Chevrolet Venture

Chevrolet Venture
The 1997-2000 Venture
Overview
Manufacturer	Chevrolet (General Motors)
Production	1996–2005
Model years	1997–2005
Assembly	West Doraville Assembly, Doraville, Georgia, United States Shanghai, China (Buick GL8 and a 10-seater version of the Chevrolet Venture exclusive for the Philippines)
Body and chassis
Class	Minivan
Body style	3/4-door minivan
Layout	Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive / all-wheel drive
Platform	U-body/GMT200
Related	Oldsmobile Silhouette Pontiac Trans Sport Opel Sintra Buick GL8 Pontiac Montana
Powertrain
Engine	3.4 L LA1 V6
Transmission	4-speed 4T65-E automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	112.0 in (2,845 mm) 120.0 in (3,048 mm)
Length	186.9 in (4,747 mm) (SWB) 200.9 in (5,103 mm) (LWB)
Width	72.0 in (1,829 mm)
Height	67.4 in (1,712 mm) (SWB) 68.1 in (1,730 mm) (LWB)
Chronology
Predecessor	Chevrolet Lumina APV
Successor	Chevrolet Uplander

The Chevrolet Venture is a minivan produced by Chevrolet from the 1997 to 2005 model years. It replaced the Chevrolet Lumina APV. 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, including the Opel/Vauxhall Sintra) was built in Doraville, Georgia.

The Venture name was first used on a 1988 Chevrolet concept car. This vehicle was smaller in size than the full-size Caprice but larger than the mid-sized Celebrity. The concept vehicle featured a removable all-glass roof that allowed panoramic visibility. Design elements of the Venture would later appear on Chevrolets in the 1990s.

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 (2000 in Canada). The Venture came in three trim levels, the base, LS, and LT. The base models of the Venture were short wheelbase models which came equipped with cloth upholstery, front bucket seats with fixed head restraints, a 2nd-row 2-passenger bench seat, and steel wheels. The LS came in both short and long wheelbases, and offered aluminum wheels, a varied seating configuration, adjustable head restraints, side airbags, power windows (optional on the base models), and a remote keyless entry system. The LT model was an upscale of the LS and was exclusively a long wheelbase model and offered a power driver seat (optional on the base and LS models), optional leather seats, a roof rack (optional on the base and LS models), and a driver side sliding door (optional on the base and LS models from 1997–1999). The anti-lock brakes were standard on all Ventures from 1997–2002, but became optional on the base models later on.