The new models are immediately distinguished from their predecessorsby their conventional good looks. The Dustbuster nose that made parking difficult and created acres of dusty dashboard has been trimmed to manageable proportions. The plastic body has been converted to less-expensive steel. And fresh colors modernize the look. The Chevolet Venture (the minivan formerly known as Lumina) and its Oldsmobile and Pontiac siblings (still known by their former names) are quite similar in exterior appearance. The Venture sports a big chrome grille. The Trans Sport and Silhouette have more modest front ends, with twin dark grille openings flanking the appropriate badge. Buyers looking for something a little different should take a look at the Trans Sport Montana. Intended to attract folks who need a minivan but wish they could buy a sport-utility, the Montana has SUV styling cues such as two-tone paint with lower body cladding, foglights and brawny front bumpers. Its exclusive sport suspension, with stiffer springs and larger self-leveling air shocks improves handling, but the Montana lacks the four-wheel-drive and higher ground clearance of a real SUV. All the minivans come in short- and long-wheelbase versions. The overall lengths are similar to the comparable Chrysler minivans, but the GM models are almost five inches narrower, and are easier to enter or exit in a garage or tight parking space. Step-in height is comfortably low. The four-door long-wheelbase Venture LS we tested had a second sliding door behind the driver's door for convenient loading of goods or passengers. (Dual doors won't be available until later this year on short-wheelbase models.) An even greater convenience is a feature exclusive to GM so far: a power sliding door on the passenger side ($350) that kids love and we found quite handy. The door can be activated with the remote keyfob or buttons located above the driver's head or behind the front passenger seat. (The rear button locks out when the car is in gear.) The power door is supposed to stop and reverse directions if it bumps into an obstacle. When we stuck in an arm to test it, the door squeezed rather hard before reversing. It moves slowly, however, and chirps as it closes. The power door can be closed manually, but requires a heavy yank to get going. One more nice idea: a coating on the windshield keeps the interior cooler and functions as a radio antenna, cutting down on antenna-associated wind noise and car wash damage.
The Venture features a pleasant, open interior with simple, easy-to-reach controls. The list of standard features is commendable: air conditioning, power locks and mirrors, tilt wheel, and an overhead console. Storage is plentiful with a big glovebox and up to 26 compartments, according to Chevrolet. A cargo net stretches between the two front seats on the LS model to store purses, phones and other stray objects. Less clever are the hard-to-reach cupholders that fold down from the sides of the front seats. The modular seats make it easy to rearrange space in the rear. Seven-passenger seating is standard, and available in split or solid benches or bucket seats. Single or dual integrated child safety seats ($125-$250) are available. The second and third rows are raised slightly to give passengers a better view. The seat bottoms are relatively low, though, which will force some adults' knees uncomfortably high. Seatbacks on the bucket seats flip down to provide a flat surface, or the whole seat can be folded up to make space for a big box and at 38 pounds, the seats can be removed by one person. Those who want leather seats or dual captain's chairs for the second row will need to shop an Olds or Pontiac store. The wide pass-through makes transit between the front and the back easy, while numerous features make life in the back comfortable. High on any teenager's list would be the dual-jack rear audio controls that are optional on the Venture LS ($110). Back-seat passengers can listen to a tape or CD ($200) over headphones while front-seat passengers listen to the radio (or vice versa). Rear vents and climate controls will cut down on temperature complaints. Cargo space is plentiful; maximum capacity is only 13 cubic feet less than Chrysler minivans despite the Venture's narrower width. Behind the third row of seats, the Venture has more space than the Chrysler. The LS has a net across the rear opening and two netted compartments at the sides of the rear cargo area to keep gallons of milk and tool kits from skidding. The one annoyance is a ridge across the floor at the rear that forces you to lift heavy objects out rather than slide them. Some buyers may have questions after viewing the last-place showing of the Pontiac Trans Sport in an insurance-industry-sponsored 40-mph frontal offset crash test. Federal standards--which all U.S. vehicles meet--regulate performance only in head-on and side impacts. Buyers should note that of the nine vans tested, only the Ford Windstar received a Good rating, so the issue involves more than just the GM minivans. Carmakers point out that there are no Federal standards for offset collisions, that the test was conducted at a much greater speed than any Federal test, that offset crashes constitute only a small proportion of all accidents, and that minivans in general have an excellent real-world safety record. |
