2002-2009 GMC Envoy: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

GMC's Envoy was a new five-passenger four-door wagon that shared its basic design, powertrain, and new body-on-frame platform with the 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer and Oldsmobile Bravada. Each midsize sport-utility vehicle model had its own styling details, inside and out. Aimed upscale of comparable TrailBlazers, Envoys cost slightly more and offered some options that Chevrolets did not. Compared to its retired Jimmy predecessor, the Envoy rode a 6-inch longer wheelbase, had a body 10 inches longer, and was 5 inches wider and taller. A new 270-horsepower inline six-cylinder engine and four-speed automatic transmission was the sole powertrain. Envoys came with rear-wheel drive and available traction control, or with General Motors' Autotrac four-wheel-drive system that could be left engaged on dry pavement and included low-range gearing. Unlike Ford's Explorer, also redesigned for 2002, GM's new SUVs did not adopt an independent rear suspension. In lieu of the standard coil-spring rear layout, however, Envoy offered an optional load-leveling air suspension. Standard equipment included antilock four-wheel disc brakes, and 17-inch alloy wheels. Front side airbags were standard (the driver's covered the head and torso). Options included a DVD rear-seat video entertainment system. A longer Envoy XL with third-row seating joined the original model later in the year. Envoy's competitors included the Acura MDX, Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, and Mercury Mountaineer.