SAFETY | 7 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
Three and four stars, front impact protection; five stars, side impact protection; three stars, rollover resistance
NHTSA
Marginal," frontal offset impact
IIHS
safety features include anti-lock brakes (ABS) as standard equipment on all models
MyRide.com
the driver has a good view to the front and sides
ConsumerGuide
Editors at TheCarConnection.com are disappointed to note that the 2009 GMC Envoy scores only average marks for safety—whereas most large SUVs generally perform better overall.
Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the more stringent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) give the 2009 GMC Envoy relatively low marks in frontal impacts. NHTSA's front-impact rating is only three stars for the driver, far off the mark for most new cars. In other testing, the 2009 Envoy fares somewhat better. NHTSA awards the Envoy GMC excellent marks in side-impact tests—which is good, since most injuries result from side impacts.
Standard safety equipment in the GMC Envoy is robust. According to Cars.com, it includes "all-disc antilock brakes, electronic stability control and side curtain airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system; Edmunds reports that "the 2009 GMC Envoy gains head curtain airbags as standard equipment." MyRide.com also notes that "safety features include anti-lock brakes (ABS) as standard equipment on all models. Head-curtain and side-impact airbags are optional."
Visibility in the 2009 GMC Envoy gets mixed reviews. ConsumerGuide says that while "the driver has a good view to the front and sides" in the GMC Envoy, "headrests and roof pillars hamper lane changes and backing up." Kelley Blue Book, however, reports that GMC's design has "enough glass around the sides to give the driver a good 360-degree view."
Conclusion
Despite its significant size, the 2009 GMC Envoy is just adequate here.
