When you get it right, all you have to do is a bit of fine tuning, which is exactly what Chevrolet did with its Venture van.
Two new versions hit the option sheets in 2003.
A value version is for those
looking for a good deal on equipment on both regular and long wheelbase models.
The sport package seats seven, has a roof rack and special alloy wheels on the regular wheelbase model.
If you want to dress up your Venture beyond the chrome bits and alloy wheels on some models, you can opt for the new appearance package, which adds a hood protector, splash guards and vent visors.
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Once you’ve got your wheels set the way you like them on the outside, you still have to work your way through the inside options.
Do you want seating for seven or eight? Either way, the new third-row seat flips down into the floor well so it is always available at the pull of a strap.
The second-row seat will either be two buckets (seven seater) or
a bench for three (the eight passenger version) and the front row will always be two comfortable buckets.
Now you have to decide exactly how comfortable you want to be.
Are heated leather seats something you would enjoy? Would you like to keep your kids entertained with a DVD-based entertainment system complete with two cordless headsets and jacks for two regular headsets?
Your last set of decisions concerns how you get in and out of the van.
Sliding rear doors are standard on all models.
The first tick on the door option sheet gets you a power-operated passenger side rear door.
Go one step further and both rear passenger doors will be power operated.
You can even get a fridge that fits between either the front-or second-row bucket seats that can be removed for use at a picnic table.
My test version was the Warner Bros. Edition with the DVD entertainment system. Both side doors were power operated.
With a couple of exceptions,
the van was what I would have
ordered if I were going to plunk down $40,000.
I used to think that power accessories such as the power side doors were unnecessary, until I began to use them every day.
The same went for the entertainment system. My kids loved it.
Trips to the store or a jaunt to visit relatives meant we had to have one or two movies with us.
The screen proved to be too small for some of the multi-player video games, so the game cube never made the transition from house to van.
My biggest surprise came when
I had to take a business trip with four others. Adults succumb to the lure of movies nearly as quickly as kids.
Second- and third-row seating appear to have been comfortable, since there were no complaints from any age group. That also applied to getting in and out.
Once mastered, getting the second row seat out of the way made getting in and out pretty easy for the geriatric set.
City and highway driving manners were top notch.
Chevrolet has put in the right amount of throttle tip in so you can pull away smoothly from a stop or gently increase your speed.
On the flip side, the 3.4 litre V6 has enough snap when run through its four-speed electronically controlled automatic that you can get up to 100 km-h in slightly more than nine seconds.
While changing lanes in town or playing pothole dodge’em on the highways, I found that the suspension gets the job done with little body lean and just a bit of a sway if the moves are sudden enough.
Enter a corner too quickly and the nose will start to push out, giving plenty of warning that you should throttle back.
On the Warner Bros. edition, ABS brakes, front seat mounted side impact air bags and the touring suspension are standard.
Base price for the Venture starts at $25,865 for the short wheelbase value van and can run the full range to about $47,000 for a long wheelbase luxury model.
Charles Renny is a freelance automotive columnist and a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of the writer.
