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Comments
;-)
And is it just me, or do these vans seem almost non-existant? I mean, I've seen a couple on the road, but very few road tests, no advertising, no hype....GM really seams to be keeping them quiet.
(maybe Oprah needs to give a few thousand away!)
I don't know if production has ramped up enough to handle a large ad campaign. I've been in touch with several dealers in the Phoenix area. Most of them have told me they are ordering what they can. Some dealers have told me they won't have any until January. From what I can tell by tracking their inventory through their websites, they seem to be selling what invetory they are getting at a fairly brisk pace. Pretty good considering a lack of advertising. So, maybe they haven't been producing long enough to have any substantial inventory.
I've got no insider knowledge, so that's just my guess.
Looks like these were designed to be "deal" vehicles in the best traditions of GM.
I have seen 3 or 4 on the road now. They look pretty decent.
I don't care for the Saturn car line up, but the Relay caught my eye last week. Doesn't have that "mini" van look, nice to have a breath of fresh air in the styling department. Of course everybody like something different.
After seeing the Honda, Toyota and Nissan vans anything would be an improvement in the looks department.
Should GM have at least offered them? Maybe, but if you are that worried about what could happen while driving don't forget about wearing a NASCAR approved crash helmet just in case the air curtains don't work properly.
Side air bags are available however and standard on some models. I have them in our 04 Montana.
Probably take delivery next week. More news to follow.
I pick it up Thursday, Dec. 23rd.
The new gerneration use a completely different charging system that GM is switching to. Even the alternator suppliers are different. The fix for the old car has no relevance here.
And, as the post says, GM has set a notice that they are aware of the problem and will notify dealers when the fix is available.
A "new" vehicle released with problems will not help GM's image.
Montanafan thanks for the info. Called my Buick dealer this morning and told him to take my name off the list of people interested in buying a new Buick van. Won't trade in my van for one of these anytime soon.
Always little issues with all new vehicles no matter who makes them. Just hope there is nothing big. It's all pretty proven stuff in these vans so I can't imagine too much going wrong. These vans are definitely more substantial than our 04 Montana, I wonder if the short one would even fit in our garage.
Keep us informed when GM has a fix for this problem. Until then, I'll keep my Silhouette.
In this day and age any manufacturer has recalls. Look at the new Sienna, fuel tanks recalled, radiators failing, and trannies hesitating. Good luck on finding any manufacturer without issues. You wil need it.
When is GM going to have a fix for this? Maybe, 1 week, 1 month or 1 year? What if this problem screws up the rest of the electrical system? I guess that is why they have these boards so people can come and cry about what a bad van they bought even if they knew going in that it had problems.
Sounds like the Ody board, my transmission needs replaced at 40k, I didn't think that this would happen to me!!
A failing radiator can be replaced with another radiator, not even close to having an electrical gremlin.
It's true my opinions may change after owning and driving for a few months, but right now I'm really pleased with the purchase.
The buying experience was great. I dealt strictly with the dealership's 'internet' departments. I'll never deal with a regular salesman again. I did nearly all of my negotiating through email. I involved over 15 dealerships. I only used the phone to close the deal. By the way, I was given the invoice price, they gave me 1/2 of the dealer hold back, and they added in $1000 worth of "GM Certificates". After the $1500 rebate that is currently out there, I ultimately ended up with $2300 under invoice.
The engine could use a bit more power. The power train behaved in a very similar way as our Malibu, which really should've been expected. Road noise was surprisingly high. Maybe it was just too windy today. The van looked all right. The engine compartment looked modern and clean. The wheels and brakes were big.
Overall, I wasn't blown away, but nor too disappointed either. It's a decent van, and could be a great value depending on the out of the door price. we'll be entering the market this summer. We shall see.
1) Interior space - Way too narrow. They give up 5-6 inches on all the other larger minivans and it shows in the interior space. The rail system is nice.
2) Engines. Solid performance from the engine. You won't win a drag race but you also won't have any problems with your basic high speed merging and passing maneuvers.
3) Standard 2nd row bucket seats. You have got to be kidding me. These seats sit right against the sliding door and they look like they are made for kids. I felt like I was sitting in a chair designed for a 5 year old. Also no arm rest. Too make it worst, the seats don't tumble forward or fold even semi flat to the floor. And there is not forward and back seat adjustment. Also with the seats so close to the doors, not sure I would feel very safe putting my child in the second row with the standard seating.
4) 2nd row captain chairs (optional). A definite improvement in comfort (and size) but now the seats are too close together for anyone other then a kid to get into the third row (cupholder and tray are hooked to the driver side captain chair and also that 5-6 inches). If getting regular access to the third seat is not an issue, go with the captain chairs. You still have the issue of the seats not tumbling completely forward or into the floor. This could be a deal killer if anyone shops any other van in this class.
5) 50-50 third row seat - Should have went with a 60-40 like DC. But still it is nice having the added flexibility of the split bench seat. I see no way to fit 3 people in the third seat (goes back to that extra 5-6 inches in width).
6) Rear storage area - Not sure who told GM that they did not need to either fold the seats flat or not to include the deep well behind the seats. They are sorely lacking in usable storage space behind the third row when compared to their competition. The container system they have is nice but......I rather have the space. This will be a deal killer for anyone who has kids, travels with kids, needs the minivan for space and movign people. For example, my inlaws use a dual stroller for their kids. The stroller would take up the entire storage area behind the third seat plus they would have to fold down one of the seats for their luggage and other belongings. That space is very limited as well.
7) Front seat and dash - Definite improvement over the Venture. The front seats were very comfortable. The dash was nice. I have to agree that the Relay dash did fit image of the vehicle better then the Terraza's.
8) Exterior styling - This is purely subjective. If you have a minivan, why not have it look like a minivan. The Relay looked like they added the back third as an afterthought. I thought they did a better job with the styling with the Terraza. The Uplander was pretty vanilla. Not sure why GM is tryign to market vehicle any other way but as a minivan. Those are the people that will buy it. You will not convince someone shopping for an SUV to look at this vehicle. If people want a SUV, they can buy a Trailblazer, Tahoe, Rendevouz, Suburban, Equinox, Vue, etc.
We also test drove the Dodge GC SXT. Hands down much better then the GM minivans. It had nothing to do with the quality of the materials. they all were comparable. I think my brother-in-law stated it best when he said, "Gee it looks like Dodge put more thought into this minivan then GM". I had to agree. the Stow and Go system is very nice and the 2nd and 3rd row seats fold completely into the floor. The cabin was more open (that extra 5-6 inches in width helps).
The Gm minivans do have some nice features like standard DVD players. Although you have to be in the second row (or very flexible and nimble to cahnge the DVD) to change the DVD. The rear 115 volt plug is nice (part of an option package).
Overall I left with the same feeling that I had when I test drove the Freestar last year... confused and disappointed. There are too many other minivans that much better then these on the market for the same price. Or you can wait until the $5000 rebates come and they will come soon.
Why do you think that Relay dash is better than the Terraza's?
By the way, I saw a Montana SV6 today, and the dash (gauges) has regular light-blue color with red needles - like the uplander and other. Is it the first Pontiac to loose the red-colored gauges?
;-)
I suspect some of the SV6s on the road are rentals. I have seen 2 around here with "Discount Car and Truck Rental" stickers on them.
I don't suspect many adults ever sit in the second row and the Stow and Go seats are no better in terms of comfort. The narrowness is carried over from the Venture so that should be no surprise to anyone. Over all though, I agree the Chrysler vans are better.
Steve, Host