The GMC Typhoon was the successor to the Syclone, but unlike its pickup truck brethren, the Typhoon saw 2 years of production with 2497 units built in 1992 and 2200 units built in 1993 before making its mark in the history books as one of the fastest SUVs ever made. Even shortly after production stopped, the line was drawn the owners & enthusiasts took sides. Long have owners of Typhoons argued which year is superior to the point where memes have been created, sarcastic jokes made, and groups of people pledge their loyalty and will strongly defend their choice of the year.
We often see enthusiasts asking what the differences are and if you are looking to become a future owner, it should be part of your research going into a purchase. To the untrained eye, the 92-93 Typhoon appears to be the same truck, but those who are familiar with the sporty turbocharged SUV know much better and the differences between the 2 years go much more beyond just a variety of available colors. Some differences are more obvious while others are much more subtle and easily overlooked.
While this is an incomplete list, it does cover all of the major and most of the minor visual variations you will find between 1992 and 1993. If you have an item we missed, contact us so we can add it to the list!
EXTERIOR BODY
The Typhoon was built off of the GMC Jimmy 4×4 platform. Both year trucks have the same cladding, rims (center caps featured silver painted GMC letters), and one-piece grille design.
- 92s have door escutcheons around the handles (often known as “door thingies”), factory unpainted black plastic
- 93s feature NO escutcheons
- 92s Typhoons have silver-colored decals
- 93s Typhoons have gold-colored decals
- 92s have two tone grille – gray headlight buckets & center with matching body color surround
- 93s have a full monotone 1 color grille that matches body color
- 92s have a “square” style roof rack (if equipped)*
- 93s have a “rounded” style roof rack (if equipped)*
- Note: The roof rack was an option for both 92 and 93. Not all trucks received racks.
- 92s tailgate handle latches are thinner*
- 93s tailgate handle latches are thicker*
- * The font on the tailgate handle latch differ between 92/93
- 92s EARLY production trucks will have black GMC letters. This was later changed back to red somewhere before midway into production.
- Recent info and documentation was found that PAS used Black GMC letters to distinguish the trucks from the standard GM line (since it was PAS who did final assembly the trucks). GM did not agree to this and forced PAS to go back to the standard red lettering.
- 93s ALL production trucks came with red GMC letters
INTERIOR
The Typhoons shared the interior items such as dashboard, gauge cluster, center console, and steering wheel. Most of the differences came with the seats, leather trim and accessories:
- 92s have NO overhead console
- 93s have an overhead console with lights and various storage compartments
- Radio: While this isnt a defined difference in production years, it should be noted that the radio was an option and came with either cassette or cd player.
Door Panels:
- 92s leather door card inserts have a pleated/bunched up look
- 93s leather door card inserts have a smoothed look with single horizontal seam (same concept is carried into the side panels in the rear seating area)
Seats:
- 92s front/rear seats have leather fronts with light gray cloth sides and backs. The Typhoon logo is embroidered into the front seat headrests in silver.
- 92s have manual lumbar control via hand pump bulbs.
- 93s have full leather front/rear seats which are also found in the GMC Jimmy SLT platform. Often referred to as “fat man seats” due to the comfort level versus the 92 seats.
- 93s have electronic lumbar controls via switch on the front seats
Cargo Net:
- The 92 cargo net mounts directly onto the tailgate.
- The 93 cargo net mounts onto the body in the tailgate opening
ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN / MISC
The Typhoon utilized the same turbocharged 4.3L V6 and 700R4 transmission found in the GMC Syclone. All GMC Typhoons were produced with the “Syclone” upper intake, however a popular modification over the years has been to modify the intake with the Typhoon logo to look factory. No Typhoons were produced with a Typhoon logoed upper intake.
- 92s have a metal loop transmission dipstick
- 93s have a locking plastic tab transmission dipstick
- Note: There are 2 separate GM part numbers for 92 and 93 dipstick tubes
- 92s - Some trucks have the metal intercooler cover, while others do not (cosmetic metal piece that sits atop the intercooler reservoir)
- 93s - All have an intercooler cover (cosmetic metal piece that sits atop the intercooler reservoir)
- Rear drum backing plates differ between 92 and 93
- Wiring harness differs between 92 and 93
- The exhaust hangers differ between 92 and 93
So there you have it! The most comprehensive list of the major differences between the 1992 and 1993 GMC Typhoon. The most notable differences come from within the interior and exterior color variances. Hopefully this list will help assist in better distinguishing a Typhoon’s production year based on some key features.
Will this list decide which one is better? That is ultimately your choice to determine which year your loyalty lies. Will the battle ever end and a year finally be declared a winner? We certainly think not and the clash of 92 versus 93 will rage on until the end of time between owners and enthusiasts.
