The 1997 Jimmy was a badge-engineered Chevrolet Blazer, restyled to fit the GMC brand’s image and different trim levels.
Introduced in 1995, Jimmy was warmly welcomed by the market. Despite being a tough off-road vehicle, it didn’t look scary or boxy whatsoever. Moreover, the three-door version proved to be a very good urban vehicle, able to cope with curves and potholes and still fit in the parking spot of a compact-sized vehicle. Two years later, the carmaker decided to do a facelift for both Blazer and Jimmy.

In the three-door version, the compact SUV was even shorter than its five-door sibling. The styling took some inspiration from the European Opel/Vauxhall Frontera, with a triangular window behind the doors. Even though there was a new trend to install the spare wheel under the car, in the trunk area, GMC decided to mount it on the tailgate. A nice feature was the independent rear window opening system.

Inside, Jimmy featured cloth seats with an option for velour. The 1995 model featured a steering-column mounted gear selector and a knob for the 4x4 system: 2WD, 4WD auto, and 4x4 lock. The vehicles fitted with manual transmission featured floor-mounted gear-sticks and transfer-box selector. Unlike the Blazer, the Jimmy featured different seats, with wider headrests for the front passengers.

Under the hood, GM installed the same 4.3-liter V6 engine, but with lower power than the 1995 model. The decrease came from the new pollution control system, which included a different catalytic converter.