2005 GMC Envoy XL SLT Road Test

The nicely-equipped test unit was the XL edition, providing an extra 16 inches of length over the basic

A third row seat comes standard with the XL, boosting the maximum human content by two, to a total of seven occupants. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

Envoy, which darkens 191.6 inches of pavement. The extra sheet metal adds additional passenger and cargo hauling capability. A third row seat comes standard with the XL, boosting the maximum human content by two, to a total of seven occupants, six of whom can be seated in comfort; the unlucky seventh to be squeezed into the middle of the second row.

Both second- and third-row seating is reasonably comfortable. Legroom at both intervals is very good, but headroom in the third-row suffers due to the raised floor underneath it. Along with the extra bench, the XL adds 27.3 cubic feet of valuable cargo space to the already commodious

Surprisingly, the XL is actually shorter than the full-size Ford Crown Victoria. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

Envoy interior, for a total of 107.4 cubic feet of hauling capacity.

Although the XL looks and plays the "big part," in reality it is shorter than the Ford Crown Victoria piloted through city traffic by police officers and taxi drivers throughout North America. While an apples and oranges comparison, it's interesting to size it up to a vehicle most of us consider to be full-size. Ford's big sedan measures 212.0 inches in length, which significantly eclipses the stretched Envoy's of 207.6-inch length. It's amazing how the mind can deceive. Probably a comparison that makes greater sense is measuring the Envoy XL to the full-size Ford Expedition, which pulls the tape to only 205.7 inches. OK, the super-sized Envoy is long, I'll admit it.