From the front, however, it features an entirely new look. The hood is long, somewhat like the old Lumina APV in spirit yet
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| From the front, the Uplander features an entirely new look. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
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. It's a unique styling detail. From side view the long nose gives the Uplander a distinctive profile, unless you're comparing it with its Buick, Pontiac and Saturn siblings. It's really kind of odd looking, only because I'm 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 I'll get used to it. It looks more correct in extended wheelbase form, which adds a body-color C-pillar between each sliding door and rear window.
Actually, offering two separate wheelbase lengths is somewhat unorthodox in the mid-van segment as it is. While most competitors
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| The long nose gives the Uplander a distinctive profile, unless you're comparing it with its Buick, Pontiac and Saturn siblings. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
only feature long wheelbase vans GM gives the option of a regular wheelbase too, but only in Canada. U.S. buyers don't 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. Being that minivans are considered core products here, making over 25 percent of new vehicle sales and that in previous years regular wheelbase vans account for approximately 50 percent of GM minivan business (in 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. The others should take note, as GM and Chrysler Group control more than 66 percent of Canada's mid-van segment.
