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The GM
200 Series Minivan was introduced in 1990
The basic design was used in the
production of tree models:
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Lumina APV
- Chevrolet |
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Trans Sport (USA)
- Pontiac |
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Silhouette -
Oldsmobile |
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Trans Sport (Europe)
- Pontiac |
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The bodywork from was made from a
fiberglass-similar plastic-material
caled SMC (Sheet Molded Compound)
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Pontiac Trans Sport |
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Manufacturer: |
General Motors |
| Production: |
1990–1998 |
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Class: |
Minivan |
| Body style: |
3-door van |
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Platform: |
FF
U-body |
Similar:
.
. |
Chrysler Voyager
Honda Odyssey
Toyota Previa |
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.......... |
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First Generation |
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Production: |
1990–1996 |
Engine:
.
. |
3.1 L 3.1 V6
3.8 L 3800 V6
3.4 L LA1 3400
V6 |
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Wheelbase: |
109.8 in (2789 mm) |
Length:
. |
194.5 in (1990–1993)
192.2 in (1994–1996) |
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Width: |
74.6 in (1895 mm) |
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Height: |
65.7 in (1669 mm) |
Curb weight:
. |
3,600–3,900 lb
(1,630–1,770 kg) |
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..... |
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Second Generation |
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Production: |
1997–1998 |
Engine:.
.
. |
3.4 L LA1 3400 V6
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Wheelbase: |
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Length:
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Width: |
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Height: |
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Curb weight:
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 Background
The Trans Sport and its sibling models were produced by General
Motors to compete with the Dodge Caravan and
Plymouth Voyager.
Because the larger Chevrolet Astro and the
GMC
Safari "midi"-vans were based on a body-on-frame,
rear wheel drive truck
platform, they appealed to a different segment of the market and did not put a
significant dent in Chrysler's almost
complete dominance of the minivan market in the late eighties. The GM minivans,
while more successful than the Astro/Safari duo in terms of market share,
nevertheless were not able to capture a large chuck of the market away from the
Chrysler models. In 2001, readers of Car & Driver Magazine voted the
Trans Sport as the "ugliest vehicle ever produced".
Original concept
First shown to the public in 1986, the Pontiac Trans Sport
concept
car was extremely well received. It featured futuristic styling,
individually removable bucket seats with built-in stereo speakers, a
gull-wing rear passenger
door and extensive use of glass including a glass-paneled roof as well as many
other "dream car" features.
Based on the warm reception the concept vehicle received, the Pontiac Trans
Sport was approved for production, but as is often the case, the styling and
features showcased on the concept did not make the translation to the
mass-produced edition. The gullwing door was deemed too expensive to produce and
would probably have impacted overhead garage doors in suburban garages. The
glass roof was too heavy and too expensive, so the resultant production vehicle
made-do with high-gloss black painted panels for the roof to suggest the glass
canopy the concept sported.
Chevrolet and Oldsmobile
were also given production vehicles based on the Trans Sport in order to cover
the widest possible range of potential customers. It was intended that the
Lumina APV would be the value-priced version, The Trans Sport would net the more
sport- and style-oriented buyers, and the Oldsmobile Silhouette would be the
minivan for the premium market.
 |
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 |
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1986 Pontiac Trans Sport Concept Car |
Technology and Innovative
Features
Assembled in the now-defunct General Motors Tarrytown, New York
assembly facility, these U platform
vans consisted of a galvanized steel
space
frame wrapped in composite plastic body panels that were impervious to rust
and minor dents and dings, a manufacturing technique developed on the
Pontiac
Fiero and used extensively on General Motors' Saturn line of
vehicles.
The Trans Sport was available with seating for seven, with the five
light-weight (34 lb or 15 kg) rear seats being individually reconfigurable
and removable. In 1994 built-in child seats were added to the option list, which
provided the ability to switch two of the rear seats between adult and child
seating with the pull of a seat-mounted tab.
Included with the level ride package, which utilized a compressor and
air-pressurized rear shock absorbers to maintain vehicle height regardless of
load, was a control panel and air hose kit that allowed the vehicle to be used
to inflate tires, air mattresses, sporting equipment and the like.
In 1994, a remote-controlled power sliding door feature was added, a General
Motors innovation, which is now found in almost every other minivan
available.
For the 1994 and 1995 model years traction control was available with the
3800 engine option.
Modest
Sales Success
The design of these minivans was controversial. At the time that the Pontiac
Trans Sport and its siblings were conceived, no one had tried to market a
stylish or sporty minivan, and GM felt that this represented a potentially large
market segment that the class-leading Chrysler minivans
failed to address. They styled these minivans to be lower and sleeker than any
of the competing brands on the market. The extremely large, long and sloped
windshield and the resultant long distance to the base of the windshield when
sitting in the drivers seat made for a disconcerting driving experience until a
person could adjust to the "different" proportions. Automotive magazines
christened the new minivans "dustbusters"
after a certain household appliance that shared a similar side profile.
The first engine in these vans was a meager 3.1 L V6, that produced only
120 hp (90 kW), which was not up to the task of hauling these fairly
heavy vehicles around with any authority. In 1992, the Trans Sport and its
siblings received the 170 hp (127 kW) 3.8 L 3800 V6 as an option,
which provided much better torque and acceleration for the vans, making them the
most powerful as well as best handling minivans in production at the time.
In response to criticism (and relatively modest sales) attributable to the
vehicles' avant-garde styling, feedback from potential customers, automotive
publications, and even chiding in Chrysler Corporation's advertising, in 1994,
the Trans Sport and Lumina APV received a facelift, shortening the nose by 3
inches and toning-down of the cladding to effect a more conventional look.
