Test Drive GMC Savana 2003 - 2007 Minivan

Villa on wheels

GVC Savana - a big car for big people
 
An enlightened Europeans is hard to understand America's mind, in which people acquire cars, submitting not to the voice of the mind, but rather calling ancestors. Large voracious gasoline engines, not too modern suspensions, the lack of new technologies in the cabin - why all this, if there are quite competitive offers from Europe, Japan, and now from Korea? It is impossible to understand if irrational factors are not taken into account - the traditional of these machines. Like the buildings built in the Stalin era, these cars inspire confidence in their massiveness, and after some time they themselves begin to penetrate with respect for this big and confident thing.
 
A little story
 
GMC Savana - a car with a big story. Submitted in 1965, this full-size VEN (on Russian terminology - minibus) in the thirty years of production was modernized only episodically, in detail. This was your explanation - in the 70th boom on large minibuses allowed to sell cars and without any special innovations, the benefit of General Motors experienced a semblance of competition only from Ford and Chrysler. So, introducing new cup holders into the salon Yes, changing the forms of door handles, the company only by 1995 matured to a decision on the complete upgrade of the one-called Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana. In 2003, the cars were updated again, and such efficiency is explained only by the fact that American marketers finally woke up and felt a real threat emanating from Daimlerchrysler, Ford with a whole range of ESERIES, as well as from Europeans and the Japanese, who began to bring their own very Interesting products. All competitors are fighting together for a big cake, which bakes private utilities, carriers and logistics companies, servicemen of all stripes and just travel lovers.
 
By the way, such non-refuge in change is connected and so that these customers are not so zealously refer to the design of machines, how many are experiencing for the reliability and efficiency of their acquisition. But GMC Savana in the EXPLORER LIMITED SE configuration is a slightly different case. Designers endowed the car with appearance, which allows its passenger variant with ease of executing executive functions. A massive black car whose body is visually planted very low due to the footnings, it has both an aggressive and stylish person characterized by two longitudinal headlights and parallel turn signs. The huge opening between them closes the grille with large and bright GMC letters. An impressive bumper floods chrome - a typical American way to make a car attractive. But the front part design is the strongest link in the exterior of the car. Simple, without sidewalls, the back with two drop-down sash - all this looks boring and will not be a revelation for a connoisseur design. In a word, the fight is saved. It was him, by the way, changed in 2003, the rest of the car remained almost untouched.
 
All inclusive
 
Inside the customer is waiting for the kingdom of luxury in the American understanding of this word. Ven has seven seats, but the six passengers will be able to accommodate in the cabin. Despite the fact that the car that got to us for the test had a raised roof, inside was not too spacious. High sex in the cabin - the effects of frame layout. The thing is that the car is based on the platform of powerful Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, which the frame gives increased strength, carrying capacity and rigidity to twisting. It transmits the same positive characteristics and the Venn truck, but in the case of its passenger counterfeit, it is clearly unnecessary. A part of the ceiling space over the heads of the driver and the passenger is occupied by a niche in which the TV and the video system are installed, so that there are no more about those who drive the car, the place is no more than in the usual car.
 
With a rare passenger car, Savana seats can be compared, similar to business jet chairs. Despite the fact that the position that the body occupies in them is unlikely to approve the orthopedist, they are pleasantly soft, wide, with armrests. The front has heated and electrically regulating, and the rear is customized by means of mechanical drives, which, however, allows you to change the position of the back and pillows over wide limits. The light skin, which they are upholstered, adds to the entire airiness interior - the chairs are chosen and carpets. The rear passengers have special headphone jacks to which audio channels are supplied from the stereo and television, as well as air ducts, sorry not individual.
 
The one who is used to a more thoughtful European approach to the organization of the driver's workplace, Savana's cockpit will certainly surprise. It is defiantly simple, it is designed for people who never sat behind the car - so it seems at first glance. A large steering wheel with a single submissive switch on the left, the kerge of the selector of the automatic gearbox on the other hand, two pedals, mining the buttons on the panel and five simple devices, including the speedometer. And the complete lack of even a hint of designer sizes. Plus cassette radio and three cup holders. Everything seems to be. But the ventilation control unit and additional light is found - it is on the ceiling, next to the rearview mirror. You twist there a couple of levers and immediately feel like a pilot of small aviation - what else will give such an unusual sensation?
 
A separate story deserves the back seat. It looks common, it hides a simple and funny drive mechanism that works when using the POWER SOFA inscription buttons. Thanks to them, the seat turns into a full-fledged bed, which allows you to stretch in full growth to a rather high person. And his sleep even in daytime nothing disturbs thanks to the curtains on all windows, with the exception of the front. These sorts are lowered by hand, but they miss very little light - the glasses themselves also toned. In addition to these parts, there is still much of what is not expecting there to meet the usual motorist. For example, in the space for the last seat there is a mini vacuum cleaner connected to the onboard network and intended for carpet coverage of the luggage compartment. And in your pocket one of the rear flaps - a compressor for swing tires and a flashlight. Little things, but nice.
 
As for the doors, then, in addition to the front, this car has as many as two side exit on both sides. Each of the hinting doors consists of two sash, one of which opens with an outer handle, and the second is fixed in the closed state. Such a generosity of the manufacturer is a rather significant competitive advantage among Americans, despite the fact that most Europeans have long been equipped with electric drives with electric drives. And here, no one even thought about the heading of the loop can damage aerodynamics
 
Simplicity and reliability
 
Although - who will think about aerodynamics or the growing fuel consumption, when under the hood costs in-shaped eight of as much as 5.3 liters? This motor, developing power in 295 hp, replaced the other, no less impressive eight of 5.7 liters. A connected with a four-stage automaton, it allows a heavy machine to pretrately pull the speed, largely due to the Overdrive function. It has to use in the city stream often, and suffers from this first of all fuel consumption - in this mode, less than 25 liters of the 92nd car does not consume. Do not forget that in addition to a rather severe frame, the engine has to be promoted to transmissia 4x4. Yes, yes, this Van, unlike most fellow, has a permanent four-wheel drive!
 
Transmission with the Viscounts, which performs the role of an inter-axis differential, in normal condition divides the moment in the ratio of 35/65 between the front and rear wheels, but in the case of slipping up to 100% of the moment, it can be deployed to wheels having a better grip with the soil. The car and so it stands on the road as the river width, and then also a four-wheel drive gives such confidence that even the snow porridge overlaps is overcome, as if you rush on dry asphalt.
 
Yes, and everyone who sees in the mirrors of the rear view of such a formidable Mastodont, approaching with a decent speed, immediately strive to go into another row. So sharp movements have to make a minimum. But this does not mean that Savana is not ready for them. Despite the fact that behind Wen is a full-fledged hard bridge with springs, the front suspension is made independent, with springs and gas shock absorbers. So the dinosaur on the road is not a big American. And he has a good brake - four ventilated disks, four-channel ABS and the Dynamic Rear Proportioning system allows the driver without sweating in emergency braking.
 
Easy-going
 
What is the result of GMC Savana? Alloy of high and low technologies, modern and archaic approaches to car engineering, sparkled in a ultraharismatic body? Perhaps yes. This car is completely suitable for someone who lives on a broad leg, allowing themselves to not follow the prices of gasoline. Convenient for passengers and stylish for others, he will be able to take out of the places where only SUVs are flying out, and it will make it comfortable. Command Management Hunting? Why not! Excursion bus for business colleagues? Yes, and again yes! Means of movement for shades with family to near abroad? What you need! And the most interesting thing is that such Americans can come up with a dozen more tasks. Such is it easy to rise.
 
 

A source: "Car Izvestia"