1997 GMC SUBURBAN
PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
The GMC Suburban is a unique, one-of-a kind vehicle that's targeted at
and has appeal to buyers who want vehicle versatility and capabilities
for carrying cargo and up to nine passengers, as well as towing.
NEW FOR 1997:
* Front-passenger air bag added (standard)
* Speed-sensitive steering added to reduce low-speed and static steering
effort while maintaining a steering effort level and road
feedback at
highway speeds
* Rear door locks provide lock/unlock switch located on the right-hand
rear pillar to allow all doors be locked or unlocked from
the rear,
while the rear doors are open
* Safety belt height adjuster (second seat has adjustable D-ring on the
'C' pillar for improved comfort
* Enhancements to 4L60-E and 4L80-E electronic automatic transmissions
for
improved operation
* Shorter turn radius on 1/2-ton 4x4 models with 5.7-litre V8 engine
* Quiet engine cooling fan to reduce fan noise and produce a more pleasing
tone when fan drive is in the engaged mode
* Two new exterior colours (Medium Opal Blue Metallic and Medium Beige
Mystique Metallic
MODELS: Suburban SL (4-door - 2WD/4x4)
Suburban SLE (4-door
- 2WD/4x4)
Suburban SLT (4-door
- 2WD/4x4)
VEHICLE CLASS: Sport/Utility
ASSEMBLY LOCATIONS: Janesville, Wisconsin
Silao,
Mexico
CUSTOMER PROFILE:
These vehicles are primarily targeted at married males (in their 40s)
with families. The prospective buyer is an active individual who
wants versatility in his or her vehicle. About three-quarters of
buyers equip their vehicles with trailering packages. Primary
purchase considerations are vehicle durability and reliability,
passenger/cargo/towing capabilities and power, as well as previous
experience with manufacturer and/or dealer.
PRODUCT MILESTONES:
1936 GMC Suburban debuts
1955 New sheetmetal and new V8 engine
1982 New 6.2-litre diesel engine introduced; 4-speed automatic overdrive
transmission available
1984 Multi-function smart switch
1985 New air conditioning compressor
1987 Throttle body fuel injection on all gas engines up to 10,000 GVWR
1989 Serpentine belt drive
1990 Rear-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS); additional use of 2-sided
galvanized steel for improved corrosion
protection
1991 New optional 7.4-litre V8 engine; new 4L80-E heavy-duty electronic
4-speed automatic overdrive transmission
1992 New-generation model adopts styling, chassis and powertrain of
full-size pickup; 4-wheel ABS;
Insta-Trac on 4WD models;
modified suspension for car-like ride
1993 4L60-E electronic transmission introduced
1994 6.5-litre Turbo Diesel introduced
1995 Standard driver-side air bag; redesigned instrument panel; available
remote keyless entry system
1996 New Vortec 5700 SFI V8 and Vortec 7400 SFI V8 engines for improved
driveability, idle, starting and fuel economy;
rear seat heat ducts
on all models; electric shift transfer case available
1997 Passenger-side air bag added (standard); speed-sensitive steering
added; rear door lock/unlock switch; safety belt
height adjuster;
improved turn radius on 1/2-ton 4x4 models with
5.7L V8 engine
EXTERIOR FEATURES
SL SLE/SLT
Bumpers Front and rear step chrome w/black rub strip S
S
Glass Solar-Ray (TM) tinted, all windows S
S
Deep Tint on side
rear doors, side rear quarter
windows and rear
doors/tailgate O
S
Grille Moulded plastic, painted Argent (integral GMC
letters at centre
of grille) S
S
Chrome trimmed NA
S
Headlamps Two rectangular halogen S
NA
Four composite w/halogen
bulbs NA
S
Horn Single, electric low note S
NA
Dual, electric high/
low note NA
S
Key Single, two-sided for doors and ignition
S
S
Lighting Backup lamps, combination parking/direction/hazard;
combination tail/stop/direction/hazard;
headlamps,
license plate lamps,
side marker lamps w/reflectors S S
Roof marker (includes
5 amber lamps: 2 outboard
clearance lamps
and 3 central identification lamps) O O
Underhood lamp S
S
Luggage Carrier, roof (painted black) NA
S
Mirrors LH and RH, below eye-line; painted black, fold-away S
NA
Electric remote
painted black, fold-away NA
S
LH and RH, camper-type,
stainless steel O
O
Mouldings Black hidden roof drip mouldings S
S
Painted wheel opening
fender flare (standard on
3/4-ton 4x4 models)
