You already know about the Syclone, the baddest, meanest, most testosterone- pumped production pickup in the land. It has 280 horsepower and four-wheel drive. It runs 0 to 60 mph quicker than a Ferrari 348ts.

Oh yes, the Typhoon is serious-one look at its hardware proves that it has the muscle to back up its visual threat. In the engine room sits the same turbocharged and intercooled 4.3-liter V-6 used in the Syclone. This beastly powerplant chums out 280 horsepower at 4400 rpm and a boggling 350 pound-feet of torque at 3600. Passing through a robust four-speed automatic, the power is delivered to a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a center differential and a viscous coupling that apportions torque 35/65 front/rear. Four huge brakes (front discs and rear drums) with standard anti-lock control do the stopping.

The Typhoon's performance is as serious-scratch that, as outrageous-as its specifications suggest. For maximum off- the-line ooomph, you'll want to run up the engine against the brake. Okay, shift into drive, hold the brake down with your left foot, and lower the throttle until the boost gauge swings as far as it will go. Ready for liftoff? Just lift your left foot off the brake and hold your right foot to the floor. Whhooooossh! No tire smoke. Barely a chirp from the rubber. And you are gone! The sprint from 0 to 60 mph takes-get this, SUV mavens-just 5.3 seconds. Not only is that enough speed to pummel the once-omnipotent Cherokee, but it's enough to humiliate such standouts as the Ferrari 348ts and the Ford Mustang V-8.

But wait. There's more ahead. The quarter-mile comes up in just 14.1 seconds at 95 mph. That, supercar fans, is just a few ticks slower than an Acura NSX. But the performance ends not long after that. Top speed-prudently limited by a governor-is just 124 mph. Probably you wouldn't want to drive an SUV faster than that anyway.

As impressive as it is leaving a stop light, the GMC Typhoon really kicks in when accelerating on a roll-such as when passing an eighteen-wheeler on a stretch of tight two-lane. The Typhoon's top-gear acceleration times are among the quickest we have ever recorded for any vehicle-a blast from 30 mph to 50mph, for instance, takes a mere 2.9 seconds. That big-rig driver will think he's just been buzzed by a UFO.




ENGINE
Type ............ turbocharged and intercooled V-6, iron block and heads
Bore x stroke .................... 4.00 x 3.48 in, 101 6 x 88.4mm
Displacement ........................................ 262 cu in, 4300cc
Compression ratio .................................................. .. 8.4.1
Engine-control system ............... GM with port fuel injection
Emissions controls ..................... 3-way catalytic converter, feedback fuel-air ratio control. EGR
Turbocharger ........................................... Mitsubishi RH06
Waste gate .................................................. ........ integral
Maximum boost pressure ..................................... 15.0 psi
Valve gear ................................. pushrods, hydraulic lifters
Suspension
F ............ ind. unequal-length control arms, torsion bars, anti-roll bar
R .................. ind. rigid axle located by semi-elliptic leaf springs, automatic leveling shock absorbers
Power (SAC net) ............................... 280 bhp @ 4400 rpm
Torque (SAE net) .............................. 350 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
Redline .................................................. ........... 4800 rpm

DRIVETRAIN
Transmission ...................... 4-speed automatic with lockup torque converter
Final-drive ratio ..................................... 3.73:1, limited slip
Transfer-gear ratio .................................................. 1.00:1
Gear Ratio Mph/1000 rpm Max. test speed
I 3.06 6.5 31 mph (4800 rpm)
II 1.63 12.2 59 mph (4800 rpm)
III 1.00 19.9 96 mph (4800 rpm)
IV 0.70 28.4 124 mph (4350 rpm)