With the number of Chevrolet TrailBlazer/GMC Envoy variants out there—seven at last count, not counting powertrain options–you’d be forgiven for stifling a yawn when we tell you there’s another one.  But pay attention; those big chrome hockey sticks on the D-pillar of this SUV mean that this is a very special Envoy indeed.

The 2004 Envoy XUV is a sport-ute with a retractable rear roof section for carrying pickup truck-sized loads.  It’s not fair to call it the first vehicle of its kind; Studebaker got there first with its Wagonaire in …

You’d be forgiven for mistaking the 2004 GMC Canyon for its larger brother the Sierra. The all-new compact pickup borrows the familiar styling of GMC’s full-size trucks. It borrows the “premium pickup” mission in life as well. The Canyon, which replaces the Sonoma in the lineup, features a more powerful engine team, a larger interior, and some features you might not expect in a relatively inexpensive truck.

Like the Chevrolet Colorado, which it’s built alongside, the Canyon is new from the ground up.  In the past, the GMC Sonoma played second …

There’s a price threshold at which a vehicle is forced to almost automatically defend its cost before any argument about its merits can be heard.  The new GMC Sierra Denali is such a vehicle.  Yes, it’s a $45,000 pickup truck.

Wait, don’t leave yet.  It really is one heck of a pickup truck.  Last year it was called the C3, but the name has been changed to reflect kinship with GMC’s flagship SUV, not to mention another infusion of high technology.  With this vehicle, GMC has erased any doubt as to …

We figured that if GMC wanted to outfit its Envoy sport-utility like a minivan, we’d treat it like one.  The new seven-passenger SUV’s time with us was spent running errands that would’ve made any soccer mom proud.

GMC’s Envoy has been a hot seller since its introduction last year.  It replaced the aging Jimmy, whose time was overdue.  With its torquey straight-six engine, modern construction and handsome design, the only real edge that the Envoy gave up to the Ford Explorer was the availability of a third-row seat for additional passengers, …

Overall, the full-size van has not benefitted much from the popularity of minivans.  Families that would have once bought big vans are flocking to minivans and SUVs, leaving the big rear-drive boxes on wheels high and dry. It’s no surprise, either.  For the most part, big vans aren’t fun to drive and get dismal fuel economy.  While Dodge’s approach to this problem has been to drop full-sized vans entirely (Dodge’s Ram van goes away shortly), and Ford’s has been to more or less ignore it (Ford’s E-Series vans have been …

Long ago, in the dark and warped days of high school, I had a great idea for a first car.  I was going to buy myself an old Cadillac hearse/ambulance, and put it on a raised 4×4 chassis.  Just imagine it; a big, imposing off-road vehicle with Cadillac luxury inside and space to carry cargo to boot.  What could be finer?

I was reminded of this daydream when the GMC Yukon Denali XL arrived in my driveway.  The sixteen-foot long, all-wheel drive truck with a high-zoot leather interior couldn’t fail to …

Thirty years is a long time–well past retirement age for most automobiles.  That’s why GMC has replaced the venerable Jimmy nameplate with the all-new Envoy.  The new truck has already netted Motor Trend’s SUV of the Year award for 2002, and it’s not hard to see why.  The Envoy takes a big step toward separating Chevrolet and GMC in the marketplace.  Although its chassis is shared with the new Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the two trucks have distinctly different spheres of influence.  While Chevy is going for the rugged crowd, the Envoy …

Sometimes a good car or truck just makes a bad fashion decision.  That seems to be the case with the 2000 GMC Jimmy Diamond Edition.  GMC’s loyal Jimmy compact sport-utility has been tarted up and decked out in an effort to make a style-intensive “special” edition.  It’s a good thing that they didn’t mess with the mechanical parts, if the crew responsible for the Diamond Edition’s style was in charge.

GMC’s Jimmy, along with its twin the Chevrolet Blazer, is one of the original sport-utility vehicles.  The nameplate was affixed to …