After my husband and I moved to our new home in the rural mountains of North Idaho we quickly realized we'd need four wheel drive to get up our steep driveway in the winter.

My husband chose a GMC longbed truck, and I decided on the 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE. Boy, what a great decision!

Performance

I have really had the opportunity in the last two years to put the GMC Jimmy through its paces. I must drive two and a half miles on a fairly primitive dirt road to get to my house. In the summer it is dusty and filled with deep potholes. In the spring it is a river of mud. In the winter it's an ice rink. (Hey, Idaho is a beautiful place, just has crummy roads.) The suspension in the Jimmy takes the potholes incredibly well - and with barely a squeak or a rattle even after all this time. It will go through the mud like a monster truck. And I've never felt so safe driving in snow and ice. Our driveway is quite steep with a sharp turn at the steepest part, and the GMC 2000 Jimmy will get up our driveway on sheer ice, in 4 X 4 of course, like it's riding on tracks.


Handling

One thing I really like about the Jimmy is the way it handles. I can get around our small town easily, in and out of parking spaces, etc. like a champ. I definitely did not want a big old lumbering truck that was hard to maneuver. I wanted something that I could zip around in. GMC and the Jimmy to the rescue! This SUV handles so sweet - I can even parallel park with it.

The power of the VORTEC 4300 engine is wonderful when you have to pass. The acceleration is right there whenever you need it.

The wheelbase for the 4-door model is 107.0 inches. Noted right on the driver's side sun visor is the notation "Higher Rollover Risk." I have felt a top heavy sensation in some situations like going around a curve at higher speeds, or when ice and snow has accumulated on one side of the road more than the other. But it's never felt like it was actually going to tip over. This is the first SUV/higher profile vehicle I've owned, though.

Interior Design

The cloth seats are very comfortable - sturdy and supportive, with lumbar support. The driver's seat has an 8-position power adjustment. The front passenger side foot space has an annoying hump however.

Head room and leg room seem adequate, but I'm only 5'2". My son who is 6'2" has driven it, though, and he said he had plenty of room.

One of the best features of the Jimmy's interior design is the way back seats fold down for extra cargo space. Just a flip of a lever on the back of the seats is all it takes. I have carried all manner of large items this way - from furniture to building materials. And with the back seats up there is still a good deal of room behind the seats - enough for my two 80 lb. dogs.

You can configure the rear cargo area in many ways to suit your needs: Both rear seats up, both rear seats down, one up and one down. Very versatile design.

The front cup holder is hard to get at, though. The gear shift is too close and makes it hard to grab your cup. And it would be nice if the cup holders were adjustable to fit different sizes of cups.

My Jimmy is equipped with these other features:

~ Air Conditioning
~ Push-Button 4X4 (hi and lo)
~ Tow/Haul Selector
~ Cruise Control
~ AM-FM Stereo/CD
~ Anti-Lock Brakes
~ Accessory Power Outlets
~ Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirror
~ Reading Lights
~ Battery Run-Down Protection
~ Driver Side Air Bag

Other Neat Little Features

~ The 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE has an outside air temperature and compass display. Pretty neat!

~ If you have a garage door opener, the front overhead compartment can be used to conveniently store the opener.

~ When you operate the rear window defogger, a defogger also warms the heated outside rearview mirrors.

~ Change keeper/sorter.

My 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE is a dream to drive. I do not worry about driving in bad weather or in true off-road conditions. My Jimmy will get me where I need to go, and do it in sytle!










Amount Paid (US$): Apx. $16,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000