Chevrolet Uplander Cargo Van Truck Review
Truck Reviewer
The Chevrolet Uplander cargo van was born from multiple attempts to create a cooler version of the minivan. When minivans were first introduced they became the statement of motherhood, soccer practice, swimming lessons, karate class, and of course those on the run fast food dinners. Those who wanted the convenience of a minivan without the traditional look of one had little to no choice. The development of the Chevrolet Uplander cargo van became that vehicle after numerous attempts.
Eventually, the Chevrolet Uplander cargo van was replaced with the Traverse. The struggle to develop a vehicle that met all of the requirements while maintaining a cool look for a reasonable consumer price tag turned out to be too much for the design team. While it had its place in the line from 2005 until 2008, the termination of the effort proved to be in Chevy’s best interest.
All wheel drive was an option on the Chevrolet Uplander cargo van. The standard vehicle came with front wheel drive. The 3.5 liter V6 engine produced 200 horsepower and a four speed automatic transmission. During the 2006 model year a few changes were made to allow the customer more choice. A Short wheel base version was added to the family as was a 3.9 liter V6 that produced 240 horsepower. The all wheel drive option was taken off the menu for the 2007 model year. That same year the 2.5 liter V6 was also removed from the options.
With seating for seven people and a 50/50 split rear seat that could be folded down the Chevrolet Uplander cargo van was able to reasonably cart around more than just the bare necessities. It also offered more convenience in many ways than the average family vehicle. While the rear DVD system was becoming quite popular on family vehicles, the Uplander had already moved onto the digital storage for media. Music and movies could be stored on a hard system rather than individually. This made travel with the kids a much easier prospect as there was no need to go shuffling through discs to find the requested disc.
The Chevrolet Uplander cargo van was equipped with 17 inch alloy wheels, power sliding doors for easy access, rear parking assist features, dual zone climate control, power driver seat, heated front seats, satellite radio, and leather seating. One of the more ground breaking and innovative ideas was using an overhead multi media console. This allowed control of the various media to rest in the hands of passengers with simple out of the way controls.
The safety features of the Chevrolet Uplander cargo van were reasonable but paled in comparison to many of the other minivans and SUVs on the road at the time. Antilock brakes were on every Uplander. The shorter wheelbase model had to wait until 2008 before it was included in the stability control feature. Side impact airbags for the front passengers were only standard on the LT. Side impact airbags for the second row of seating were optional. There was not an option to provide any type of side airbag protection for the third row of seats.
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