2006 CHEVROLET UPLANDER NEW CAR BUYER'S GUIDE

What's New for the 2006 Chevrolet Uplander?
The 2006 Chevrolet Uplander gets a needed injection of power thanks to a 3.9-liter V6 engine making 240 horsepower – 40 more than last year. Side-impact airbags are now offered for second-row passengers, but side-curtain airbags are still missing from the Uplander. Bordeaux Red and Amber Bronze Metallic are the two new colors for 2006.

Advantages of the 2006 Chevrolet Uplander:

• Available all-wheel-drive
• Optional stability control system
• Optional side-impact airbags for the second-row seats
• Impressive build quality and materials

Objections to the 2006 Chevrolet Uplander:

• Side-curtain airbags are not available
• Second-row seats don't fold into the floor
• Based on rapidly aging GM minivan platform
• Sloppy handling performance

Editor's Advice:
Chevrolet's new Uplander is the old Venture minivan equipped with new SUV styling cues that are expected to erase the mommy-mobile stigma that most minivans suffer. Despite upgrades and a new name, Chevy's minivan…oh, excuse us, crossover sport van…does not move to the head of the class. Innovation of the sort demonstrated by Dodge with the Grand Caravan, Honda with the Odyssey, Nissan with the Quest, and Toyota with the Sienna is required to be considered the teacher's pet. However, with a significant power upgrade this year and its available AWD system, the 2006 Chevrolet Uplander is no longer hanging out in the back of the classroom with the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey, lobbing spitballs at the blackboard.