S
S
Bright body side
and wheel opening mouldings
(standard on all
models except 3/4-ton 4x4) S
S
Wheel opening fender
flare, front and rear
(option for 1/2-ton,
4x4 only) O
O
Nameplates
"GMC" nameplate
and "Suburban" nameplate on lower section
of panel doors/tailgate
S
S
"SLE"
or "SLT" nameplate on B pillar NA
S
Paint Solid
O O
Conventional two-tone
NA
O
Deluxe two-tone
NA
O
Panel Doors
Painted interior
surface w/upper belt hard
plastic garnish
S
NA
Fully trimmed w/upper
belt hard plastic garnish and
lower carpet NA
S
Running
Boards Side step, Graphite colour (moulded plastic over
sheet metal; supports
up to 600 lb. per side;
dealer-installed)
O
O
Skid Plates
Off-road (includes
shield plates for engine, front
differential, transfer
case and fuel tank);
4x4 models only
O
O
Tailgate Lift-glass Dropgate O
O
Tow Hooks:
LH and RH front
tow hooks mounted at the front of
each frame side
member (4x4 models) S
S
LH and RH front
tow hooks (2WD models) O
O
Wheel Trim
Black ornamental
hub caps S
S
Wheels Bright Rally trim rings and bright hub caps
(3/4-ton models)
O
S
15" x 7"
JJ cast aluminum (1/2-ton, 2WD models) O
S
16" x 7"
K cast aluminum (1/2-ton, 4x4 models) O
S
Wipers/
Washers Intermittent wiper system; demand-type washer system S
S
Rear window intermittent
wiper/washer/defogger NA O
Wiring Heavy-duty, 8-wire trailer harness S
S
S - Standard Equipment. O - Optional Equipment. NA - Not available.
INTERIOR FEATURES
SL SLE/SLT
Air Conditioning
All-weather
front O
S
Front
and rear (includes dual controls, rear
overhead-mounted
recirculating air system and
105-amp
alternator) O
O
Armrests Left hand and right hand padded;
integral
w/side
door trim panels S
S
Left
hand and right hand padded, integral
w/rear
quarter inner trim panel NA
S
Assist Handles Front - passenger side; rear - left hand and
right
hand side; mounted on pillars,
colour-keyed
S
S
Cargo Net Removable security net located in rear
Compartment
NA
S
Coat Hooks Left hand and right hand colour-keyed above
centre
seat area S
S
Left
hand and right hand colour-keyed above
rear
seat area NA
S
Convenience
Group Power side door
locks S
NA
Tilt
Wheel (TM) and speed control O
NA
Power
side door locks, Tilt-Wheel(TM), speed
control,
power side door windows w/express down
and
lock-out features on driver's window NA
S
Defogger Rear window (includes 105-amp alternator)
O O
Door Locks Lock/unlock switch located on the RH rear
pillar
to allow all doors to be locked/unlocked
from
the rear while the rear doors are open;
with
standard panel doors, all doors will be
automatically
relocked five seconds after
the
rear doors are closed S
S
Door Trim Panels
Colour-keyed
grained moulded plastic S
NA
Soft
vinyl with carpet covered map pocket and
cloth
insert NA
S
Floor Covering Full two-piece black vinyl mat; rear wheelhouse
exposed
body colour sheet metal S
NA
Full
two-piece colour-keyed moulded carpet
w/Scotchgard
(TM) Fabric Protector; colour-
keyed
moulded rubber mats in front, centre and
rear
seat area; rear wheelhouse moulded
insulation
covered by rear quarter trim panels NA S
Gauges Analog (needle); speedometer,
odometer,
tachometer,
fuel level, voltmeter, oil pressure,
temperature,
tachometer S
S
Warning Buzzers
Audible
warnings for headlamps-on and
key-in-Ignition
S
S
Headliner Two-piece design; cloth-covered moulded
fiberglass
construction w/assist handles S
S
Heater/Defogger
Windshield
and side window defoggers; rear seat
heater
ducts S
S
Rear
passenger auxiliary heater; rear window
defogger,
electric O
S
Instrument Panel
Colour-keyed,
energy absorbing foam type
w/grained
vinyl skin; storage tray on passenger
side;
two auxiliary power outlets (beside
ashtray)
w/spring loaded doors, cigarette
lighter,
dual cupholders S
S
Keyless Entry Remote keyless entry system NA
O
Lights Front and rear dome lamps
incorporating
20-second
delay-off feature w/door jamb
switches
on all doors, map lights, ashtray
and
glove compartment lamps S
S
Mirror, Rearview
254mm
(10") electrochromatic (includes
continually
recalibrating 8-point compass system NA S
Radios AM/FM stereo radio with
seek/scan and digital
clock;
includes fixed mast antenna and 4
speakers
(2 front door, 2 rear headliner) S
NA
AM/FM
stereo radio with seek/scan, cassette
player,
