Chevrolet Venture

The Chevrolet Venture was a minivan produced by General Motors from the 1997 to 2005 model years. It replaced the Chevrolet Lumina APV. Visually identical minivans were also sold in Europe as the Opel Sintra, and in the UK, they were badged as a Vauxhall. Opel assisted in the development of the minivan as well. Up until 2005, Chevrolet Europe sold a few models, mostly United States domestic market (USDM) models modified to suit European regulations. Among them were the Chevrolet Trans Sport (which was a Chevrolet Venture with the front end of the Pontiac Trans Sport). During the 2005 model year, the Venture (along with the Astro) was replaced by the similar "new" 2005 Chevrolet Uplander. The Venture (along with other GM minivans) was built in Doraville, Georgia.

History

The Venture was introduced to the market in 1996 for the 1997 model year as a replacement for the radically styled Lumina APV. In the United States, it was also sold as the Oldsmobile Silhouette and the Pontiac Trans Sport, which was later renamed as the Pontiac Montana for 1999. The Venture and its siblings were powered by GM's 3.4 L LA1 V6, rated at 180hp (134kW). After 1999, the engine was slightly redesigned to produce an extra 5hp (4kW), for a total of 185hp (138kW). All Ventures used a four-speed automatic transmission. A Warner Brothers edition, introduced in 2000, included leather seats, Warner Brothers badging with Bugs Bunny leaning against the Warner Brothers logo, and a DVD entertainment system, a novelty at the time.