Additionally a ridge was added to the interior dashboard to lessen the perceived
distance to the base of the windshield.
Europe, which had grown accustomed to sleek minivans thanks to the
Renault Espace, did not
object to the futuristic styling, and sales were respectable, so the decision
was made to retain the original shape on the European version which, from
the 1994 model year onwards, was an
Oldsmobile Silhouette, transformed into a Pontiac Trans Sport by the addition of
Pontiac badging and wheels.
Production of this generation of U Platform
minivans ceased in 1996, at which time the Tarrytown plant which produced them
and had been in operation since 1900 was shuttered and scheduled for demolition.
First Generation
1990
- All new model-
- Available as Trans Sport (with silver cladding) and Trans Sport SE (monochromatic)
- Launched in Europe with minor differences in exterior trim required for
regulatory concerns as well as engine and transmissions appropriate for
Europe's differing fuel cost and vehicle taxation structure.
1991
- Customer complaints regarding glare reflected on the interior of the
windshield from the massive expanse of the dashboard led to the addition of
black carpeting in lieu of the more reflective plastic used in the previous
year.
- Power windows and door locks made standard on American models.
1992
- Newly available for 1992 was GM's 3800 V6 engine coupled
with a Hydra-Matic4T60
4-speed electronically controlled transmission.
- A new Trans Sport GT model debuted, equipped with the
3800 V6 engine
standard.
- Base model dropped, leaving Trans Sport "SE" and the aforementioned "GT"
as the two trim levels offered.
- With the departure of the base model, silver cladding was no longer
available.
- Leather seating became available as an option on the GT model. Previously,
leather seating was an Oldsmobile
Silhouette exclusive within the U-body minivans.
- The cowl-mounted fixed radio antenna mast was eliminated, and an
integrated roof antenna was installed, sandwiched between the roof and the
headliner.
- Side view mirrors were changed to the folding type and were enlarged to
provide better rear-ward visibility.
- Brakes were enlarged and anti-lock
brakes (ABS) was added as standard equipment.
- A pop-up sunroof was added to the options list.
- Steering wheel-mounted controls for the stereo system were added as an
option.
1993
- GT model dropped, while GT features remained available as options. All
Trans Sports would be called "Trans Sport SE" from 1993 to 1996.
- A remote controlled power sliding side door was announced for 1993, but
failed to actually make it into production that year.
- A new color scheme with gold cladding, gold wheels and a body-colored roof
behind the C-pillar was available as an extra-cost option with certain
exterior colors.
- A redesigned center console was added this year with revamped, larger
climate controls, a large storage cubby and a large storage bin at its base.
1994
- The exterior styling was revamped, three inches were trimmed off the nose,
headlights lifted from the Pontiac Bonneville
were installed, Bumper-mounted fog
lamps were added as standard equipment, cladding was made less flamboyant
and stylized.
- In an effort to lessen the perceived distance to the base of the
windshield, a ridge was added to the interior dash finishing panel.
- A remote-controlled power sliding door became available as an option.
- Built-in child seats for the second row became available as an option.
- A traction control system became available as an option.
- Rear deep-tinted windows now featured a darker tint than previously used.
- A driver's side airbag became standard
equipment.
1995
- Automatic power door locks that engaged/disengaged with the transmission
shifting into or out of "park" added as a standard feature of the power door
lock option package.
- Rear portion of the roof, behind the C-pillar
previously painted black as standard with body color as a no-cost option,
would be only available painted body color as a further effort to "normalize"
the vehicles' looks as compared to competitors.
1996
- Both 3.1 and 3.8 L V6 engines dropped, a 3.4 L V6
3400 engine
became the only power plant available.
- Traction control dropped as an option.
2nd Generation
1997-1998
In the 1997 model year, the Trans Sport and its siblings got their first
major redesign, ditching the one-of-a-kind construction and look to create a
more conservative, conventional minivan. Gone were spaceframes, plastic body
panels, and sleek styling. The new minivans were of unibody steel construction and
the styling was intentionally conventional to such an extent that contemporary
reviewers remarked that without looking closely at the badging and grille
treatments, these minivans could be mistaken for their primary competitors, the
Dodge
Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, which
at the time commanded a 50% share of the minivan market. Along with the roll out
of this new generation of minivans, Pontiac debuted a "Montana" option package
for the Trans Sport with special cladding and wheels intended to give it a more
rugged SUV-like appearance.
Production of this generation was performed at GM's Doraville,
Georgia facility.
European Market
This version of the Trans Sport was also sold in Europe as a
Chevrolet,
alongside the Opel/Vauxhall Sintra;
however, unlike the Sintra, which was based on Chevrolet's own
Venture but wore the
European Opel or British Vauxhall badges and trim, the Chevrolet Trans Sport (as
it was known) was trimmed and badged exactly like the Pontiac Trans Sport, the
only differences being where Chevrolet badges were used in place of the Pontiac
badges. In all cases, the European-market vans used different front, side and
rear lighting equipment,
different seatbelts and sundry other safety items, to comply with
ECE
regulations which differ from US safety standards. These models were
discontinued around 2003-2005, to make way for Chevrolet's
new lineup of rebadged Daewoos, including the
Chevrolet
Tacuma.
1999-2005
In the 1999 model year, the name Trans Sport was discontinued in favor of the
name Pontiac Montana due to the popularity of the
"Montana" appearance package, which by the time the "Trans Sport" moniker was
dropped. The "Montana" package accounted for over 80% of total Trans Sport
sales.
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GM 200 Series
Van