Overview & Reviews

GMC is a division of General Motors that focuses on producing SUVs, trucks and vans. Though GMC's vehicles are mechanically similar to related Chevrolet products, they are typically differentiated by unique features, trim levels and minor styling tweaks. The automaker's full-size pickups and SUVs are the most compelling offerings in its lineup; in many cases, its products in these categories are class-leading.

The marque's roots lie in the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, a truck manufacturer that was founded by Max Grabowski in 1902. The outfit was purchased by General Motors in 1909 with the intention of having it serve as a division dedicated to building tough and capable trucks. The brand came to be known as GMC Truck; early models include the T16 and T20. Most of the manufacturer's trucks were very utilitarian in nature and functioned as dump trucks, fire trucks and military vehicles. GMC Truck's 3/4-ton Model 16 saw duty in World War I, serving mostly as a battlefield ambulance.

Sales continued to climb in the 1920s. After switching to a six-cylinder Buick-built motor, GMC Truck's 1- and 2-ton trucks earned the distinction of being the fastest in their classes. By the '30s, the line had grown to include everything from half-ton pickups to 10-ton trucks and buses. New models included the popular 1936 Suburban, which was essentially a truck-based station wagon that paired a truck's utility with a car's creature comforts.

World War II was a time of expansion for GMC Truck, thanks to its acquisition of Yellow Truck & Coach. Once again, the automaker's vehicles were tapped for wartime duty. New models like the Jimmy and the DUKW (nicknamed the Duck) were widely used by American troops.

Postwar, GMC Truck models became more consumer-oriented, and many were revamped to offer styling that more closely resembled passenger cars. The 1950s and '60s witnessed an upswing in sales, thanks to the popularity of recreational vehicles like GMC-based motor homes and pickup campers. The Jimmy name was revived and assigned to the brand's first ever sport-utility vehicle in 1970. That decade and the next saw a continued rise in the brand's popularity. The early '90s saw the brief appearance of the Syclone and Typhoon. The former was a small street pickup that burned up the asphalt with its turbocharged V6 and all-wheel drive. The latter was essentially a two-door SUV based on the same platform. Either one of these oddball speedsters could rip through a quarter-mile in around 14 seconds flat, making them among the quickest vehicles ever offered by General Motors. Also, by this time, GMC Truck had trimmed its moniker; the brand is now known simply as GMC.

In the past few decades, GM has consolidated its products and GMC's trucks have become less individualistic as a result. Today, most of GMC's vehicles are virtually identical to those sold by Chevrolet. The main differences lie in minor features and design tweaks that give GMC's offerings a more upscale image.

User Reviews:

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  Not Professionial Grade - 2004 GMC Yukon
  By Engineer - February 22 - 11:28 am

  A nice one to look at, but the squeaks and rattles are horrible. My transfer case bearings went bad at 40k miles, coolant leaks were due to bad factory hose clamps,The bearing issue is a known problem that should be recalled. Poor build quality. Dealer did not have bearing bearing is stock. Pathetic for a $53K Vehicle. My next will be a Toyota. If youare considering a Yukon, buy an extended warranty!

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  Denali - Wow! - 2003 GMC Yukon XL
  By smokey2000 - February 20 - 2:00 am

  Have piled on 9500 miles in 5 months already...what a highway cruiser! Averaged 17.7 mpg over a 700 mile round trip, with five people and all their luggage! Just keep it under 80 MPH and the mileage is OK. Try to maintain 85 or above, and it really suffers. Power is great! I LOVE blowing the doors off of the little imports and their rev- happy 4-bangers. Its all about the torque! Theres no replacement for displacement! I even SMOKED a 330i BMW the other day! I loved the look on his face! Woo-hoo!

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  great truck - 2000 GMC Sierra 1500
  By charlie covey - February 20 - 2:00 am

  excellent truck with a great ride and excellent handling, very quiet and the options are terrific

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  The White Knight - 2004 GMC Envoy
  By macatguy - February 20 - 2:00 am

  A comfortable car with a very good ride on open highways, not bad on secondary roads. Good acceleration. some wind noise at high speed. Versatile. Good in snow. decent handling. My primary disappointment is resale value

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  Moved from Honda and Toyota to GMC - 2017 GMC Acadia
  By Hilde - February 19 - 3:59 pm

