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:

• 

  Decent Vehicle - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By zippywafflehead - July 31 - 8:22 pm

  We purchased the van 5 years ago new. We have had problems with the auto sliding door, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. You can disable this feature though and use it manually. The vehicle has been extremely reliable though. We have never had any major problems with it. We have replaced the tires and brakes, but then again, we have owned the car for 5 years. The kids have enjoyed the DVD player and we have gone on long trips in it with no problem. I do wish that the second row seats had arm rests to make the ride more comfortable. The material on the seats could be a little nicer as well for the price I paid. Other than that, no real interior room complaints.

• 

  Money Hungry - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Dave - July 1 - 11:32 pm

  I loved this van until I had to buy tires for it. They are very expensive, and most companies had to order them in. It ran very well until I hit the 88,000 miles. All of a sudden everything goes out on it at once. I had to replace the brakes and rotors. I have to replace the engine at a cost of $5,862.00. You can only have the work done at a dealership. Most of the parts are dealer only. My family of mechanics cant do the work, because there are no manuals for it. The dealer manual cost $168.00. My lovely van has become my worst nightmare. My other van has 193,000 miles and I have only replaced the struts.

• 

  Wheel bearings - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By 2006 pontiac montana - May 6 - 8:49 am

  Cant keep wheel bearing - 5 since Oct. another needs replacement.Transmission trouble. Its a 2006 Pontiac Montana - same as Uplander.

• 

  POWER DOORS RESOLVED - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By jake - March 22 - 6:46 pm

  The rubber lining an the inside of the door, the seal is blocking the sensor. You will see that the rubber is too big and has a bunch of holes in it from the door hitting it. When the door hits it, it opens back up. All i did was tape the rubber away from the door, then it closes just fine!

• 

  Need help deciding!! - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Please Help Decide! - February 22 - 9:50 am

  I have this van.... on loan from the dealership... Its a used 06 Uplander, with 74000 kms. Everything seems to work fine on it... nothing that I have noticed anyways... dont like how the back windows have to be manually opened.. Need some input from you people to help me decide whether to take it or not!!

• 

  Very comfortable vehicle - 2007 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Robert Worsena - February 8 - 5:34 am

  Really love the automobile. Would have liked better hidden storage areas and brake system disk brakes needed thicker disks. Had to have disks ground down twice in 3 years. Otherwise a great vehicle.

• 

  100K and still going - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Peter T - January 2 - 10:50 pm

  Just passed 100K in Dec. 09. Had a bad ABS sensor this last year and the goofy cup holder under the stereo console has been broken almost since the initial warranty ended. Sometimes you have to touch the starter several times to start it but my wife and I have heard the same sound as others attempted to start their GM cars when we walked by. For a low end auto we have been absolutely pleased. This was our first new car in 15 years of marriage and as we traveled from SC to FL to IL to AZ to CA we have been very glad the majority of problems have been as expected ( brakes, tires, etc. ).

• 

  Door Frustration - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By MomOf4 - December 2 - 9:42 am

  I loved this van when we purchased it. We had two kids and were expecting another so we needed a bigger vehicle. Now we have had it in the shop 6 times for the passenger sliding door not closing, door alarms going off while driving with the doors shut, and the horn starts blowing for no reason when it is just sitting in the parking lot til either the fuse or the horn itself shorts. Im dealing with GM now cause the dealership wants to charge me $400 just to do diagnostics on a known problem with this model van. Hopefully they can help.

• 

  Love my Uplander - 2006 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Robert Worsena - October 29 - 6:09 am

  Like the car very much. People admire the car by telling how nice looking the car is. You feel very safe in this vehicle. Drive is very quite and comfortable.

• 

  Inexpensive van for mom of four - 2008 Chevrolet Uplander
  By mom of 4 - October 20 - 9:00 pm

  Overall a good van. No frills at all. Just good reliable transportation. Ours was purchased used with 12,000 miles on it. Price was super great so we could afford it.