GMC:

GMC Sierra HD – AutoPacific’s Most Ideal Heavy Duty Pickup

0

AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand.  Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.

Sierra HDs Edges Ford Super Duties for IVA Win: The 2012 GMC Sierra HD comes closest to the ideal of any Heavy Duty Pickup.  The Sierra HD edges out the second place Ford F-Series Super Duties by 21 rating points to win in its class.   Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding.  Achieving a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive.  Ninety-percent or more of Sierra HD owners rate its exterior size and driver’s seat comfort as ideal.  Eighty-percent or more of Sierra HD owners find these additional characteristics ideal:  interior lighting, driver’s seat visibility, passenger roominess, exterior styling, wheels, ride and handling, ease of getting in and out and safety features.

A Few Shortfalls – But None Critical. About 34% of Sierra HD owners want more interior storage compartments. About 24% of Sierra HD owners want more power and acceleration than now.

You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at  http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/ideal-suvs-pickups-rated-by-owners-in-2012-iva-awards-112117/

For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”.  A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.


Continue Reading

GMC Canyon – Wins AutoPacific Ideal Vehicle Award for Most Ideal Compact Pickup

0

AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand.  Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.

Canyon Edges Platform-Mate Chevrolet Colorado for IVA Win: The 2012 GMC Canyon comes closest to the ideal of any Compact Pickup.  The Canyon edges out the second place Chevrolet Colorado by 35 rating points to win in its class.   Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding.  Achieving a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive.  Ninety-percent or more of Canyon owners rate its exterior size ideal.  Eighty-percent or more of Canyon owners find these additional characteristics ideal:  passenger roominess, cargo space, exterior styling, driver’s seat comfort, ride and handling, tires, ease of getting in and out and safety features.

A Few Shortfalls – But None Critical. About 33% of Canyon owners want better interior lighting than now.  About 23% want better driver’s seat visibility.  About 20% want better power and acceleration.  About 19% want their Canyon to be easier to get into and out of than now.  About 18% want more infotainment technology.

You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at  http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/ideal-suvs-pickups-rated-by-owners-in-2012-iva-awards-112117/

For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”.  A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.


Continue Reading

GMC Yukon XL – Most Ideal Large SUV

0

AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand.  Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.

Yukon XL Edges Platform-Mate Chevrolet Suburban for IVA Win: The 2012 GMC Yukon XL comes closest to the ideal of any Large SUV.  The Yukon XL edges out the second place Chevrolet Suburban by 11 rating points to win in its class.   Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding.  Achieving a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive.  Ninety-percent or more of Yukon XL owners rate its exterior size, driver’s seat comfort and ride and handling ideal.  Eighty-percent or more of Yukon XL owners find these additional characteristics ideal:  interior lighting, driver’s seat visibility, passenger roominess, cargo space, wheels, ease of getting in and out and safety ratings.

The Smaller GMC Yukon won AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Award.

A Few Shortfalls – But None Critical. About 29% of Yukon XL owners want more interior storage compartments.   About 26% want larger tires than now.  About 20% of Yukon XL owners want better power and acceleration.  About 19% want more daring exterior styling than now.  About 17% want better infotainment technology while 9% want their technology to be easier to use.

You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at  http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/ideal-suvs-pickups-rated-by-owners-in-2012-iva-awards-112117/

For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”.  A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.


Continue Reading

Two Three-Row Crossovers Take Different Paths

0

The model year was 2007.  ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley was popular on the radio.  Steve Irwin, the famous crocodile hunter was killed by a stingray and minivans were about as cool as Barney.  Two new three-row crossover SUVs entered the market looking to haul families and mass quantities of Vitamin Water from Costco in style and safety.

Posted in: GMC, Mazda

Continue Reading

Driving Impressions: 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD

1

X11CT_SH001L.jpg
We recently had the opportunity to drive the new 2011 Silverado HD and Sierra HD pickups. They may not look very different, but with an all-new frame and chassis and an improved powertrain these vehicles should be considered all-new.
New and improved is the theme, at least in every aspect except exterior and interior appearance.


Continue Reading

2010 GMC Acadia Wins Battle for AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award

0

GMC_10_Acadia.jpgAcadia Noses Out Ford Flex for VSA It turns out the Large Crossover SUV segment has become a very competitive place. The 2010 GMC Acadia won the class nosing out the Ford Flex. The Acadia scored 711 VSA points in its victory to the Flex rating of 704. Acadia won twenty-one of the forty-eight categories. Flex won twenty-two. So, Acadia’s win came by more consistency overall in the ratings.
Solid Performance in VSA Acadia scored particularly well (4.5 or over on a 5-point rating scale) in exterior size, ease of loading and unloading cargo, vehicle’s reputation, exterior color, exterior styling, interior styling, interior fabrics and materials. Acadia also did well in dynamic characteristics like braking, handling and fun to drive. Owners perceive Acadia to be very reliable and dependable, with high quality. Acadia owners say they feel safe in the Acadia and rate its safety features highest.
Acadia’s sister vehicle in the General Motors Lambda Platform – the Chevrolet Traverse – won one of the forty-eight categories – tops in interior storage compartments.
For a complete list of winners and description of the Awards, click here.


