By Rick Popely
Cars.com National December 1, 1999Vehicle Overview
Sonoma is GMC's version of the compact pickup that Chevrolet markets as the S-10 and Isuzu peddles as the Hombre. They differ only in styling, and all three receive minor updates for 2000.
Next fall, the GMC and Chevrolet lineups will expand with the arrival of four-door crew-cab models. Isuzu has not announced if or when it will get the crew cab. General Motors owns an equity interest in Isuzu, and the two companies share other products and components.
Crew cabs have four conventional full-size doors that are hinged at the front. The Sonoma extended cab is currently available with an optional third door that swings open toward the rear and can't be opened unless the front doors are opened first.
The rival Ford Ranger, the best-selling compact pickup, offers dual rear doors that open toward the rear. Four-door crew cabs currently are available on the Nissan Frontier and Dodge Dakota. Toyota will introduce one on its Tacoma before the end of the year.
Exterior
The Sonoma comes in three sizes. The regular cab with a 6-foot cargo bed is 191 inches long, and with a 7.5-foot cargo bed is 207 inches. The extended cab comes with the 6-foot bed and is 205 inches bumper to bumper.
Flared rear fenders that GMC calls Sportside are optional on Sonomas with the 6-foot cargo bed.
Interior
Both regular-cab and extended-cab models have either a front-bench seat that seats three or a pair of bucket seats. Two folding rear jump seats are standard on extended-cab models, but the one on the driver's side is deleted from versions with the optional third door.
Under the Hood
A 120-horsepower 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine is standard on two-wheel-drive models. Starting with December production, this engine is designed to run on a gasoline/ethanol mixture of up to 85 percent ethanol. A 4.3-liter V-6 is standard on four-wheel-drive models and is optional on 2WDs. The V-6 rates 180 horsepower with 2WD and 190 with 4WD.
GM's Insta-Trac 4WD system uses an electronic transfer case that allows shifting in or out of 4WD High on the move with a dashboard switch.
cars.com From the cars.com 2000 Buying Guide |
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Cars.com Expert Reviews
| Rick Popely | Cars.com National | December 1, 1999 |
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| Tom Strongman | KansasCity.com | June 1, 2000 |
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