auto tone control and digital clock;
fixed
mast antenna; includes 8 speakers; rear
side-door
speakers are driven by a
power
amplifier NA
S
AM/FM
stereo with seek/scan, cassette player
and
digital clock includes 4 speakers O
O
AM/FM
stereo w/CD player, seek/scan, auto tone
control,
clock (includes 8 speakers); rear
side-door
speakers driven by a power amplifier) NA O
AM/FM
stereo, cassette and CD players, seek/
scan,
auto tone control, clock, (includes 8
speakers)
rear side-door speakers driven by a
power
amplifier) NA
O
Seats Full-width front
bench; folding split bench
3-passenger
centre seat S
NA
Full-width
front bench w/ power lumbar, seat
back
storage nets and fold-down centre armrest NA S
Folding
split bench 3-passenger centre seat w/
fold-down
armrest; removable 3-passenger rear
bench
seat NA
S
Front
bench w/vinyl trim O
NA
Front
bench w/fold-down centre armrest storage
compartment
(incorporating coin holder, map net
in
lid and pivoting writing board), driver and
front
passenger power adjustable lumbar and seat
back
storage nets (cloth or leather trim) NA
O
Split
front bench w/manual seat back recliners,
fold-down
centre armrest storage compartment
(incorporating
coin holder, map net in lid and
pivoting
writing board), driver and front
passenger
power adjustable lumbar and seat
back
storage nets (cloth or leather trim) NA
O
High
back reclining front buckets w/ inboard
and
outboard armrests, floor console w/rear
seat
cupholders, roof console, driver and front
passenger
power lumbar adjusters, and seat back
storage
nets (cloth or leather trim) NA
O
Rear
seat, 3-passenger removable bench seat NA O
Head
restraints, adjustable (on all outboard
seats)
S S
Seat Adjuster 6-way power driver's side NA
O
Scotchgard(TM) Fabric Protector on cloth trim S
S
Spare Tire Carrier, mounted behind rear wheelhouse
on
LH side S
S
Steering Column
Black,
energy-absorbing steering column
w/anti-theft
locking feature S
S
Simulated
leather sport wheel with
four-spoke
design S
NA
Leather-wrapped,
four-spoke sport wheel NA
S
Sunshades LH and RH padded; colour-keyed vinyl;
visor
mirror
on RH sunshade S
NA
LH
and RH padded; colour-keyed cloth;
w/extenders
and lighted visor mirrors NA
S
Tools Mechanical jack
and wheel wrench located
on
interior LH rear side S
S
S - Standard Equipment. O - Optional Equipment. NA - Not available.
POWER TEAMS / CHASSIS / MECHANICAL SL
SLE/SLT
Air Cleaner High-capacity (requires 5700 or
7400
V8 engines) O
O
Alternator 100-Amp Delcotron S
S
Battery 12-volt S
S
Brakes Power, 4-wheel ABS S
S
Front
disc and rear drum S
S
Cooling Extra-capacity oil (requires
5700 V8 and 3.42
axle
ratio on 1/2-ton models) O
O
Transmission
(provides external air-to-oil
cooling
system on 1/2-ton models) O
O
Engines Vortec 5700 SFI V8 S
S
Vortec
7400 SFI V8 (only on 3/4-ton) O
O
6.5L
Turbo Diesel V8 (includes front bumper
guards,
full floating rear axle on 3/4-ton
models,
and external engine oil cooler) O
O
Exhaust Aluminized, stainless steel,
unitized
muffler-tailpipe,
converter equipped, single
exhaust,
tailpipe exit right hand side of
vehicle
S
S
Heater Engine block S
S
Steering Speed-sensitive, power S
S
Suspension Base Axle: 3.42 ratio (1/2-ton); 3.73 ratio
(3/4-ton,
2WD); 4.10 ratio (3/4-ton, 4x4) S
S
Front
Axle: 2WD, independent; 4WD, hypoid type S S
Rear
Axle: hypoid semi-floating type
(all
models except 3/4-ton, 2WD) S
S
Rear
Axle: 3/4-ton 2WD only; hypoid full
floating
type S
S
Front:
springs, coil (2WD only) S
S
Front:
torsion bar (4WD only) S
S
Rear:
springs, two-stage multi-leaf S
S
Shock
absorbers, front and rear, heavy-duty S S
Front:
stabilizer bar, heavy duty S
S
Tires P235/75R-15XL all-season
(1/2-ton, 2WD) S S
P245/75R-16
all-terrain (1/2-ton, 4x4) S
S
LT245/75R-16E
all-season (3/4-ton) S
S
Torsion Bars Front, heavy-duty (1/2-ton, 4x4) O
O
Trailering Heavy-duty special equipment O
O
Transfer Case Part time, New Process 241; manual shift;
floor-mounted
controls (4x4 models) S
S
New
Process 243; electronic shift; includes
2H/4H/4L
shift selections through a 4-wheel
drive
indicator switch located in lower section
of
instrument panel (4x4 models) O
O
Transmission 4-speed automatic w/overdrive S
S
Wheels Five-disc type S
S
S - Standard Equipment. O - Optional Equipment. NA - Not available.
