2005 Chevrolet Uplander Review

Specifications

Max Value Uplander to Shake Up Minivan Segment

Ive previously admitted to my adoration for minivans, at least from a pragmatic standpoint. I love what they can do, they way they balance truck-like functionality with car-like road manners, how every time I get my hands on one I schedule my week full of hauling activities I normally cant get done with a regular car or sport utility.

I used to own a 1996 Dodge Caravan, bought brand new with dual sliding doors and removable seats. Now sliders on each side are standard equipment on most competitive models, and rear seats arent only removable but tumble down to make for a flat loading floor.

Chevrolet offered two minivans when I chose my Caravan, a rear-drive workhorse that started life in 1985 as the Astro and was only just decommissioned, and a revamped version of the ultra-odd Lumina APV in its last year of production. The Lumina APV never sold well, but the Venture that replaced it has done brisk sales since its 1997 introduction along with its Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana siblings.

While GM will be losing the Silhouette as the Oldsmobile brand gets phased out of production once all 2004 models are sold, the automaker is betting on new models from Buick and Saturn to join stablemates from Chevy and Pontiac to make an unprecedented offensive on the mid-van segment.

The Chevy version is dubbed Uplander, and like the Buick Terraza, Pontiac Montana SV6 and Saturn Relay that join GMs mid-van arsenal, is quite a step up from anything GM has ever offered minivan customers before. Whats so special about them? Unique crossover SUV-like front-end styling, upscale interior accommodations, decent power and nimble handling, flexible interior packaging, and tons of innovative features for starters.

GM dubs its new Uplander a “sport van”, a word derived by amalgamating the sport from sport utility with van from minivan. Chevy is targeting crossover-SUV buyers looking for something a little more SUV-like than a Venture, for instance, but still needing all the functionality a van offers. Whether it manages to pull in this trendy crowd or not, hardly matters considering the healthy market share Chevrolet already occupies in the mid-van segment. What matters more is keeping Venture owners loyal, who might otherwise move over to one of Chevys rival van-makers, such as Chrysler, Honda or Toyota. The Uplander should have no problem doing just that, as it delivers a great deal more than most van buyers expect.

With regards to styling, theres not much that separates it from the Venture when viewing the two side by side from behind. The rear liftgate is more or less identical, while the bumper fascia is now turned upwards at each corner to meet new taillight lenses.

From the front, however, it features an entirely new look. The hood is long, somewhat like the old Lumina APV in spirit yet more elegantly penned. Instead of low and droopy, it stands tall and rounded, almost truck-like in its proportions. A distinctive strikethrough spans the grille opening horizontally, a modern-day Chevrolet trademark, while the headlight clusters remind me of those on the Buick Rendezvous, being that they wrap around each corner to provide side marker visibility as well as over the top of the fenders. Its a unique styling detail.

From side view the long nose gives the Uplander a distinctive profile, unless youre comparing it with its Buick, Pontiac and Saturn siblings. Its really kind of odd looking, only because Im used to seeing its Venture predecessor just about everywhere, and being that its rear quarters look so similar its new front end looks out of place. I suppose Ill get used to it.

Chevy only offers an extended wheelbase length, which probably makes sence for the U.S. market. This is the same for most competitors other than Dodge, which only feature long wheelbase vans/ Interestingly enough, GM gives the option of a regular (short) wheelbase up in Canada, where the mid-van market is much larger per captita, comprising more than 25 percent of all new vehicle sales. U.S. buyers dont get the more agile shorter version, but GM Canada managed to convince Detroit that this configuration would be necessary in order for it to hold onto a strong second place in the category. Regular or short wheelbase vans account for approximately 50 percent of the GM Canada minivan business (in French-speaking Quebec this figure reaches 65 to 70 percent of sales), Chevrolet offers a key benefit that only its number one minivan rival Dodge makes available. Whether GM will lose sales to Chrysler Group here in the U.S. due to this, would only be speculative to suggest.

While the regular wheelbase van might offer greater driving appeal, its difficult to argue against the added cargo room the extended Uplander offers. A rear cargo hold featuring two lidded bins sits level to the rear seatbacks when folded forward. The lids are carpeted, just like the backs of the seats, making for a soft, rattle free surface for stowing what-have-you. Those 50/50 divided seatbacks fold forward easily too, although I found it difficult to get both sides evenly flat without pulling one down from inside. Throwing some cargo on top solves this problem, of course, so its a moot point really. I also liked the fact that the third row headrests didnt have to be removed in order to stow the seats, reducing effort while eliminating what could otherwise be potentially dangerous projectiles in case of an accident.

