One of the hallmarks of an overall good design is longevity. If that alone were the yardstick by which we measure the value and appeal of Chevrolet's long-lived Astro van, then the decision-making process for minivan buyers would be a heck of a lot easier.
But much has come down the road since Astro's 1985 debut. Today's minivans boast a multitude of features—like sliding doors on both sides and fold-away third-row seating, just to name two—which make our purchase choices much more complex. So how is it that the boxy, 15-year-old truck-based Astro is still sold alongside sleek, modern car-based minis?
Simple: Astro continues to offer something that the others don't. Namely, its truckish roots make it an extra-sturdy workhorse that can carry up to eight people and tow as much as three tons. With that kind of practicality, Astro is not only well-suited for the oft-vacationing family that hauls along lots of gear, but it can easily handle the rigors of heavyweight commercial duty as well.
Drivers reared on three-quarter-ton passenger vans during the heyday of vanning in the '70s will tell you that despite its overall size, Astro doesn't feel like a minivan at all. Certainly its box-shaped body riding on a full-frame with rear-wheel-drive motivation makes it similar in layout. But it doesn't end there. Driving an Astro is like stepping back into time, before Chrysler even came up with the idea of a minivan with a transversely mounted engine using front-wheel drive.
You notice it the moment you climb aboard. There's the high step up into the driver's perch, the tiny footwells necessitated by the powertrain's intrusion into the cabin, the large engine cover that serves as a center stack between the front seats, and the taller ride from a short seat that make you feel as if you are sitting directly over the front wheels—all traits of yesteryear's full-size vans.
And that's not all a bad thing. Our recent test drive of a 2000 Astro LT served as a refresher on this van's selling points, as well as on just how far minivan technology has progressed over the last 15 years. Besides the immediate mental comparisons to full-size vans, the other big thing you'll notice about driving an Astro high in the saddle is that its squared-off corners and leading edges are all within your sight lines, so there's no guesswork during close-quarters parking maneuvers.
The Astro we sampled was a high-end model dressed in LT trim and featuring all-wheel drive. While under way, the van felt decidedly more truckish than its front-drive competitors—but its ride was not unpleasant. Astro's torsion-bar front suspension includes a stabilizer bar for improved cornering, and even bounding over Detroit's pothole-strewn roads didn't upset its composure.
Power is supplied by GM's Vortec 4300 V6, which offers stout pulling ability with 190 horsepower underfoot. The 4.3-liter is hooked to an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission that shifts with the best of them. (The tranny now features a tow/haul mode to hold revs longer when the Astro is fully loaded or pulling a trailer.) Equipped with a 3.42:1 rear axle ratio and rolling on some optional ($88) P215/75R 15-inch all-season rubber, our test vehicle's GVW's rating was an amazing 6100 pounds—well beyond the ability of the typical front-drive minivan.
With nary a single drop of rain while this Astro was in our care, we didn't get the chance to put GM's ATC all-wheel-drive system to the test. But we can tell you that on dry pavement it performed almost seamlessly, save for a slight increase in fuel consumption over similarly equipped rear-drive versions. The EPA rates the AWD Astro at only 15 mpg city and 19 highway, which is generally less than most front-drivers. To compensate a little in the range department, Astro is fitted with a whopping 27-gallon fuel tank.
Inside, passenger room is excellent and comfort is commendable. The squared roofline means plenty of head- and shoulder room even when moving from row to row. Our model was fitted with Astro's unique rear "Dutch Doors"—with a swing-up glass liftgate on top and split lower swing-out doors on the bottom to make loading even extra-bulky items a breeze. (This will be the last year for Astro's Dutch Doors, as they will be discontinued for 2001 to reduce complexity.)
Our tester was loaded with nearly every available option—including a leather-trimmed interior ($950 extra), rear air conditioning and audio controls, and an AM/FM stereo cassette with CD player. While the Preferred Equipment Group added all the LT decor items (such as remote keyless entry, six-way power driver seat, front-seat passenger storage compartment, luggage carrier and the like), it also pushed our sticker price to well beyond $31K—a good chunk of change in anybody's book.
Safety equipment includes driver and front-passenger depowered airbags, steel side-door beams, four-wheel antilock brakes, GM's Passlock theft-deterrent system and daytime running lights. Available only as an extended-length model, the Chevy Astro looks and feels substantial, albeit with curb appeal similar to that of a refrigerator box. And despite being old-tech, enough updating has been done on Astro over the years to keep its content current—though at a price.
Chevy marketing types tell us that Astro buyers are somewhat older than typical minivan customers. We think that's likely because the Astro is based on an old, familiar design geared toward more traditional van duties. GM folks will also admit that the Astro's days are numbered. That's no surprise either, given the fact that its biggest direct competitor—the Ford Aerostar —has been out of production for some time now, essentially replaced by the front-drive Windstar. (The way Ford sees it, if you need more hauling and towing ability than the front-drive, car-based Windstar can deliver, then just move to an SUV or full-size van or pickup.)
For the moment, GM seems to enjoy being the only player in the heavy-hauling rear-drive minivan segment—as small as that niche may be. But you can bet that if engineers are able to wring out more towing capacity from GM's just-revamped front-drive minivan trio (Chevy Venture, Olds Silhouette, Pontiac Montana), it would finally render the venerable Astro—and its GMC sister, the Safari—obsolete. Until then, it remains the Dick Clark of minivan designs.