  We had owned a 201 Honda Pilot EX-L and we really thought it fit our needs well. We had several mechanical issues over the course of ownership, though, and some recent trouble with it - plus the 120k miles - and we were ready for a new vehicle. My wife and two young daughters test drove the new Pilot and Highlander and none of us liked them. Really, at all. Even though I wanted to like them, I just didnt. Then we test drove a 2017 Acadia Denali. We all liked this car much more than our 2010 Pilot - and WAAAYYYY more than the new Pilot and Highlander cars we test drove. We did a pile of research and decided to go forward with the purchase. It was easy to find one trimmed like we wanted. We were realistic - we were used to the space the 2010 Pilot had and this vehicle has less; that is just a fact. However, it rides better, gets better mileage, has a simpler dash and climate/infotainment interface/controls. A few drawbacks - the USB ports which are all over the place (in a good way) - are labeled as not to be used for charging devices. To me, that is really their sole purpose (beyond the option to plug in a USB drive with music in the front dash). I havent tried using them for charging but I assume they will charge a device. Another mild drawback is the faux wood trim panels. It is pretty faux - Id rather have a satin metal look than this plastic wood - and this is in the "Denali" trim (which to me is the luxury level - "Professional Grade"). There is an occasional shudder when driving it - like a transmission shift-point confusion or maybe the 2 cylinder shutdown process. It has only happened a few times and it isnt a big deal but you can feel something odd for a few moments while driving. The climate controls are easy to use/understand - I struggle with some of the cars out today that have buttons/knobs with multiple icons on them and you need to take 10 minutes to figure out how to do what you want. The Acadia system is simple. Same with the touchscreen - it isnt full of visual noise. Its a few big icons/tiles. The seats are comfortable, road noise is minimal and the interior is just a wonderful place to be. I go sit in the car in the driveway :) The kids love the captains chairs they get (and the heat option). The third row seats are comfortable, too and there is space for adults. If you use them, though, you are just about out of space - there isnt much if you flip those 3rd row seats up. We took an 8 hr trip recently with the car and it performed well - highway driving and long-term sitting/travelling was fine for all of us. The car accelerates strongly and handles well - much better than our 2010 Pilot. The various drive controls (2w/AW/sport/etc) are easy to use/switch and seem to give it a bit more oompf and sportier handling. A drawback - there isnt a dash indication of what mode youre in. Another drawback - there arent blinkers on the sideview mirrors - this is a good safety feature to me on the highway when changing lanes to indicate to drivers on your diagonal that youre moving over. The wheels are glorious and I favor Michelin tires and our model has them. The interior lighting is nice and the LED DRLs are great. Some reviews say its hard to see at night w/ the headlights - I dont share that viewpoint at all - the HIDs light the road very well. The bright lights are maybe a bit dimmer than one might expect but I dont feel its limiting in any way. As to active safety there is a lot going on - there is low speed help w/ 360 degree camera birds eye coverage - helpful when parking/backing out of the garage, etc. The backup camera is nice; the guidelines curve as the steering wheel is turned. A helpful feature is the seat vibrates to let the driver know there is something to be aware of - if there is an object on the left, the left side of the seat vibrates (same w/ the right). If it is in front/behind, the whole seat vibrates. You can change this to a beep if the seat vibrating freaks you out. Id like to be able to have both - audible and vibration - but that isnt a choice; its either/or. There is also low-speed and automatic braking if the car senses objects in front - I cant tell if this works or not. There is also the adaptive cruise control (related to the auto-braking) and this does work - it was nice on our recent trip - if I approached a vehicle in my lane, cruise would ease back and hold until I switched lanes (or the other car did) and then it would resume my set speed. It did this without gunning the throttle, either - Ive been in those cars where resume thinks its a race back to the set speed. I cant say much about the reliability yet. Fuel economy is fine/as expected. The dash has several modes that you can cycle through to see instant fuel economy/per trip/per last xx miles, etc. On our road trip, I think we were getting 26 mpg on the highway (there is a feature to turn off 2 of the 6 cyl).

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  Pleased since I bought it. - 2002 GMC Envoy
  By smavrides - February 19 - 3:54 pm

  I bought the vehicle 3 months ago and havent had to look back since. The vehicle has been reliable with virtually no problems aside from basic wear and tear. Ive put a little over 5,000 miles on it since I bought it and it was well worth it. I recommend it.

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  2008 SLT2 AWD - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By Deuce - February 19 - 10:53 am

  I have had this vehicle for 3 weeks now and love it . It drives like a car. If you accelerate slow and study and try to keep it under 2000 rpms it will obtain the gas mileage as stated on the window sticker. GM has really hit the mark with this vehicle. Fun to drive.

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  Great Vehicle - 2002 GMC Safari
  By Bob - February 17 - 11:14 am

  I bought the GMC Safari new in 2002 because I needed a vehicle that would haul our stuff to our cabin in Northern Michigan which also had All Wheel Drive for the mud and snow we frequeny encounter. The truck based Safari was the perfect answer and it has proven to be just that. After 108,000 miles, the only repair it has needed was a an alternator during the first year covered by warranty. Too bad there isnt a comparable vehicle available today. Guess Ill keep it. Its still strong and I expect at least 250,000 miles out of it.

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  Awesome SUV!!! - 2002 GMC Yukon XL
  By AwesomeCPA - February 17 - 10:00 am

  (Note: Weve actually got the Vortec 8100 but that wasnt a listed model choice) We recently purchased this vehicle to replace an older Suburban. Weve got 3.5 children and occasionally tow a 5500 lb boat. We are very impressed with the quality and performance of this vehicle. We compared to the Toyota Sequoia, the Ford Excursion, the new Ford Expedition and the Mercedes M class. None of these other vehicles had the performance/space/quality "total package" that the GMC has.

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  Service Stabilitrak/Service Traction - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By Stranded by GMC - February 16 - 12:56 pm

  I have owned my 2008 Acadia for going on 1 year. Since December 2007 we have had countless problems with the vehicle. the service stabilitrak and service traction control lights come on every 2 weeks or so. It is July now and this morning the light came on and my car shut off on the highway. The dealership never can figure out what is happening with the vehicle. It has put a "sour taste" in our mouths about the GMC brand. I had 3 young children in my car when this happened. It is in the shop again and hopefully it can be remedied.