What was GMC version of old Blazer?
The GMC version of the classic Chevrolet Blazer was the GMC Jimmy. It served as GMC's full-size SUV counterpart to the Blazer, sharing platforms, mechanicals, and styling cues while carrying the GMC badge. The lineup also included a smaller sibling, the S-15 Jimmy, for GM's compact SUV range. Here is how the Jimmy fit into the Blazer story and what changed across its years of production.
GMC Jimmy: The full-size counterpart to the Blazer
In GM's lineup, the GMC Jimmy stood as the full-size counterpart to the Chevrolet Blazer. Both vehicles were built on closely related platforms, offered similar four-wheel-drive capabilities, removable tops, and a rugged, family-friendly persona that appealed to outdoor enthusiasts as well as practical buyers.
Key points about the GMC Jimmy and its Blazer relationship:
- Shared platform and many mechanical components with the Chevrolet Blazer, offering similar capabilities and options.
- Sold in full-size two- and four-door configurations, mirroring the Blazer's body styles of the era.
- The GMC nameplate also included the smaller S-15 Jimmy, a compact SUV based on GM's S-series pickup, which paralleled the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer.
- The full-size Jimmy remained in production through multiple generations into the mid-2000s, with the model ultimately retired in the United States around 2005.
Together, the GMC Jimmy represented GMC's answer to Chevrolet's Blazer, offering similar rugged utility and off-road capability while bearing the distinct GMC branding and trim options.
Compact sibling: the GMC S-15 Jimmy
The GMC S-15 Jimmy was the compact counterpart to the full-size Jimmy, built on GM's S-series pickup platform and serving as the GMC variant of the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer lineage. It provided a smaller footprint with many of the same SUV fundamentals—versatility, four-wheel drive options, and practical interior space.
Key facts about the S-15 Jimmy:
- Based on GM's S-series compact truck platform, sharing with the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer lineup.
- Presented a smaller, more affordable option within the GM SUV family.
- Produced during the 1980s and 1990s, overlapping with the lifecycle of GM's other compact SUVs.
While the full-size Jimmy remained the direct counterpart to the Blazer, the compact S-15 Jimmy filled a different niche, delivering the same badge-engineered SUV appeal in a more compact package for urban and light-duty use.
Summary
In brief, the GMC version of the old Chevrolet Blazer was the GMC Jimmy—a rugged, badge-engineered full-size SUV, with a compact S-15 Jimmy variant offering a smaller alternative. The Jimmy family illustrated GM's strategy of offering parallel models under different brands to reach a wider audience while maintaining shared engineering and capabilities.
