Test Drive Chevrolet Astro 1994 - 2005 Minivan

Brave soldier Chevy

Among the constantly growing diversity of minivans, all-wheel drives are found not very often. Therefore, the proposal to take on the Chevrolet Astro test caused us a new tide completely had a quick interest in them. Although, if it really frankly, we looked closely to Astro - it stands out among his fellows.
The service is called
Minivan is an amazingly universal thing, and you can invent it with use for quite a long time. However, most often it becomes either a family machine or service. Some minivans are originally more suitable for the first role, the other more about the second. Chevrolet Astro We immediately recorded in the servants. Why? Yes, it hurts the view of him solid - produces the desired impression.
By the way, about appearance. The front of Astro greatly looks at a very serious SUBURBAN car: similar lighting in two floors, a huge height of the radiator grille and a massive bumper. Only looks here everything is elegant. This facade, strictly speaking, gives an Astro a fair share of the very solidity.
But not the same appearance determines the shelf life. Of course not. It's not so much in appearance as in the inside. It is the features of the cabin make a convenient use of Astro in production. After all, the composition of the race participants is inconsistent, but to adapt the room to a change in the number of passengers, the minimum of manipulations is required here. No need to rearrange anything, twist and deploy: two wide sofas are easily moving along the longitudinal guides, and in the backs, they have small folding tables with cup holders and individual armrests. And all! It turns out that the wealth of layout options is not always a direct way to convenience.
To everyone - for the need
The most comfortable ride on Astro is nothing more than a guide. Then everyone will get a separate place - they are two in each row. Depending on the availability of passengers on the gallery, the average sofa can be moved to the stop (then there will be a place for the legs as in a limousine), and you can also take a conscience - you still will not be closely. However, it will not be closely, even if you take a couple of extra passengers on board: the sofas will easily take three people.
If you need to carry any cargo, you can remove one or both rear seats. To remove one sofa, you will agree, it's easier than pulling out a whole bunch of seats from the car. And the maximum convenience of loading-unloading will provide the original design of the rear door. Actually, it is even not the door, but an entire farm: the upper part is leaning upwards, and the lower consists of two swollen halves. It is not necessary because of each nonsense to raise a healthy one-piece door, besides, the revealing knots provide easier access to the foam. At the same time, in bad weather, the raised upper half serves as a shelter, and solid glass with a janitor gives excellent visibility, which cannot be achieved in the case of ordinary swing doors. It turns out, the ideal is still achieving?
Modest charm
Of course, Astro is not ideal, but very close to it thanks to the wonderful equipment and attention to the little things. At times it seems that it is provided here in advance literally everything that you can come in handy. Astro can serve as a hotel and in a travel company, and just in a small bench. On the roof there is already very suitable trunk for all skis, and the four-wheel drive will be quite by the way. And so - for nothing. We finally finally finished the whole two electrical outlets near the place of the front passenger. For what needs? We do not know, but the farm will come in handy! I liked the window and open the window in the second row - usually they are tightly closed, and here you can not even use ashtrays, although they are. Well, of course, an incredible amount of gloves, shelves and pockets. We are already silent about two air conditioners.
Well, what does he go like? - The impatient reader will ask. How rides how rides goes out normally! And where to go to him - under the hood of the 190th strength, after all. You put on gas - and Astro, reigning somehow quite a cargo, merrily accelerates. Bashes too fun, and the suspension is quite comfortable. Maybe the longitudinal squabble slightly spoils the iridescent picture, but here they do not hurt anything - the relatively short base and high gravity center affect. In general, our preliminary diagnosis was fully confirmed: Astro is an excellent services.
The editors thank Trinity Motors, (095) 209-4673, which provided a car for the test.
For the test period, the car was insured in the insurance society of the reso-warranty, (095) 250-3600, 255-6834, 254-2272
Little Astrolet
Chevrolet Astro Van in our market, in general, styling. Sell \u200b\u200bhim here for five years now, it would be time to get used to people - but official dealers cannot be interested in buyers.
This is a car on an amateur, "Avenue Park Avenue in the showroom. - It goes hard. Sales before, right, let's say, were not brilliantly, but now there is a decline in the recession. Astro private adherents in Russia practically do not exist. Take him some firms - as a comfortable and very roomy delivering machine. But if they are solved on Astro, they do not regret money: they take almost always with a full drive and in the best of the two possible complete sets (which means alloy wheels, better radio equipment and other pleasant little things).
In general, Astro does not take root in Russia. And it could be quite different. After all, this is the same minibus that General Motors was going to do at the promise along with a vector. And of course, such astro-Zaz would be cheaper and, undoubtedly, would have found the way to the heart of the Russian motorist.
And at home, in America, Astro is very popular. Of course, the main reason is that it is considered a car is not a corporate, but family. For large large-scale American families. And his popularity did not interfere with even a loud and long trial, ended only this year. In the 1990th, some Mrs. Hunter, who drove the children to school on his Astro, crashed into a truck. And the steering column Despite his trauma-security badly damaged her jaw. After a long trial, the court decided that the dental injury injuries were pulling $ 25 million. Many expected sales drops and were almost confident that GM will respond their minivans of the previous years of release to equip their security pillows. However, the company's engineers are not in a hurry to recommend this measure to their leadership. And Astro is still popular, especially since the airbag is now in the series.
Astro conquers even such a kind of market as Japanese. Here is the opinion of my friend, the young engineer Osamu Inamura. I bought Astro for its uncharacteristic for Japanese cars capacity. You imagine, I easily fit with my wife, two of our children and in addition my parents. And even the place still remains. I like that this car is spacious and her appearance is so peculiar. And Japanese minivans, in my opinion, all on one person.
Model / Chevrolet
Astro Van 4WD Modification
CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION FIRM
USA Manufacturer Country
BODY
Type Minivan.
Number of doors / places 4/8
ENGINE
Type gasoline with central injection
Location Front Overlit
Working volume (see cubic.) 4300
Number / Cylinder Location 6 V-Fig
Cylinder diameter x Piston stroke (mm) 101.6x88,4
The degree of compression 9,2
Power (kW / l. With. At rpm) 139/190 at 4400
Moment (nm at rpm) 338 at 2800
Number of valves / cylinder 2
TRANSMISSION
All wheel drive
Four-stage automatic gearbox
SUSPENSION
Front independent spring
Rear dependent spring
STEERING
Type of the Rake Gear, with a hydrauliculator
Torkemose
Front disk (ventilated)
Rear drums
ABS Standard Equipment
Wheels
Tire size 215/75 R15
Dimensions / About EMA / Weight
Length / Width / Height (mm) 4821/1969/1940
Wheel base (mm) 2820
Front / Persium Rear Pitch (mm) 1504/1559
Curb Mass (kg) 2044
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed (km / h) 160
Price cleared in Moscow, thousand $ 50
Cost of maintenance, $ n / hour 40
Alexander Kalugin,
Stepan Fishermen (photo)
 

A source: "Autopilot"