Second-Hand: GMC Envoy

Mark Toljagic

SECOND-HAND

"I went through two transmissions in one year and GMC claims their company is `professional grade.' More like `Fisher-Price grade' to me."

Ouch. That was a mean-spirited comment on the Internet. What did that nice toy company do to deserve that?

More important, what is "professional grade?"

GMC's tagline smacks of disingenuous, smarty-pants marketing that suggests top quality, but doesn't really mean anything.

Advertising campaigns aside, General Motors' truck division was keen to replace its tired, old Jimmy sport-utility.

A few years back, General Motors was getting its lunch eaten by Ford's Explorer in the lucrative mid-size SUV segment, so much so that the General had to come up with a better idea.

It started with a crisp sheet of paper and designed a compelling alternative to the Explorer — just as Ford was replacing its 11-year sales winner with an all-new SUV.

CONFIGURATION

The new-for-2002 GMC Envoy and Chevrolet TrailBlazer clone arrived in mid-2001 as aggressively styled five-door wagons, considerably larger than the old Jimmy and Blazer.

The new trucks employed a ladder frame with hydroformed side rails for added strength, 2.7 times stronger than the old frame.

GM steadfastly stuck to its rigid-axle rear suspension rather than go with the more sophisticated independent design used by the Explorer, citing better off-road capability and towing capacity.

The big news lay under the hood: a new 4.2-litre inline-six producing 270 horses and 275 lb.-ft. of twist. An inline setup has an inherent smoothness that a V6 or V8 can't duplicate.

The all-aluminum Vortec 4200 was the first new engine in GM's truck lineup in 30 years and the first with dual overhead camshafts.

It was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment. Buyers could choose between rear-wheel-only and four-wheel drivetrains.

The cabin offered considerably more space than the old S-10 pickup-based SUVs, although the cockpit had a wrap-around quality to it that made the space feel intimate.

"When the rear seats are folded down, the front seats have to moved forward resulting in minimal room in the front," reader Robin Virtue, who owns an '02 Envoy, pointed out.

To combat the Explorer's third-row seating (made possible by Ford's switch to a space-saving independent rear suspension), GM rushed to market a long-wheelbase version of the Envoy (XL) and TrailBlazer (EXT) in 2002.

By grafting a whopping 40 cm extension between the axles, the new models had enough room to offer third-row seating and generous cargo capacity.

Because it's paradoxically longer and heavier than its big brother, the full-size Yukon, the "mid-size" Envoy XL didn't seem to handle as well as the standard Envoy nor feel as reassuring as the wide-body Yukon.

GM set about massaging its new trucks soon after they were introduced.

For 2003, the pair came with a larger 90-litre fuel tank in place of the woefully inadequate 65-litre tank; the six banger gained five hp for a total of 275; and those with a hankering for more power could opt for an all-aluminum 5.3-litre V8 making 290 hp and 325 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Envoy XUV arrived for 2004, offering a unique indoor/outdoor cargo hold with a sliding roof and washable floor as a sort of demi-pickup truck. It was yanked off the market after just two years.

ON THE ROAD

GM's new six-cylinder engine was no shrinking violet.

It propelled what was a very heavy truck to highway velocity in a relatively speedy 7.9 seconds.

It also allowed for a towing capacity of 2,858 kg (2WD) or 2,767 kg for the 4WD model. The Vortec 5300 V8 could pull up to 2,948 kg.

Vented disc brakes at all four wheels hauled the rig down to a standstill from a speed of 112 km/h in 64 metres — not so good, given the heavy-duty hardware.

However, the six-cylinder, while making the power of a V8, also consumed fuel like a V8.

WHAT OWNERS REPORTED

"Two words sum up the Chevy Trailblazer: reliable and powerful," reader Joe Lorincz wrote. "This September, my 2002 TrailBlazer LT will be five years old and nothing has gone wrong with it."

The handsome styling, luxury features and robust towing capacity won fans, but others reported problems. "Engine failure at 9,000 km, transmission at 77,000 km along with the rear differential," read one owner's online memo.

Early examples of the six-cylinder engine proved prone to cracking their cylinder liners. Some transmissions and diffs leaked fluid or ground themselves to smithereens.

Other headaches included chronic electronic glitches, bad ignition switches, cracked fuel tanks and faulty a/c.

Most complaints had to do with the inaugural 2002 models. That old adage about avoiding the first year of production still rings true.

We would like to know about your ownership experience with these models: Kia Sedona, Land Rover Freelander and Dodge Dakota. Send your comments to Mark Toljagic, PO Box 51541, RPO Beaches, Toronto, ON M4E 3V7. Email:

toljagic@ca.inter.net.

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