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Walk
on to any Chevrolet and Pontiac/GMC dealer and you'll see not one, but two different
minivans to choose from. In addition to the Venture, Chevy offers the Astro; in
addition to the Montana, Pontiac/GMC dealers also sell the GMC Safari. What
is this, while most manufacturers don't have any minivans in their lineup? Well,
just as no family's needs are exact duplicates of another, so are those vehicles
different from each other. While the Astro/Safari duo is more rugged, with excellent
towing and hauling capabilities, the conservatively styled Chevy Venture and more
adventurous Pontiac Montana minivans are much more what we expect minivans to
be: car-like, nimble and comfortable. Raw
power takes a back seat to flexibility here: infinitely configurable seating arrangements,
a choice of wheelbases and available all-wheel drive make it easy for the Venture/Montana
minivans to be outfitted for your specific needs. In long-wheelbase form, the
third-row seat even folds flush with the floor-no need to pull out a heavy bench
seat to maximize cargo capacity.
The only available engine is a 185-hp
V-6 that moves the Venture/Montana vans reasonably well, but nonetheless reminds
you why you don't see many bedazzled minivans pacing Indy. More important, we
speculate, to minivan buyers are standard side air bags and options like ultrasonic
parking assistance, a DVD entertainment system and a fully independent rear suspension
package that delivers truly magic-carpet ride quality.
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