Chevrolet Uplander

The Chevrolet Uplander is a minivan introduced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors, replacing the Venture and Astro. Although introduced for the 2005 model year, it overlapped with the final model years of the Venture (on which the Uplander is heavily based) and Astro. It is built on the same platform as the Saturn Relay, Buick Terraza, and Pontiac Montana SV6. The van is built near Atlanta, Georgia. On November 21, 2005, GM announced that it would close the Doraville, Georgia assembly plant, which produces the Uplander, in late 2007.

Of the four vehicles sharing this platform, there are few differences. The most significant of these is the offering of an integrated child seat in the Uplander LS model and that, in the U.S market, the Uplander is offered in two wheelbases and a cargo version. Suggested retail price for the Uplander ranges from US$21,250–33,795, depending on options. The Uplander is exported to Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the Middle East.

The four minivans all share a common platform and come equipped with a standard MP3/CD player. The Uplander and its siblings are all similarly styled and try to hit the "crossover" vehicle styling with its elongated front fascia.

Year to year changes
2005: The Uplander was initially offered with 3.5 L High Value 3500 LX9 V6 that generates 200 hp (149 kW) and 220 ft·lbf (298 N·m). 2006: A 3.9 L LZ9 V6, with 240 hp (179 kW) and 240ft·lbf (332 Nm) torque, was added as an option. 2007: The 3.5 L V6 was dropped, leaving the 3.9 L as the base engine. Consequently, the optional AWD system was also dropped, since it could not handle the torque of the 3.9 L engine. A flex-fuel version of the 3.9 L V6 also became available for 2007. 2008: The Uplander's last year. As For 2009 the Uplander will replaced by the Chevrolet Traverse.

Safety
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Chevrolet Uplander has an improved crash test rating than its predecessor, the Venture. The Uplander, Pontiac Montana SV6, Buick Terraza and Saturn Relay earned the highest rating of Good in the IIHS offset frontal crash test, but was rated only Poor and Acceptable in the IIHS side crash test with and without the optional side airbags, respectively.

Results
Structure/safety cage: Good Head/neck: Acceptable Chest: Good Leg/foot, left: Good Leg/foot, right: Good Restraints/dummy kinematics: Acceptable

Future
All of GM's minivans have been discontinued to make room for the new Lambda platform crossover vehicles.

Main Competitors

 * Nissan Micra
 * Hyundai Getz
 * Mitsubishi Colt
 * Toyota Yaris
 * Honda Fit/Jazz
 * Tata Indica
 * Hyundai i20
 * Chevrolet Aveo