GMC Jimmy Comeback Teaser Ended in Heartbreak
At one point, GM was planning to bring back a real people’s favorite SUV. Even in these modern unibody-loving times, GM was going to build a new, proper body-on-frame GMC Jimmy SUV. Seeing as how the present is yesterday’s future, we now know that GM canceled the GMC Jimmy reboot, and that sucks. But making the disappointment even worse, GM’s guiding mantra for the new GMC Jimmy was simply “Bold and Capable.” That’s all I want to hear about a new body-on-frame SUV.
When did the GMC Jimmy come out?
The GMC Jimmy came out in 1970. In fact, the Jimmy was the GMC version of the Chevy K5 Blazer. The Jimmy SUV thundered around our roads and trails until it was replaced by the GMC Yukon in 1991. Since then, the Jimmy name has laid dormant until GM teased bringing it back in 2017. Only a year later the Jimmy was canceled. Bummer.
Since then, we have learned a little more about what GM was planning for the Jimmy. It’s a real heartbreaker.
Is GM bringing back the Jimmy?
No, unfortunately there aren’t any public-facing plans to actually bring back the GMY Jimmy. When GM started teasing a Jimmy return, the 4×4 folks were buzzing. But what we didn’t know at the time was that GM was buzzing, too. The dreams of a new Jimmy were dashed upon the rocks when work on the resurrected SUV ended only a year later. GM killed it, and its grave is deep.
However, before the GMC Jimmy died again, GM was hyped about it. “Bold and capable” is one hell of a slogan for a 4×4. Especially when most SUVs are bland and clumsy unibody blobs that look more like a TV remote than a truck. I digress.
GM was really going for it with the Jimmy reboot. Unlike most marketing quotes, GM was serious about the Jimmy’s mantra. Unnamed sources told GM Authority that “Bold and Capable” wasn’t a play; it was a “rallying cry of sorts.” So, what made the new GMC Jimmy so “bold and capable”?
What engine was the new GMC Jimmy going to have?
One of the most exciting things about the new Jimmy was it looked like GMC would finally have a unique model in its lineup that it didn’t share with Chevrolet. The Jimmy was reportedly heading back to its roots with a V8 powerplant that would have set the GMC Jimmy apart from its rivals in a distinctive manner. One of the major goals of the new Jimmy was to compete with the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, which, at the time, no Bronco or Wrangler had V8 power.
The GMC Jimmy was slated to have the turbocharged 2.7-liter L3B inline four-cylinder gasoline engine as a base option. That plant eventually made its home in the 2023 GMC Canyon. While that 2.7-liter has proven to be a sweet little engine, the ace up the GMC Jimmy’s sleeve was that it was designed to house a V8, something the Canyon was not designed for.
Along with a hot new V8, the GMC Jimmy was also supposed to ride on a new platform – GMT-32XX – that would be shared with the next-gen Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks. However, unlike its brandmates, the new GMC Jimmy was going to be a fair bit more aggressive in appearance. It sported a wide track, flared fenders, high hood, and fascia that would make the GMC Sierra HD look like a refrigerator in comparison.
How much does a GMC Jimmy cost?
Since GM killed the new Jimmy, the only options are an original GMC Jimmy – which is no bad thing at all – or the $129,950 GMC Jimmy SUV conversion from Flat Out Autos. If you go the conversion route, you will have to pay at least that $130k starting price and provide a new 2023 GMC Sierra or 2023 Chevy Silverado to convert.
Man, the new Jimmy sounds like it could have been a real contender. Maybe GM will bring it back one day, but between you and me, dear reader, I wouldn’t count on it.
