REVIEWS AND ROAD TESTS

A new version won’t come too soon

Many years ago, the GMC Jimmy took by assault the market segment of sport utility vehicles with newfound ambition. A new front end treatment, more aggressively styled wheel covers, more detailed standard equipment as well as a second air bag for the passenger side were a few of its new features. And to entice us further, some General Motors executives claimed to consider putting an eight-cylinder engine under the hood. An urban myth, no doubt, since the V8 still isn’t available. Heated and leather-covered seats, an electrochemically tinted rearview mirror, electronic temperature control… fancy accessories that do nothing to change a driving position made uncomfortable by an overly long steering column that invariably has you hugging your elbows close to your body and stretching your legs as far as they go. Still, seats are comfortable, instrumentation is detailed and the dashboard looks quite good. On the down side, although they’re grouped together within easy reach of the driver, the controls are not always positioned where they should be.

The radio buttons, for example, are partially hidden behind the shift lever when it’s in D. And the air conditioning controls seem to be placed for the passenger’s convenience.

On the two-door version, access to the rear calls for acrobatic skills and, in any case, the back bench can take on only two people. The four-door version is roomier (but not as roomy as Ford’s Explorer), but the bench seat’s cushion is set very low (to get a completely flat surface when it’s folded down) and that means that passengers ride with their knees somewhere around their ears, or almost. At least headrests are a nice touch.With the exception of the five-speed manual transmission (available only on the two-door version), the buyer has no other decisions to make as far as the powertrain goes. The 4.3-liter Vortec V6 remains the only available engine and its performance is beyond reproach, especially when you compare its fuel consumption to some of its rival V8s. A relatively precise steering system, a turning radius that’s tight enough to make city driving pleasant and a more modern all-wheel drive system are assets that make the Jimmy attractive. It’s Achilles heel is braking, which offers minimal stopping power and is hard to gauge.

PROS
Quieter engine
Good handling
Comfortable ride

CONS
Marginal braking power
Narrow rear doors
Last days on the market

CRASH TEST (five stars indicate the best protection)
Driver: * * *
Passenger: * * * * *