Summary:
So far so good. See me in 4 years...
Faults:
Power steering rack failed at about 2000 miles. Dealer replaced under warranty. No problems since.
General Comments:
We replaced our Chevy Venture with this vehicle. Our idea was to transition from Minivan life to a vehicle that still worked for a family - but now with older kids. Besides, my son hated to be seen driving the Minivan...
It's a great SUV. Comfortable, reliable and powerful. I'm not sure why anyone would by the 8 cylinder when the six is so gutsy. We get 15 mpg city and 18 highway. You can lower these numbers if you have a heavy foot. Easy on the acceleration and your mileage will be better.
My wifes big complaint is that, compared to the minivan, there is less storage for "between the seat" kinds of things. Where to put purses, small bags etc. The Envoy has a console that covers the transmission hump (which the front wheel drive venture didn't have) - hence less between the seats storage.
Ours is the XL which is much longer than typical. Rearward visibility can be a bit limited when backing.
Storage, seating, convenience etc are great. Our runner up car when shopping was a Honda Pilot which had much more road noise.
Buy one when GM offer great rebates and you won't be unhappy.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th August, 2004
30th Sep 2004, 10:40
I agree, end-of-year rebates and GM Card earnings lower the purchase price tremendously. Went with the Carbon Metallic. Handsome vehicle. Replaced a mini-van.
27th May 2006, 21:09
We bought a 2003 Envoy SLE in June of 2003 after driving the Toyota Highlander (no power, poor ride), the Ford Explorer (too noisy, poor ride) and several others, none of which had the awesome power (we have the 6, who needs the 8!!) the quiet, smooth ride and the luxurious feel. In 40,000 miles we've had not one single problem with this car. It looks, drives and feels as good as the day we bought it. We get 19mpg average, which is not bad for something so big. We stayed away from the longer XL because the added weight really eats into the mileage. We'd buy another one in a minute if we were ready to trade. Out of 5 domestic and 3 Japanese SUV's we drove none even came close to the Envoy.
