Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    GM Considering Off-Road Versions Of Their Full-Size SUVs

    William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    September 23, 2013

    General Motors is considering whether or not to do off-road-focused versions of their next-generation full-size SUVs.

    "We are looking at, for this generation, a more off-road variant," said Jeff Luke, GM's executive chief engineer for trucks.

    Luke explains that off-road capability is a major reason why buyers go to full-size SUVs and not crossovers.

    Owners "just love off-roading with these vehicles. They look at this vehicle as more off-road capable" than crossovers, said Luke.

    GM sold a Z71 off-road package for their current-generation of full-size SUVs. The package added stronger shocks, larger wheels, and special styling cues such as bigger wheel flares and badging. The Z71 package was never a big seller though.

    Luke also said that GM would introduce more enhancements after the SUVs go on sale in March. When asked if an eight-speed automatic would be making its way into the SUVs, Luke said "Stay Tuned".

    Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    smk4565

    Sounds like they want a return of Hummer. There is a narrow market for these off road or modified big trucks, so I am sure there is profit potential in there because you can jack up the price by $10,000 on a Tahoe but I get the feeling that GM is going to be really dependent on big SUVs, much like they were in 2005-2008 and that plan failed. How about focus on making a Malibu that people buy.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    smk4565

    one equipped with a diesel maybe?

    Every GM pickup and SUV and probably half their sedans should have a diesel option within 3 years. Not sure what is taking so long, but once the German diesels spread, they will become the new hot item like AWD has become. 20 years ago no one cared about AWD luxury cars, then Audi did Quattro, Mercedes did 4Matic and all of a sudden every Infiniti, Cadillac and Lexus had AWD on it.

    Diesel will be the same, when the A6 TDI gets 38 mpg and 0-60 in under 6 seconds, a E250 Bluetec gets 45 mpg and an A4 TDI and C250 bluetec follow, it will start to catch on. Someone will make a 30 mpg full size SUV, Audi and Mercedes are close now, GM should get the diesels ready to be ahead of the curve rather than behind.

    There's more money in selling blinged up "off-road" Tahoes that spend all their time in the mall parking lot.

    Sadly, I totally agree. The SUV buying public will pay it because they are stupid.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    GMTruckGuy74

    I agree that a mid-size, off-road capable SUV makes more sense first. Consider that RAM has no SUV - the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango are not RAM-branded but are mid-size offerings and at least the Jeep GC has off-road capability - Ford has moved away from this market too, not sure how off-road capable the Expedition is and the Explorer features some off-road tech (though I doubt many go off-road much). If Toyota keeps the 4Runner formula the same and does not change like Nissan did with the Pathfinder (CUV instead of SUV), it's a small market.

    I think that there are plenty of GMT-360 (Envoy/TrailBlazer) and H3 owners that want to get a new off-road capable mid-size SUV that won't consider the mid-size CUV options that already exist in the marketplace. I don't know how many full-size buyers there are (Hummer H2 owners may or may not want a replacement vehicle), but options are always good.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    GMTruckGuy74

    Also, from what I know true off-roaders don't like large vehicles - SUVs or pickups - for off-roading (they tend to go with smaller vehicles to handle narrow trails). But I'm sure the outdoorsman who wants to camping/fishing/hunting will want the comfort of a larger vehicle. GM should continue to offer the Z71 Off-Road package/trim since it is not a heavily modified vehicle program (like the Ford Raptor or RAM Power Wagon) that makes the regular 4WD SUV more capable off-road.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • google-news-icon.png



  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • David
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By David · Posted

      I am not aware of travel cases for internal drives. Usually you have the drive and once you have made sure you own static electricity is discharged on your body, open the computer and unplug the power cable and data cable to the HD. Then you unscrew the screws holding the drive in. Put the drive into an Anti-Static bag and then usually into a box that has foam padding on all sides to protect the drive and then tape it up to close it.  With both drives in their proper storage bags, you can then have both drives in between foam insulation for handling any dropping of the box, etc. Pack them in a box and tape shut, should then easily handle going through your carry on or checked in luggage. To ship a hard drive, you need to: Secure the hard drive in its original packaging or anti-static bag. If you don't have an anti-static bag, place the drive into a zipped freezer bag to prevent any moisture getting into the drive during transit. Sandwich the drive between foam or wrap it in bubble wrap to absorb any minor shocks. Put the hard drive in a padded shipping box. Close and seal the box. Label your package. Amazon.com : hard drive shipping box This is pretty much all you need.
    • David
      Airplanes

      By David · Posted

      Either a co-pilot first time landing or something truly went wrong on the plane.
    • trinacriabob
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      The incoming rectangular lamps on many GM cars in that era made them much more attractive.  They made a big difference. Now, as far the powerplant went, the notion of 500 cubic inches was mindboggling even during the malaise era.  If you want to see someone's jaw drop, tell a European that their engines have 8200 cc or 8.2 liters.  For those who aren't driving the occasional Mustang or Camaro you see, they freak out at anything over 2,500 or 3,000 cc.
    • trinacriabob
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      Thank you for the response. I want to reinstall them into the computers, especially the "newer" one.  The old one has been a real champ.   The reason for not leaving them in the desktop is that the basic tower might have to be transported ... and not by me.  That means it will be out of my possession for a while.  Since the HDs would be traveling with me, they'll have to get scanned through airport security a time or two.  I'm guessing that shouldn't mess with the data.   I've already backed up the C drive on several large 1 TB portable hard drives.  I don't want to touch the basic functions and files on the computers since I don't know how that all works.  I stay away from the drives and files I am not familiar with. I tend to donate other things to charity.   I did give the Regal I once owned to charity.   A good friend told me that, about a month or two later, he saw it being driven around the city by its new owner and we had a good laugh. This is what I want to do.  I'm just trying to figure out if the guy or gal at Office Depot can size a case based on looking up the unit and the HD in it.  Any ideas on that part?  Or should I do that and approximate the size and weight of the part to get the cases?
    • trinacriabob
      Airplanes

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      I'm wondering about a lot of things related to this.  I am sure that, sadly, the passengers inside were jolted.  This is way different from a rough landing. Why was it even necessary to do it?  What was going on at the airport property at that time?  How does one even pull this off?  I've seen some vids of where they barely touch and then go off again, but this one looks way more complicated.

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings