2004 GMC Envoy XUV 4.2 straight 6 cylinder

Summary:

Typical American quality (or lack thereof)

Faults:

The fuel pump went out at 36K miles.

The electronic tailgate latch had to be replaced at 32K miles.

General Comments:

This truck does everything I need it to do, but doesn't really excel at anything. It is roomy and has decent power, but the gas mileage is 15 mpg.

The front seat belts come out of the seat rather than the pillar, so some people find them uncomfortable. There's some serious blind spots in the back, but I'm used to them.

It is so-so as an off-road vehicle. It has 4WD, but the ground clearance isn't much. Haven't got it stuck, but there are places I would not take the Envoy that I could take a Jeep, for instance. Bottoming out is a problem if you pretend you can rock crawl with an Envoy.

There's a lot wind noise on the highway.

The XUV exclusive features (sliding roof over cargo area, folding midgate, side/rear opening tailgate) are handy, but their usefulness is questionable. A pickup with a camper shell could do much of the same things as the XUV without the complexity. The electronic sliding roof could be expensive and difficult to find parts in a few years when the warranty is up.

Reliability has been so so, but I'm used to Japanese cars that hold up until 100K miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd August, 2007

27th Sep 2008, 19:24

I have to disagree with the writer, I have had my Envoy XUV for four years and the only major thing was the speedometer went out and got it replaced for a reasonable cost. I have over 108,000 miles on it with no complaints. As far as the roof section, no problems either and use it on occasion.

Thanks.

3rd Oct 2008, 21:49

I have an Envoy XUV with the V8. Like the other comment, I did have to replace the speedometer, but it was a warranty item. I love this truck and have had it for 4 years. Just replaced the tires after 90K miles. It pulls my boat and rides like a dream.

12th Nov 2008, 21:01

I've got a 2004 XUV with 40k miles and haven't had a problem yet. The city mileage is bad (14mpg) - but on the highway I can get 22 to 23.

21st Nov 2008, 17:59

My 2004 XUV has approximately 79K miles. So far I've had to replace both the rear and midgate window regulators (not inexpensive). I probably didn't even open/close the midgate window 50 times.

This week my speedometer is failing as many other GM speedometers from 03-04. I've been using my GPS to determine speed. I'm hoping the dealer will cover it since it seems to be a design flaw.

21st Jan 2009, 20:33

I also own a 2004 Envoy XUV with 80,004 miles - like everyone else I had zero problems UNTIL today. Although the mileage counter seems to work, my speedometer is NOT working correctly.

For those guys that went through this problem before, can you provide me with some suggestions/insight on what you guys did and how and how much it costs to fix it?

Thanks.

8th Feb 2009, 18:12

The fix for the speedo issues are easily repaired. New stepper motors can be purchased on eBay for $40, and it takes about 30 minutes to replace them all. GM won't pay on Envoys/Trailblazers to fix them.

Directions on www.trailvoy.com.

2004 GMC Envoy SLT 4.2

Summary:

Fantastic!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

We absolutely love our new Envoy. My daughter only wants to ride in it and not our other car. I recently took it on our first highway trip about 500 km round trip. I converted the mileage to miles per imperial gallon and it was 21. This is much to my disappointment. A few years ago I owned a 1998 Chev Blazer which got 30 mpg (highway). This Envoy is a much superior vehicle in every way except gas consumption. The web site for GM Canada suggests that it should get 27 mpg, but I am a long way off. To my surprise as the needle kept dropping, the city mileage is not much worse than the highway. Anyway, I guess I will use my Honda Accord for highway trips and use 1/2 the amount of gas. Not sure if premium fuel would help.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th December, 2004

21st Dec 2004, 17:41

I do not care if your 98 Blazer floated on clouds, it DID NOT get 30mpg! I have owned 2 Blazers. A 1998, and a 2000. One was 2wd (2 door) and 4wd (4 door). I used synthetic oil (mobil 1) and drove like a grandpa with brittle feet and after owning them for a total of 4 years and over 100,000 miles logged, the most I ever got was 22mpg (highway/summer). What did you expect for an SUV anyways?

5th Jul 2010, 19:51

Wish I could be more positive. The Envoy drives like a dream. We really like it, but, the electronics were made by the Prince of Darkness to quote an old phrase.

I like buying cars after they reach 100,000 miles. We have about 140,000 now. We love the car but it has had: a new transfer case, $3000; new speedo (not swimsuit); 100,000 service, $1000; used drivers door switch set and burned wires $800. The mirrors never worked well, my wife says just cut the wires.

Like I say, I love the car, but it's kind of pricey to keep going. Love the straight six.

In reply to 21st Dec 2004, 17:41

24th Aug 2012, 19:04

To the Dec comment... it's not 30 American MPG! Canadians and Europeans use different MPG calculations.