Overview & Reviews

The history of Chevrolet's minivan models has been one of consistently trying to catch up with the other guy, but ultimately falling short. Through three generations and names, the Chevy vans and their various GM siblings struggled to match, let alone better, "mom-mobiles" from Chrysler and import competition. The final variant was the Chevrolet Uplander.

Introduced in 2005 as a "crossover sport van," the Uplander was designed to be more hip than the average mom-mobile. But this makeover did little to improve on its Chevy Venture roots. True, the Uplander succeeded in providing the expected features and creature comforts, but it lacked the refinement and ingenuity that other top minivans from Honda, Kia and Toyota provided.

Not finding much success, Chevy finally discontinued its van in favor of the Traverse large crossover SUV. In general, we suggest skipping over the Uplander (and the previous Chevy Venture) and looking at other, more desirable used minivans.

Most Recent Chevrolet Uplander

The Chevrolet Uplander was a minivan sold from the 2005-'08 model years. At the minivan's debut, it came with a 200-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and a four-speed automatic driving the front wheels. All-wheel drive was available as an option. For 2006, a short-wheelbase version was added to the lineup, while a 3.9-liter V6 with 240 hp became an option on front-wheel-drive Uplanders. The base 3.5-liter V6 was dropped for 2007, as was all-wheel drive.

The Uplander came in LS and LT trim levels, both of which seated seven with a fold-flat 50/50-split third-row seat. The short wheelbase was only available on the LS, while the LT initially came in three different equipment subsets: 1LT, 2LT and 3LT. For '08, the LT was pared down to a singular version.

Standard and available equipment included 17-inch wheels, rear parking assist, power-sliding doors, a power driver seat, heated front seats, leather seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, an innovative multimedia overhead console, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, satellite radio and a "PhatNoise" digital media system.

The Chevrolet Uplander did an OK job of protecting its valuable human cargo but fell short of other minivans. Antilock brakes were standard on all trim levels, while stability control initially came on all but the short-wheelbase LS, to which it was added for '08. Front side-impact airbags that protect the head and torso were optional on the LS and standard on the LT. The 2LT and 3LT packages added side airbags for the second row. Although these airbags essentially did the same job as the side curtain airbags offered on all other minivans, there was no side protection available for the third row.

Inside, the Chevy Uplander had a two-tone color scheme with decent materials and a pleasing overall look. Lower-level Uplanders came with GM's old-school modular seating in the second row, while the 2LT and 3LT were upgraded with fixed captain's chairs. In the all-important minivan gizmo department, the Uplander had a few aces up its sleeve. An overhead rail system on the LT provided easy rear-seat access to climate and entertainment functions. The PhatNoise digital media system eliminated the hassle of shuffling through CDs and DVDs on road trips by providing a hard drive that could store music and movies.

Previous to the Uplander, Chevrolet offered the otherwise similar Venture.

User Reviews:

• 

  Good Van - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By TT - October 9 - 11:44 am

  I usually like pickups but this van was a compromise with my wife. It is enjoyable to drive looks great compared to other minivans. The kids love the DVD player with remote headphones. The engine has plenty of power for its purpose, a passenger vehicle, not a race car. The only problems I have had are with the keyless entry remotes not working and the starter slips during humid or wet weather. This has not ever prevented the van from starting.

• 

  BEAUTIFUL MACHINE - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By grny 5x - June 13 - 10:43 pm

  Van has performed very well during its 1st 41,000 miles. Everything in this loaded LT works well. Very few repairs after 1st visit - front stabilizer links replaced at 40k and sliding doors adjusted at 10k. Engine power is adequate, smooth, and reasonably quiet. Smooth quiet ride. Transmission shifts are smooth - up & down. Good gas mileage: 18 city & 25 highway at 75 mph. Original tires wear evenly, are well-balanced and should go 60k. Brake rotors and pads replaced at 20k. No shutter with 21k on ceramic pad replacements. 2nd row legroom is inadequate, seats lack armrests. Entry to 3rd row is an effort. Manual removal of 3rd row is old design - competitors seats fold under.

• 

  It is what it is. - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By William - May 16 - 5:04 pm

  The uplander is different than other vans. It sits up higher on the 17" wheels and has more ground clearance. You can open the engine bay and see an engine because of the long hood. The engine is descent with good power. This van is not the nicest to drive, the most dependable, nor does it have the best interior, but if you want to tow a camper or leave pavement or like to ride a bit higher with all the room of a van, I recommend you take it for a drive. Dont be afraid to spend a couple bucks and get a 4 wheel alignment, upgraded shocks and you have most problems handled.