I overheard some complaints that GMs third row seating system wasnt as slick as that on Chrysler Groups 2005 long wheelbase Caravan and Town & Country, nor those offered by the Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Mazda MPV, Nissan Quest or Toyota Sienna. These rivals feature deep wells behind their rear seats, which hold tremendous amounts of cargo when not filled with the folded rear seat. Lifting that cargo in and out can be challenging, however, a point GM staffers were quick to point out. Instead, the Uplander requires the operator to hoist cargo a half foot or so higher than the regular load floor, which should actually be about level to where most people carry heavy loads as it is. Therefore, it might be an ideal system as long as what youre trying to load isnt any taller than the abbreviated interior height. If all fails, the seats and cargo bins can be removed. The second row doesnt fold into the floor like Chryslers or forward like those in the Nissan Quest or Toyota Sienna, but rather the seatbacks flip-and-fold forward making a flat surface to load longer items on. While vertical space is limited, information GM gathered through focus groups led the automaker to believe that most users didnt need the flexibility of a tumble under second row. Only time and future sales numbers will tell if their focus groups were right.

Load carrying aside, the Uplander offers great interior comfort from all seating positions. I took the opportunity to sit in both second and third row seats and found them quite comfortable. Of course, theres less legroom in behind but not so little as to relegate them to child use only, unlike most SUV third rows. The middle seats are expansive, as is the norm in this class. Front seat room is also more than adequate, with plenty of space around the shoulder and hip areas.

But it wasnt the size of the vans that initially caught my attention when stepping inside, but the superb execution with regards to fit and finish, plus material quality. Not all surfaces are perfect mind you, and Ill get to the shortcuts GM chose to make in order to price the van as well as it does in a minute, but the dash, console and door plastics are some of the best in this class. The unique “protein vinyl” covering the tops of the door panels is especially good, more leather-like than the leather seating surfaces in a fully-optioned example I was testing. It is well padded, making it one of the nicest places to rest an arm in autodom. I am also impressed with the quality of switchgear, with dials for the air vents, audio controls, on the head unit and steering wheel when featured, as well as those used for adjusting the climate control system being way above average in tactile quality and more precise in movement than those on most rival vans. This is a monumental move upward for Chevrolet, or any of GMs van brands, something the automaker can confidently brag about.

And what about the shortcuts GM chose to make in order to price the van as well as it does? Really I have issue with only one blatant irritant, and to most it wont be a problem. Where most vans hide the rear sliding door mechanisms under the roof liner, the Uplander, and related GM vans, leave them exposed with only a cheap plastic shield overtop. Who will spend their time looking up to the ceiling perplexed about this issue? Not your kids if you make sure and opt for the DVD system, nor will they care anyway. No, it probably will only be a problem with anal-retentive auto journalists who take issue with such minor details as part of their job, so I wouldnt worry about it. After all, this is a Chevy minivan, not a Cadillac.

Speaking of the DVD system, which includes a rail-mounted 7-inch screen and head unit that works great by the way, the minivan-maker which was first to offer OEM in-car video via VHS is available with a truly unique twist on entertainment for 2005. A system dubbed PhatNoise can be added on, consisting of a wallet-size 40 gigabyte removable hard drive that can hold up to 10,000 songs, 40 movies or any combination of up to 100 hours of audio, video or what-have-you. Since its removable, the hard drive can be connected to a home computer or laptop to download files for playback. Its the first application of PhatNoise in a GM product, and one that is sure to revolutionize the industry. For additional peripherals the Uplander includes a 115-volt outlet in its rear center console.

Not quite as high-tech an issue, those familiar with GMs pushrod V6s wont be shocked to hear that a modern multivalve engine does not reside beneath the Uplanders elongated hood. Rather, the brand sticks with its tried and true 3.5-liter lump, new to GMs vans but merely a derivative of the previous Ventures 3.4-liter OHV, 12-valve V6. The 3.5 is up 15 horsepower in comparison to the 3.4, now at 200. Torque is up significantly too, with a maximum of 220 lb-ft to spare instead of the 2004 models 210. It wont run away from a 255 horsepower Odyssey, but it will beat it in fuel economy which GM feels is a more important issue to the average cash-strapped family.

The motor powers the front wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission, also nothing that will get the techies overly excited. Still, GMs 4-speed has been relatively trouble-free over its long tenure, and should therefore deliver similar performance in the Uplander.

