2003 GMC Envoy SLT review from North America
"Hands down, the best vehicle I've ever owned"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Check engine light came on, and the engine idled high after driving for 10 hours straight. Fixed with a computer firmware update at around 30,000 miles.
Stabilizer links on both front and back were replaced early on (around 40,000 miles). They haven't needed attention since.
Axle seal started leaking around 120,000 miles. Relatively easy fix.
General comments?
As hard as it might be to believe for an American car, this GMC Envoy has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. I have put 120,000 miles on it since I purchased it used three years ago, and have had only a few very minor problems. This stands in stark contrast to the 2001 Subaru Forester I owned previously, which had many EXPENSIVE things go wrong with it.
On this Envoy, the A/C is still ice cold, the electronic 4wd system works perfectly, the very comfortable leather seats have shown no wear, the engine starts and runs absolutely flawlessly every time, and the transmission shifts smooth and strong, even when pulling a stock trailer with four horses totaling around 6000 pounds.
Even the gas mileage isn't so bad... I'm averaging about 19 mpg. Granted, it's not as good as, say, a Mazda Protege, but then again, a Protege can't tow horses.
One extra thing worth noting... in all the time I've been driving this vehicle, I've not needed to replace my brake pads. Most of my driving is highway driving, but even so... 137k miles on the original pads and still going is amazing.
I cannot sing enough praise about the GMC Envoy. Well done, GM, for delivering such an exceptional product.
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| 2003 - Envoy XL SLT 4.2 liter Vortec straight 6 Best 7 seater on the market by far, Suburban/Yukon XL alternative |
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| Don't waste your money on a 2003 GMC Envoy!!! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.2 straight 6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 17000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 137000 miles |
| Previous car | Subaru Forester |
| Date of Entry | 24th May, 2007 |