SAFETY / SECURITY
SL SLE/SLT
Air Bag Driver and front passenger
S
S
Anti-Lock Brakes
4-wheel
ABS S
S
Keyless Entry Remote keyless entry system NA
O
Lighting Daytime running lamps; centre high
mounted
stop
lamp S
S
Side Impact Side-guard door beams S
S
Roadside Service
24-hour
Roadside Assistance S
S
S - Standard Equipment. O - Optional Equipment. NA - Not available.
TECHNICAL
PRODUCT INFORMATION
FRAME All-welded
ladder-type with channel design and boxed front
section
BODY MATERIAL Carbon steel
SUSPENSION Front Independent,
coil springs 2WD, torsion bar 4x4
Rear
Semi-elliptic, 2-stage multi-leaf springs
BRAKES Power-assisted,
front disc/rear drum;
4-wheel
anti-lock (ABS)
STEERING Variable-ratio, integral
power
WHEELS 1/2 TON (2WD)
1/2 TON (4X4)
15"
x 7" steel 16" x 6.5" steel
TIRES P235/75R15XL
P245/75R16C
all-season
all-season
WHEELS 3/4 TON (2WD /
4X4)
16"
x 6.5" steel
TIRES LT245/75R16E
all-season
ENGINES Vortec 5700 SFI V8 Vortec
7400 SFI V8
Type OHV V8
OHV
V8
Displacement 5.7L (350 cu.in.) 7.4L
(454 cu.in.)
Bore x Stroke 101.6 x 88.4 mm 107.9
x 101.6 mm
(4.0
x 3.5") (4.3
x 4.0")
Compression Ratio
9.4:1
9.0:1
Fuel Regular Unleaded
Regular Unleaded
Fuel Induction Sequential F.I Sequential
F.I.
Horsepower 255 hp @ 4600 rpm 290
hp @ 4000 rpm
Torque 330 lb.-ft. @ 2800 rpm
410 lb.-ft. @ 3200 rpm
ENGINE 6.5-litre V8 Turbo
Diesel
Type OHV V8
Displacement 6.5L (395 cu.in.)
Bore x Stroke 103.0 x 97.0 mm
(4.1
x 3.8")
Compression Ratio
20.2:1
Fuel Diesel
Fuel Induction Turbocharged
(Indirect
Fuel Injection)
Horsepower 190 hp @ 3400 rpm
Torque 385 lb.-ft. @ 1800 rpm
LAYOUT Front engine /
2WD (rear) or 4x4
TRANSMISSIONS
4-speed
electronic 4-speed heavy-duty electronic
automatic
w/overdrive automatic w/ overdrive
(under
8500 GVWR) (over 8500 GVWR)
Gear Ratios:
1st 3.06 2.48
2nd 1.63 1.48
3rd 1.00 1.00
4th 0.70 0.75
Reverse 2.29 2.08
Final Drive Ratio
3.42
3.73
EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 3340 mm (131.5")
Length 5575 mm (219.5")
Width 1948 mm ( 76.7")
Heights 1811 mm ( 71.3") - 2WD
(1/2-ton)
1869
mm ( 73.6") - 2WD (3/4-ton)
1854
mm ( 73.0") - 4x4 (1/2-ton)
1895
mm ( 74.6") - 4x4 (3/4-ton)
INTERIOR DIMENSIONS
Leg Room
front/mid/rear 1049/ 666/ 668 mm (41.3/26.2/27.1")
Head Room
front/mid/rear 1013/ 988/ 963 mm (39.9/38.9/37.9")
Shoulder Room
front/mid/rear 1651/1651/1633 mm (65.0/65.0/64.3")
Hip Room
front/mid/rear 1537/1532/1232 mm (60.5/60.3/48.5")
WEIGHTS / CAPACITIES
Fuel Capacity 159 L (35 gal.)
Seating 6/2/3/5/8/9
Cargo Volume
-w/front seat 4233 L (149.5
cu.ft.)
-w/front/mid 2735 L (
96.6 cu.ft.)
-w/front/mid/rear 1345 L ( 47.5 cu.ft.)
Payload (max.) 2WD 879 kg (1940 lb.)- 1/2-ton
4x4
876 kg (1921 lb.)- 1/2-ton
2WD
1433 kg (3160 lb.)- 3/4-ton
4x4
1279 kg (2820 lb.)- 3/4-ton
GVWR (max.) 2WD 3084 kg (6800 lb.)- 1/2-ton
4x4
3266 kg (7200 lb.)- 1/2-ton
2WD
3901 kg (8600 lb.)- 3/4-ton
4x4
3901 kg (8600 lb.)- 3/4-ton