Chevrolet Uplander Review
The
Chevrolet Uplander is hands-down the best minivan GM has ever offered. With its counterparts from
Buick,
Pontiac and
Saturn, the Chevy Uplander puts GM on much better footing in one of the auto industry's most competitive segments.
Uplander comfortably seats seven, with a choice of individual captain's chairs or a two-place bench seat in the second row. And it takes care of its passengers in a well-designed, nicely finished interior. The base LS model offers a high level of standard equipment, including a subscription to GM's OnStar tele-aid service. Uplander also offers the unique PhatNoize removable hard drive, which allows its onboard entertainment system to play or display everything from MP3 music files to family photos to video games to the latest movie releases.
For 2006, Chevy will address one of this minivan's most glaring shortcomings as it introduces a new 3.9-liter V6. This optional engine is the world's first cam-in-block V6 with variable valve timing, and delivers 22 percent more horsepower (240) than the Uplander's standard 3.5-liter V6. That quickly, the Uplander will change from one of the least powerful minivans on the market into one of the most powerful. The 2006 Uplander also offers the availability of side-impact airbags for second-row passengers for the first time.