But much has come down the road since Astro's 1985 debut. Today's minivans boast a multitude of features—like sliding doors on both sides and fold-away third-row seating, just to name two—which make our purchase choices much more complex. So how is it that the boxy, 15-year-old truck-based Astro is still sold alongside sleek, modern car-based minis?
Simple: Astro continues to offer something that the others don't. Namely, its truckish roots make it an extra-sturdy workhorse that can carry up to eight people and tow as much as three tons. With that kind of practicality, Astro is not only well-suited for the oft-vacationing family that hauls along lots of gear, but it can easily handle the rigors of heavyweight commercial duty as well.
Drivers reared on three-quarter-ton passenger vans during the heyday of vanning in the '70s will tell you that despite its overall size, Astro doesn't feel like a minivan at all. Certainly its box-shaped body riding on a full-frame with rear-wheel-drive motivation makes it similar in layout. But it doesn't end there. Driving an Astro is like stepping back into time, before Chrysler even came up with the idea of a minivan with a transversely mounted engine using front-wheel drive.
You notice it the moment you climb aboard. There's the high step up into the driver's perch, the tiny footwells necessitated by the powertrain's intrusion into the cabin, the large engine cover that serves as a center stack between the front seats, and the taller ride from a short seat that make you feel as if you are sitting directly over the front wheels—all traits of yesteryear's full-size vans.
And that's not all a bad thing. Our recent test drive of a 2000 Astro LT served as a refresher on this van's selling points, as well as on just how far minivan technology has progressed over the last 15 years. Besides the immediate mental comparisons to full-size vans, the other big thing you'll notice about driving an Astro high in the saddle is that its squared-off corners and leading edges are all within your sight lines, so there's no guesswork during close-quarters parking maneuvers.
The Astro we sampled was a high-end model dressed in LT trim and featuring all-wheel drive. While under way, the van felt decidedly more truckish than its front-drive competitors—but its ride was not unpleasant. Astro's torsion-bar front suspension includes a stabilizer bar for improved cornering, and even bounding over Detroit's pothole-strewn roads didn't upset its composure.
Power is supplied by GM's Vortec 4300 V6, which offers stout pulling ability with 190 horsepower underfoot. The 4.3-liter is hooked to an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission that shifts with the best of them. (The tranny now features a tow/haul mode to hold revs longer when the Astro is fully loaded or pulling a trailer.) Equipped with a 3.42:1 rear axle ratio and rolling on some optional ($88) P215/75R 15-inch all-season rubber, our test vehicle's GVW's rating was an amazing 6100 pounds—well beyond the ability of the typical front-drive minivan.
With nary a single drop of rain while this Astro was in our care, we didn't get the chance to put GM's ATC all-wheel-drive system to the test. But we can tell you that on dry pavement it performed almost seamlessly, save for a slight increase in fuel consumption over similarly equipped rear-drive versions. The EPA rates the AWD Astro at only 15 mpg city and 19 highway, which is generally less than most front-drivers. To compensate a little in the range department, Astro is fitted with a whopping 27-gallon fuel tank.
Inside, passenger room is excellent and comfort is commendable. The squared roofline means plenty of head- and shoulder room even when moving from row to row. Our model was fitted with Astro's unique rear "Dutch Doors"—with a swing-up glass liftgate on top and split lower swing-out doors on the bottom to make loading even extra-bulky items a breeze. (This will be the last year for Astro's Dutch Doors, as they will be discontinued for 2001 to reduce complexity.)
Our tester was loaded with nearly every available option—including a leather-trimmed interior ($950 extra), rear air conditioning and audio controls, and an AM/FM stereo cassette with CD player. While the Preferred Equipment Group added all the LT decor items (such as remote keyless entry, six-way power driver seat, front-seat passenger storage compartment, luggage carrier and the like), it also pushed our sticker price to well beyond $31K—a good chunk of change in anybody's book.
Safety equipment includes driver and front-passenger depowered airbags, steel side-door beams, four-wheel antilock brakes, GM's Passlock theft-deterrent system and daytime running lights. Available only as an extended-length model, the Chevy Astro looks and feels substantial, albeit with curb appeal similar to that of a refrigerator box. And despite being old-tech, enough updating has been done on Astro over the years to keep its content current—though at a price.
Chevy marketing types tell us that Astro buyers are somewhat older than typical minivan customers. We think that's likely because the Astro is based on an old, familiar design geared toward more traditional van duties. GM folks will also admit that the Astro's days are numbered. That's no surprise either, given the fact that its biggest direct competitor—the Ford Aerostar —has been out of production for some time now, essentially replaced by the front-drive Windstar. (The way Ford sees it, if you need more hauling and towing ability than the front-drive, car-based Windstar can deliver, then just move to an SUV or full-size van or pickup.)
For the moment, GM seems to enjoy being the only player in the heavy-hauling rear-drive minivan segment—as small as that niche may be. But you can bet that if engineers are able to wring out more towing capacity from GM's just-revamped front-drive minivan trio (Chevy Venture, Olds Silhouette, Pontiac Montana), it would finally render the venerable Astro—and its GMC sister, the Safari—obsolete. Until then, it remains the Dick Clark of minivan designs.
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