The modern-day car market is full of high-performance SUVs. The huge increase in the demand for high-riding vehicles has led to a marriage between the body style and ride-hight of old off-roaders with the performance of sports cars. However, this combination was first done by GMC many years ago. The outcome was named the GMC Typhoon, and it may be one of the most unique vehicles of its time. Although simple, some may argue it was insanely futuristic as it predicted a market that would emerge nearly 30 years later. Obviously, it is nowhere near as sophisticated as the new performance SUVs, it is still very interesting. Here's all you need to know about it.
What Exactly Was the GMC Typhoon?
The Typhoon was based on the GMC Jimmy; so, from the outside, it doesn’t look like much. However, once you look closely, you can start to pinpoint some key differences with other SUVs. First, the Typhoon rode lower than most SUVs back then. It only had two doors, some sportier wheels, and blacked-out body panels. To achieve more performance, GMC turbocharged the Jimmy. The engine available was a 4.3-liter V-6 that once paired to a turbo, produced 280 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. For today’s standard, this isn’t much; however, when compared to other SUVs of the early 90s the Typhoon was much quicker. You should also keep in mind that turbocharging wasn’t something American manufacturers were doing back then. It was mostly seen on Japanese cars and definitely not a small U.S.-made SUV.
To ensure that the engine was able to cope with the added power, GMC used parts from its 5.3 liter V-8 to strengthen the V-6. Once you open the hood, you will quickly notice that the engine says Syclone on it. This is because it was first used in GMCs performance pickup trucks that came out in 1991. That pickup truck was named the Syclone and was only in production for one year. When it comes to performance, the Syclone was faster due to the lower weight; however, with a 0-60 in the low five-second mark, the Typhoon was really impressive too. Fun fact: Car and Driver conducted a drag race between the Syclone and a Ferrari 348, and the Syclone won.
The Typhoon Featured An All-Wheel-Drive System
Back then, most SUVs had four-wheel drive as they were intended for off-roading. However, since the Typhoon wasn’t meant to go off-road, GMC engineers decided to give it AWD. This system was the same as the one found in the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari minivans. The drivetrain on the Typhoon could also be considered futuristic as nowadays most SUVs are all-wheel-drive for the same exact reason. They aren’t meant to go off-road and are mostly focused on on-road driving. As you can imagine, an SUV from the 90s with a leaf-spring solid rear axle was never going to handle well; however, GMC engineers did the best they could with what they had.
The Interior Screams '90s GMC
Step inside the Typhoon and you are greeted with an insanely 90s GMC interior. Most of it is made of plastic, and you see squares anywhere you look. Funny enough, the only badge that reminds passengers they are in the high-performance limited-edition version of this vehicle can be found on the glove box. That is not the case with newer vehicles that seem to remind you that this is the performance version by having a name embossed or stitched pretty much anywhere you look. In the back, you find a leather-covered bench seat that can only accommodate two people. So, the Typhoon was a four-person SUV. Of course, this being a vehicle from the 90s it also had rear ashtrays.
Conclusion
As you would imagine, the driving characteristics of the GMC Typhoon aren't particularly impressive by today’s standards. It is relatively quick and handles a bit nicer than the rest of the GMC products of that era. However, it still has a lot of body roll, the steering isn’t very precise, and the transmission really lets the engine down. The GMC automatic found in this vehicle was only a four-speed; therefore, there isn’t much it can do when you floor it. For the time though, this was significantly quicker than most SUVs on the road. Also, there was no denying how insanely cool it looked – especially in black.