As sport-utility vehicles have grown in sales over the last 10 years from minor curiosity to major market segment, General Motors has been something of an also-ran in the midsize SUV market. With the Chevrolet Blazer/GMC Jimmy/Olds Bravada platform, GM found itself up against the larger and roomier Ford Explorer; America chose the Explorer decisively, buying significantly more copies of it than of all three GM utes combined. It turns out that to American midsize SUV buyers, size matters, and the extra room the Explorer has traditionally offered over its GM counterparts was a significant factor in its favor.
With the arrival of the early-release 2002 GMC Envoy, Ford's size advantage has evaporated. The Envoy replaces the now-discontinued Jimmy, and is joined by the closely related Chevrolet TrailBlazer (goodbye Blazer) and the Oldsmobile Bravada. Now longer overall than the newly redesigned 2002 Explorer, the Envoy is also wider and offers up to a 6,300 pound towing rating (greater than the Ford). Inside, the GMC has more front legroom and hiproom, as well as greater headroom than the Ford front and rear. The Explorer, however, holds at least one interior advantage—an optional third-row bench seat that raises the passenger capacity to a total of seven. (The longer-wheelbase Envoy XL will offer a third seat within a few months after this two-row-seater is released.)
Essentially a clean-sheet design for 2002, the Envoy (and its siblings from Chevrolet and Oldsmobile) has nothing of note in common with its predecessor. Besides the fresh sheetmetal and interior, the Envoy rides on a new hydroformed frame with upper- and lower control-arm front suspension and a new five-link rear suspension system. There's a very big change under the hood, where a brand-new Vortec 4200 inline six-cylinder engine takes the place of the old 4.3-liter V-6. It can be paired with either rear- or four-wheel-drive. As the first new gasoline-burning inline six from GM in many product generations, the Vortec represents a fresh direction in the company's powertrain development. For use in other vehicles, five- and four-cylinder versions of this engine are also in development.
Author: Jeff Karr
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