While front-wheel drive is standard, GM is the only mid-van manufacturer to offer all-wheel drive as optional equipment other than Toyota. The Versatrak AWD system, known for its compact packaging, is made by Austrias Steyr-Daimler-Puch, a legendary four-wheel drive manufacturer.

All-wheel drive or not, the Uplander gets GMs optional Vehicle Stability Enhancement System (VSES) that improves handling, braking and acceleration by using a combination of safety systems including stability enhancement, antilock brakes, and traction control. All it takes is one quick trip over a winding, rain drenched or snow covered highway to realize how important this option is, at least in the Northern states. While I didnt have the opportunity to test it on snow, my guess is it could prove life saving. I did get to test it in a very wet Northwest day, and found it works very well. When an overzealous driver loses control, often accompanied by the vehicles rear end losing traction and sliding sideways, VSES literally pulls it back inline and therefore relaxes the willies that would have just taken over your stomach. While you might not drive your minivan to such extremes, it is entirely possible an unaware driver backing out of a driveway or speeding through a stop sign who may not have seen the Uplanders brilliant quad-beam headlamps could necessitate your swerving to avoid an accident. This is where VSES is critical. It allows you to keep control when other vans might slide straight into the offending vehicle or worse, roll over.

The roads I tested the new Uplander out on were varied, made up of relatively straight highway stretches as well as undulating curves that went on for miles and miles. How did it stack up? Well I mentioned how the VSES system kept the rear end in check, but even without it in base trim the van manages curves extremely well. So well, in fact, that I could hardly believe the rear suspension is pretty much carryover from the Venture. The front end structure is 60 percent new, however, which is no doubt the reason its steering is so much improved. The chassis architecture in back has been tweaked for 2005 as well, making the Uplander a joy to drive over pretty well any surface. The GM minivan is well up to the task of tackling twisty mountain roads and high-speed freeways, or for that matter negotiating heavy traffic.

Along with dynamic handling characteristics, standard ABS with dynamic rear proportioning, and a full load of available airbags, safety should be of minor concern. GM is targeting the highest NCAP scores for frontal, side and offset crash protection as well, so the new van should be up to standard for years to come.

Also practical in a less dramatic role is the new standard overhead storage rail system, ideal for clamping on any number of dealer-supplied peripherals to personalize your ride. What might you want to add? How about a DVD player and screen, a first aid kit or any number of 12-inch wide, 9-inch deep bins for stowing sunglasses, MP3 players, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or the like. I like the new flip and fold food trays for first and second row passenger too, a first class treatment that is bound to catch on with rival manufacturers. Its dozen cupholders also make for convenient drink storage.

The Uplander starts at $24,350 in base trim, which represents quite a stretch from the $21,505 base long-wheelbase Dodge Caravan Grand SE. Still, its equipped more like the Dodge Caravan Grand SE Plus, which starts at $24,500. The Grand SE Plus standard Stow n Go seating system might be seen as greater value to some minivan buyers however.

In base guise the new model includes particle filter equipped air conditioning, PASS-Key III theft-deterrent system, power windows, mirrors and locks, 16-inch wheels, power heated mirrors, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and the V6 engine standard. Whats more, dual-sliding doors, remote keyless entry, a CD/MP3 player, OnStar, and that innovative overhead rail system I mentioned previously are all standard.

Moving up to $26,995 LS adds cruise control, a roof rack, and 4-wheel ABS. A DVD entertainment system plus a 6-disc in-dash CD changer are also available in the LS trim level.

For $29,385 the LT is a luxurious conveyance, sporting additional features such as seat-mounted side-impact front airbags, rear heat and air conditioning controls, a 6-way power-adjustable driver seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, a power rear vent, and remote start. Additionally the LT gets 17-inch aluminum wheels for improved handling. Optional equipment includes heated, leather-appointed seating surfaces, a rear spoiler and full-function traction control. Additional options include sport packages and a towing package.

Is the Uplander the best new minivan on the market? I wouldnt go so far to make such a claim, but its now right up there with the best. It offers wonderful versatility, high levels of performance, a well crafted interior, and a unique styling statement in a segment of sameness. Considering GM now offers four variants of its mid-van, compared to only three last year, and that the new vans are so much better than the outgoing ones, it is entirely possible it will increase its market share beyond its current percentage, eroding Chrysler Groups lead. Will GM finally become the segment sales leader? Watch this website over the next year for breaking news, as it is now a distinct possibility.