• 

  New Owner Experience - 2008 Chevrolet Uplander
  By timrlarson - May 8 - 12:35 pm

  After reading all the horror stories about this vehicle and its brothers I bought one anyway because I love the body style and the ease of entry for passengers, and I was able to talk the dealer into $500 for an additional 4 year 48,000mi bumper to bumper warranty. I will be back to report on my ownership experiences as they occur, but I want to start by saying I have just driven about 600 miles from Portland to Sacramento and averaged 24.7mpg @65mph average with about 200# passenger. The driving was a breeze and the support of the drivers seat was excellent. No tired back or legs, arrived fresh and happy. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

• 

  Uplander is Awesome! - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Donnie - April 7 - 5:00 pm

  My wife and I bought this used van back in March and love it! It had about 46650 miles on it, but drove and felt like a brand new vehicle. We traded a 1998 Chevy Venture. While the Uplander looks somewhat similar to the Venture, it rocks with its vast improvements, especially the 240 horses of raw unadulterated power! Has great punch to pass at highway speeds. Van is much more quiet than its predecessor. It is an LS model with many standard features. Great factory Stereo! I proceeded to flush out the Dex-Cool antifreeze and replace with universal 5 year coolant. Dex-Cool coolant causes major problems! I took and flushed mine 2nd day I had it to protect cooling system.

• 

  A must have for me - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Ashephoenix - December 2 - 1:55 pm

  I am not a Chevy person I have never been that impressed with the vehicles they make but when I went to find a vehicle for my family of five I fell in love with this one. We do have some problems with the door but ours will tell us if the doors are still open so we can close them. We do not have the automatic doors since many vehicles have problems with the motors going out and we did not want to have to deal with that. I hit a deer today front end damage was minimal and I walked away safe and sound, I was very impressed. I love my SV and would recommend this to anyone who wants a decent vehicle for the price. We do not have any special features and got ours for 16,900. Great deal.

• 

  A winner - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By pops - November 28 - 2:32 pm

  Excellent minivan -- smooth ride, quiet, decent handling, adequate power, good economy, great styling inside & out. Not as great seat comfort, middle row legroom, antiquated 2nd and 3rd row seat movements.

• 

  Suits our needs, good price & value - 2008 Chevrolet Uplander
  By NellieMc - November 22 - 1:52 am

  Sometimes we take long day trips and I wanted something that we could sleep in and I found the Uplander. Weve taken the seats out, put in a full size air mattress,velcroed shades to the windows and have slept comfortably and inexpensively at RV parks. We had an 30 RV, needed lots of gas, space and I didnt like driving around with a toilet and every rattling. We are average size people, 54" & 59", enjoy traveling, dining out and have created our own little over-night pod. We can even take our dogs with us. When we return home, we put the mattress and supplies in a container in the back, keep the 3rd row seats in. If we need more passenger room we can always put the second row back in.

• 

  Great Deal on a Great Van - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Scott - October 25 - 9:03 pm

  We purchased this van after finally deciding a minivan was for us. We test drove them all and knew this was the right one for the pricing and options. We took it for its maiden voyage of 1000 miles of mountains and rain with no problems averaging 22 MPG. Its plenty powerful, handles well, looks nice, and is full of enough features to keep everyone happy. We test drove 3 Uplanders and one Terazza and all had a strange low speed clunking sound from the front end. Hope this is not a failure waiting to happen. Also, there are some minor rattles here and there but nothing overwhelming. Our key remote is slow to lock and unlock the door but hope its just the battery. Great experience and hope for more

• 

  Poor Workmanship - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Tyson - October 22 - 3:09 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with my van since purchasing. It has had the steering shaft replaced, and the redundant controls on the steering wheel replaced. The power sliding doors are the biggest joke. They have had the entire motor and clutch assemblies replaced 5 or 6 times and also had to be realigned 5 or 6 times. This vehicle has been a real pile of junk. Whats worse is that this is the 5th GM vehicle that I have owned. I never had problems with any of the others, and GM does not care that I am having problems now. They are simply content to keep patching the mechanical door failure and not actually fix the problem. Whatever it is. I promise this the last GM vehicle for me.