behind the wheel of a 2025 GMC Terrain today!

