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:

• 

  BEST EVER - 2007 GMC Envoy
  By envoylover2007 - May 13 - 5:52 am

  Simply put, the best vehicle I have ever owned in my life. Purchased new in 8/07= 180,000 miles and the only thing I have ever had to replace is the Fuel Pump @ 70K. I have routinely changed with Synthetic Oil and Lucas Fuel Treatment additive. I believe this truck easily has another 180,000+ miles left in it!

• 

  Transmission/power stering/water pump/hvac - 2007 GMC Acadia
  By dtafilaj - May 9 - 11:06 pm

  My Acadia is 2007I was very exited about this new suv back in 2007 when I bought it. At 28000 water pump died/at 42000 transmission died at 60000 ac and power strng died for every single issue i went to the dealer that I bought it and mostly of the issues were not fixed and what ever was fixe I had to pay for it trnsmission was not able to figure out. engine light was on i dropped to the dealer and for days and weeks and would work for couple of the months and again same story would not shift to higher gear.power steering saves me money to dont use the fitness center because I work out by steering my acadia thats how bad it is. I own tahoe Hummer and cadillac srx but acadia was bad choice

• 

  Horrible MPG - 2011 GMC Terrain
  By mea5 - May 8 - 6:09 pm

  Dealer claimed 22 city and 32 HWY and I have never gotten better than 23 MPG and that was on a road trip with all highway driving. I only purchased this car because of the MPG. I would never have purchased had I know GMC lied about the MPG. I typicalley average 18-20 MPG with city and highway driving combined.

• 

  Review of 2009 Acadia @ 75k - 2009 GMC Acadia
  By dgin - May 3 - 10:29 pm

  Were the 2nd owners of this car we picked it up at around 63k. In the last 1.5 years, weve definitely had a few things go wrong with it that were out of the norm. 1) Ignition coils 3 & 3 went bad and had to be replaced along with corresponding spark plugs. 2) 2 of the 3 seat belt housings in the 2nd row seats broke. Seat belt mechanism still worked though. 3) Rough idle due some minor sludging this was remedied with a good fuel injector cleaning and oil change. 4) Catalytic converter kicked back a low performance code and was subsequently replaced. Good thing we bought it from to include an extended warranty which covered it all. Sad, but we really like the car otherwise.

• 

  truly the best vehicle we ever had - 2003 GMC Safari
  By mesh7 - April 30 - 12:30 pm

  our 2003 gmc safari is the best vehicle i could ever hope for . weve put over 200.000 miles on it and almost no maintence. it never breaks down and all weve had to replace is fuel pump and alternator. This van is perfect and i ABSOLUTELY recommend it . GMC did a great job with this one . VERY RELIABLE

• 

  2008 Transmission Broke!! - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By sarah60 - April 25 - 7:02 pm

  Dont be deceived by its good looks! I loved the 2008 GMC Acadia when I saw it and test drove it. Had I known it would run so bad only after a few years we bought it, I would have never purchased the car. I have had several problems but recently the TRANSMISSION breaking has made me never, ever, ever, ever want to buy a GMC again!

• 

  Complete pile of JUNK - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By boaterdan - April 17 - 7:28 am

  I could not have possibly imagined what a complete piece of junk and nightmare this vehicle would turn out to be. Bought it certified, and under that warranty (before 55k miles) had the transmission rebuilt, leaking sunroof fixed (but it wasnt), water stained headliner replaced, engine control module replaced when vehicle wouldnt start, and battery replaced when it wouldnt hold charge. Warranty is now expired and I have about 70k miles. Currently have: Nav system quit working, only reads about 50% of DVDs, sunroof still leaks and water sometimes pours into interior, service airbag light on, powered liftgate pops when halfway up then closes making it unusable. One word - JUNK.

• 

  DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By spuerini - April 10 - 1:57 pm

  This car is a piece of junk. I was stuck on the side of the road with my 3 children in the car with a broken 35R clutch wave plate. Had to have the transmission rebuilt at 48k miles. The car had been driven less than 10k miles a year for 5.5 years. It is just 6 months out of warranty and GM is not honoring it. I would not recommend this car to anyone. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT???

• 

  Worse vehicle I have ever had! - 2010 GMC Terrain
  By texas322 - April 7 - 9:31 pm

  We have never had so many problems with a new vehicle as we have had with this one. They had to replace timing chain, a rattling noise is still very loud but they tell us there is nothing wrong, drive the car to work and back and no engine light turned on or anything just a loud knocking noes in the motor every time we pressed gas.. Little did we know that the car had no engine oil... But it still showed it had 40% oil life. Dont know where the oil is going. This is the second time its happened to us. We have to check oil at least every 2 weeks.. This is a 2010 car. Mileage is not what it says it is..

• 

  Jeckyl and Hyde - 2012 GMC Acadia
  By bwilling - April 5 - 2:41 pm

  Decent ride, a bit underpowered but MPG ok. Very comfortable and tons of room even with three kids in the back. Seats take awhile to heat up. Big problem is with carbon monoxide. This vehicle sets off alarms in our house when started in the garage ( garage door open of course). Service dept is like a human rain delay in trying to get it fixed. Fot the 55k spent on top of the line we had many other choices, cant imagine them being any worse. When not thinking about the CO it rides nice.