The Chevy Astro CS is a utility vehicle dressed up to serve as a passenger van. Still, it's a look that works. Although the blunt front and even flatter rear put this rig in the boxy category, add the slab sides and you have, outwardly, a traditional rear-wheel drive van.Chevy added some fancy touches up front, such as chrome inserts and moldings on the vinyl front bumper and running lights embedded in the plastic air dam just beneath the bumper. Above, we found an undistinguished plastic grille with the Chevy bow-tie logo sitting prominently in the middle, flanked by single two-way headlights and wraparound amber cornering lights. Not unpleasant, but not striking either. More bothersome were a few minor imbalances. On one side, the hood drifted a half-inch or so beneath the fender line. Also, an irregular gap between hood and grille enabled us to reach in and yank the grille a good half-inch. If our test vehicle was typical of the entire model run, we'd place the Astro's fit and workmanship in the average category. Much more impressive was the Teal Blue Metallic paint job, which was blemish-free. A wide side protective molding with chrome insert, slightly flared wheel wells and a two-color identification piece dressed up the sides of our Astro CS. We were also impressed with the expansive side glass and comparatively high (about 18 inches) road clearance, as well as with the oversized side mirrors that folded back upon impact. On the negative end, the vertical door-handle recesses were easy catchalls for dirt and road debris. Out back, our Astro CS looked even more like a work van because it didn't have one of those nifty hydraulic liftgates or contoured bumpers found on most minivans. The traditional double doors swung out and away from the van's sides, making loading in a narrow driveway unwieldy. Also, the center pillars of the rear doors couldn't offer the unbroken visibility of a liftgate. You can change all of that by getting optional Dutch doors-rear half-doors below a one-piece lift-glass, which includes a rear wiper/washer. On the plus side, a broad rear bumper protrusion-vinyl-covered and complemented by a vinyl protective molding - just above both doors - provided a handy step or initial loading point. The square taillight assemblies were large and well placed.
As we stepped into the Astro CS, we noted the benefits of its traditional van design. Entry was easy, thanks to very large door openings. We were high off the road, gazing through the expansive side glass and windshield. All around visibility, with the exception of side- and rear-door pillar points, was more panoramic than some of the lower-slung minivans on the market. The Astro's eight-passenger seating arrangement also got high marks for appearance, comfort and support. The front buckets reclined and adjusted easily, and there was ample legroom, as well as comfortable headrests. Being a base Astro van model, the CS didn't feature a console between the front seats. Rather, two feet of open space enabled the front-seat passenger to easily step to the middle or rear bench seats. We also liked that the Astro CS featured plenty of headroom, a good four inches for average-sized adult passengers. The rear benches were removable-though this action required a lot of elbow grease and had fold-down seatbacks for increased cargo capacity. Near-perfect positioning of instrumentation and controls made it clear that Chevy has been working on this traditional van platform. Instruments were easy to see through the trim but solid steering wheel. The stereo and air-conditioning controls were high on the dash above the transmission cover, within easy reach of the driver. Atop the transmission cover were two deep cupholders for driver and front-seat passenger convenience. |
