8 Facts About the Confused AscTrailRainBrava-7Voy SUVs
The GMT360 chassis was used by more brands than any platform ever, with even Saab and Isuzu getting a version of it. These days, it is one of the most versatile and low cost LS powered vehicles on the used market.
1. 6 Brands, 1 Platform
At the start of the 21st century midsized SUVs were doing huge business, and GM wanted to get as much of it as possible. Of course the Chevy TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy were the sales leaders, but you could also get an Isuzu Ascender, or a luxurious Oldsmobile Bravada that was basically the same truck. A few years later, when Oldsmobile had been killed off, the Buick Rainier premiered. Saab had no SUV to offer, so GM made it into the Saab 9-7X as well. Then there were the variations, like the long wheelbase, 7-passenger versions from Chevy, Isuzu, or GMC, the retractable roof Envoy XUV, the high performance TrailBlazer SS, and the oddball Chevy SSR.
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2. Choice of Engines, Both Excellent
When the GMT360 platform debuted so did the awesome, clean sheet, 4.2 liter straight six Atlas engine with 273hp, 24 valves, DOHC, and variable valve timing. It was one of the most advance GM motors ever offered. In 2003 the 5.3 liter aluminum block LS motor started to be an option as well, with more than 300hp and 330lb-ft of torque. No matter which one you get you are getting plenty of power and a honey of a powerplant. Later, the TrailBlazer SS would also offer a 6.0 liter LS2 motor, similar to the one you could get in a Corvette.
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3. Room for the Whole Family
The GMT360 in all of its flavors was the bread and butter family hauler from 2001 (as a 2002 model year) till 2009, even after the new FWD based Buick Enclave and GMC Arcadia debuted in 2006 and 2007. The standard length versions had seats for 5, plus a generous cargo hold. The longer Trailblazer EXT, Envoy XL, and extended Ascender could seat 7 adults, in staggered stadium style seating. Unfortunately, the gull wing doors seen above were just on the display model at car shows, still they beat Tesla to the idea by 10 years.
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4. TrailBlazer SS - For Parents in a Hurry
There aren't a lot of options if you want an LS based performance vehicle that can fit your kids and all their stuff, or tow a trailer. Thankfully, Chevy thought to build a TrailBlazer SS powered by a modified Corvette 6.0 liter with nearly 400hp. Then they added lowered sport suspension, sway bars, and low profile 20" wheels and tires, for the total package. Even with all that sporting potential, you can still tow nearly 7,000lbs, and get all wheel drive if you lived in the snowbelt (or wanted it to launch harder). Bone stock these 4500+lb SUVs would do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, and a 1/4 mile in the 13s. More than 25,000 TrailBlazer SS trucks were sold between 2006 and 2009, and good used ones are now selling for about $10,000.
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5. Envoy XUV - Convertible Cargo Area
GM had had such success with the out of the box thinking of the Chevy Avalanche that they applied some original ideas to the GMT360 and in 2004 came up with the GMC Envoy XUV with a retractable cargo roof. The 5-passenger XUV was built on the longer 7-passenger wheelbase to give a useful sized cargo area. There was also a unique 2-way tailgate, opening down like a truck, or to the side like a van, instead of up like all the other SUVs. The cargo area also featured a tough, washable floor, and a partition that could be put in place to keep dirty, smelly cargo separate from the passenger area. The roof retracted forward with just the touch of a button, allowing tall objects to be easily loaded. Unfortunately, the Envoy XUV was a huge sales flop and was cancelled half way into 2005.
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6. Saab 9-7X - How Swede it is
The nicest of all the GMT360 SUVs was the 9-7X, which provided nearly all the updated suspension that made the TrailBlazer SS so sporty. Because Saab can never be content to just slap their badges on someone else's car/truck there are substantial differences between the TrollBlazer, a popular 9-7X nickname, and the rest of the variants. The interior is unique to Saab, as are the front and rear trim. The suspension is 1" lower than its brethren, with standard air springs out back, standard limited slip differential, and standard AWD. The 9-7X Aero also featured the 6.0 liter LS2 motor from the TrailBlazer SS, and a Torsen center differential. To prove this was indeed a real Saab, the ignition key is on the center console, where you'd expect it to be.
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7. Olds Bravada - Final 500
Oldsmobile had been around for over 100 years when GM decided to pull the plug on them in 2004, and the Bravada was the last new model to be introduced by the brand. While the Bravada was the most luxurious version of the GMT360 at the time, it never offered the V8 motor, though it did offer 2 or 4 wheel drive. The final 500 Bravadas, as well as the last of the other 2004 Oldsmobile models, were all painted a deep cherry red, and features special badging and embroidered seats commemorating the end of the brand.
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8. The Last Truck
The Moraine, Ohio factory where these trucks were made had been in continuous operation since the 1950s (originally making Frigidaire appliances) and employed more than 2,500 people. It closed when the last GMT360 rolled off the line in 2008 just a few days before Christmas. HBO made a documentary called The Last Truck, with the help of factory workers who smuggled cameras into the plant to film. It ends with a white GMC Envoy rolling off the line. A streaming version of it is up and can be watched here.
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