At auto shows and media events across the continent for about two years, the general manager of GMC has been patiently trying to explain "professional grade" trucks to me.
For a while, it sounded like Lynn Meyers was simply using an acronym of "luxury" to describe GMC's future products. This was easy to assume, since GMC trucks will be almost as expensive as Cadillac's.
But I knew that wouldn't do because, in the GM lexicon, "luxury" belongs to Cadillac and nobody else.
With Meyers' help, the notion finally formed that "luxury" suggested the ownership of an item that wasn't really necessary to the task at hand, while "professional" suggested getting the highest quality available for something essential. It many ways, it's an upscale way of saying "industrial-strength."
If you're not in the market for an upscale SUV, this discussion may appear to be about how many adjectives can dance on the head of a pin, but to folks who are looking to drop big change on an SUV it will make all the difference.
The man whose job it is to shape Envoy to suit the tastes of potential buyers, brand manager Tony DiSalle, explains it this way: "The GMC Envoy is purposefully engineered-as only a professional grade product can be-to provide both driver and passengers with comfort and capabilities that far exceed the expectations of even the most demanding tastes." Which works, too, and is absolutely the last definition you'll see.
This helps to understand the design and engineering direction behind the 2002 Envoy, which will more than take the place of the Jimmy as GMC's entry in the mid-size SUV segment early next year. It should be noted that there has been an Envoy in the GMC stable, but it was just an upscale package.
With the new model, DiSalle says that, "What we've heard from customers is that they desire an SUV that can handle anything without comprising interior roominess and comfort. The new Envoy finally gives customers what they're looking for-an SUV with unmatched performance that is also surprisingly comfortable."
To accomplish this, GM used a brand new body-on-frame platform (which is much bigger than the compact pickup platform used by the Jimmy) and jammed a segment-kicking engine under the hood, squeezed sophisticated ride and handling bits under the rest of the body, and crammed lots of features into the cabin.
But before we get into that, a few words on the overall package of the 2002 Envoy. It's about 4830 mm long, 1828 mm wide and 1778 mm tall, which makes it 165 mm longer, more than 100 mm wider, and about 1400 mm taller than GMC's current Jimmy. It also has 0.282 cubic metres of cargo space.
This larger footprint creates remarkable differences from the current vehicle, most particularly in the room for people and cargo. It's still only a 5-seater, but now all of those people will be more comfortable.
But moving the wheels away from each other in every way also improves the ride and handling of any vehicle, and that was critical in the new Envoy. Explains DiSalle, "Envoy provides an unexpectedly comfortable, smooth and stress-free driving experience, regardless of road conditions." This will be good news for anyone expecting the often choppy uncomfortable ride of the current model.
The next entry in Envoy's new handling catalogue is the stiffness of the body, which registers at 23 Hertz, and which is right up there for all vehicles.
Though there'll be eyebrows raised at the decision to go with a solid-axle suspension (even a sophisticated 5-link one with coil rather than leaf springs) at the rear, DiSalle says it's tuned so that it works well with the "world-class independent front suspension" that makes the ride smooth and comfortable on practically any road surface with any cargo load."
An electronically controlled air-suspension system also is available, he says.
With extra size comes extra weight, but that will be no trouble for the Envoy's new engine, the all-aluminum, 4.2-liter, DOHC, 24-valve inline-6. This engine puts out 270 horsepower, which DiSalle is quick to point out is more than any competing standard 6-cylinder engine and nearly every V8 in its class.
"It has the highest standard towing power in its class," DiSalle enthuses, "with 275 pound-feet of torque, 90 percent of which is reached from 1200 to 1500 rpm. This dramatically extended torque curve makes Envoy's power the most useful of any competing SUV."
In keeping with that "professional" mandate, DiSalle notes, the engine is also extremely refined, reaching levels of "world-class smoothness and quietness, both at idle and under acceleration." DiSalle says the engine is so quiet, in fact, that GMC put in a "smart-start" feature which prevents drivers from turning the key if the engine is running.
Once inside the new Envoy, the issue of "Professional grade" starts to become more important, since consumers will be looking at and using the interior equipment lots of the time.
"We've purposefully engineered features into this vehicle that will deliver unexpected levels of comfort, convenience and security down to the finest details," says DiSalle. "We think the 2002 Envoy will raise the watermark for its class in this regard."
Envoy is the first SUV on the market to get OnStar as a standard, factory-installed feature, and the range of onboard convenience and security features that's available as an option will appeal to people in this category. The key elements here are the satellites that keep track of exactly where the vehicle is, the phone that connects the vehicle to the OnStar centre, and the people who answer the call there.
Most of the time, the OnStar advisors will act like a combination assistant/concierge to the Envoy driver, providing route guidance, help with finding a slew of services (more than 250 categories) around North America, making reservations at hotels and restaurants, and generally trying to be helpful where possible.
OnStar subscribers will also be able to create a list of specialized subjects (stock quotes, sports scores, etc.) that they're interested in and the service will deliver them to the car for you to hear.
That stuff should turn the crank of people looking for a serious upscale SUV.
OnStar is also able to unlock doors remotely, keep an eye on some serious mechanical functions and warn you if something might be bad, sound the horn and flash the lights if you misplace the Envoy in a parking lot, remind you it's time for service work, send roadside assistance to a specific location with the right kind of assistance (such as a new tire, or gasoline), and keep track of a stolen car so the police can be sent to exactly where it is.
If things go wrong, the driver presses the easy-to-reach emergency button and the call goes right through to an advisor who contacts the nearest emergency provider with the vehicle's location and a description of the help required.
If things go really wrong and the Envoy's airbag deploys, an OnStar advisor attempts to contact occupants and inquire about the need of assistance. If the occupants do not answer, local emergency services are contacted and provided with the vehicle's location.
DiSalle says that lots of attention was also paid to Envoy's climate-control system, so it offers dual-zone temperature control and a "high-airflow configuration that enables warm-ups and cool-downs faster than other vehicles in its class."
In addition, a temperature difference of up to 25°F can be achieved between the passenger and driver zones.
In that vein of setting up the Envoy to suit individual tastes, it should be pointed out that there are considerable things that can be adapted to suit different demands.
The driver information centre speaks seven languages, memory settings can be created for the seat position, mirror position, radio station selection, radio presets and temperature, and you can alter various functions (doors automatically locking at a certain speed, doors automatically unlocking at various times, horn sounding or lights flashing when locked, and so on) to suit your situation.
These kinds of things, DiSalle and Meyers believe, will help Envoy make the grade with a lot of professionals. Come on, don't gag. You must have known that was going to be the payoff to this story.
Road Tests and Reviews