Continue Reading

Recalls and Used-Car Shopping: GM and Carfax Team Up

0

Being a company focused firmly forward, we don’t talk used cars much. But a program like this deserves some virtual ink.
Recalls have been in the news this year like rarely before. The depth and scope of Toyota’s problems has increased sensitivity to any manufacturer’s recalls–and make no mistake, there are many issued. Most not so severe as Toyota’s problems with accelerator shims, but out there all the same.
carfax-gm.jpg
Half of the equation for ensuring cars on the road have had any recall work performed is in the owner’s hands. Often, owners ignore recall notices, particularly for minor issues, or figure it’ll get handled with the next oil change, to have it fall off today’s crowded to-do lists.
GM and Carfax announced a measure of help for anyone looking to purchase a used vehicle, making it easier to find out if the car was affected by a recall and if the work was done. GM is providing VINs to Carfax of millions of Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevrolets, GMCs, Saabs, Saturns, Pontiacs, and Hummers with open recalls.


Continue Reading

PickupTrucks.com and AutoPacific Announce the Most Significant Trucks of the Decade

0

PickupTucks.com and AutoPacific have taken a look at all the new trucks sold in the past 10 years and made their picks for the most significant trucks of the decade. The trucks that made the list introduced cutting edge technologies and pushed the segment into new territory.
“Despite the economic challenges of the past two years, it’s hard not to look back at the last ten years without calling it the decade of the pickup truck,” said PickupTrucks.com editor Mike Levine. “Sales of full-size pickups hit 2.56 million units in 2004 and Ford’s F-Series trucks remain the nation’s best-selling vehicles, 33 years in a row.”
Though there are many trucks that had a significant impact in the last decade, it’s clear that the 2009 Ford F-150 earned the title of “Most Significant”.
“On balance, we thought the 2009 Ford F-150 was the most significant pickup of the last decade,” said Jim Hossack, vice president of consulting for AutoPacific. “It sells in high volume, owners like it and its body, chassis and powertrain are all first rate. Features abound, and there are more models, series and options than can be counted. It’s a good looking truck and suitable for the widest possible range of tasks and uses.”
After the jump are those trucks deemed most significant, in no particular order.


Continue Reading

Exhaust Notes #32: More Detroit Merger Talk

0

Are we nearing the end of Chrysler? Or the beginning of a new blended family? Or just another day at the rumor mill?
Late on Friday, the first stories began appearing about GM and Chrysler in possible merger talks. And at least in Detroit, dominated the weekend news cycle. GM’s stock went up this morning, but given that the Dow was up 5.6% and GM went up only about 3%, the stock bump might have happened without merger talk. GM closed on Friday at $4.89, a number some say is actually less than the company would be worth in capital assets alone.

gm-chry.jpg

All of this merger talk, whether these deals are realistic or not, does nothing good for public perception. The economy is weak, last week’s events on the stock market don’t reassure anyone, and talking about GM and Chrysler perhaps needing to merge to survive only further erodes confidence in American business. While GM and Chrysler LLC, as well as any other maker in trouble right now, needs to consider even unthinkable options and test our common assumptions as they get out of this trouble, this merger does not inspire hope.


Continue Reading

Exhaust Note #31: Goodbye, TrailBlazer and Envoy!

0

Oh, and Saab 9-7X, too
Last week was full of horrible sales results. The worst single month of sales since February 1993, in fact. In the midst of abysmal sales and the brouhaha to get the financial sector bailout passed, for better or worse, General Motors said production of the GMC Envoy and Chevrolet TrailBlazer will end in December 2008. This is two years earlier than once planned, though not much earlier than many guessed. Are you sad? Saying goodbye to a truly American vehicle?

GMC_09_EnvoyDenali_bl_2.jpg

2009 GMC Envoy Denali: The end of the line.

We’re not, really. The TrailBlazer and Envoy have come to their logical end, not for being badly drawn or executed products, but because the General’s offerings today are better suited for real life. Envoy sales for 2008 are down 44.1% and TrailBlazer down 36.9%. In a tough economic situation where leasing and credit are more difficult to get and buyers seem perfectly happy to delay big-ticket purchases, why continue them for another year?
Chv_09_TrailBlazerSS_bl.jpg

2009 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS: Will you miss the 390HP stompin’ SS? Or just move on to a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8?


Continue Reading

Follow VehicleVoice

RSS Feed   Facebook   Twitter

Membership

Join

Recent Winners

Sid P., Washington – $100
Ken G., Nevada – $100
Brad T., Wisconsin – $100
Tom M., Virginia – $100
Kathy F., New Jersey – $100
John M., Massachusetts – $100
Mike M., California – $100
Carol R., Texas – $100
James D., Georgia – $100
Martha B., New Jersey – $100
Kerry B., Pennsylvania – $100

What is VehicleVoice?

About Vehicle Voice