- The 3.5-liter V6's power and refinement not up to class leaders
- Second-row seats aren't side-to-side adjustable
- Side airbags don't cover all three rows
Review :
Pontiac's Montana minivan has never sold in the numbers General Motors would like. With strong offerings from Chrysler, Honda and Toyota that present the latest convenience features, Pontiac doesn't register very high on the average minivan buyer's radar. Part of the problem, according to GM's marketing team, might be due to the "mommy mobile" image minivans confer upon their owners, some of whom ultimately ditch their vans for SUVs. In response, Pontiac introduced the Montana SV6, a "crossover sport van" based on the outgoing Montana's chassis. Compared to the Montana, the SV6 takes on a taller stance, a longer and more angular nose and a more tasteful application of body side cladding. The results are not altogether unattractive, and Pontiac again fields the most rugged-looking minivan in the GM lineup. The result, the carmaker hopes, is a perception among would-be buyers that the Montana SV6 is closer to being a hip and stylish SUV than its more conventionally styled competitors. Sales of the SV6 have not been especially brisk thus far, though, suggesting GM still has some work to do in getting this message across.
Despite the change in name and outward style, the SV6 does not represent a full redesign of the old-style Montana (which dates back to 1997), and passenger and cargo space are nearly identical. The Montana SV6 does, however, incorporate more of the features that today's minivan buyers are looking for, along with a more powerful engine. Additionally, structural upgrades, including a longer, reinforced front end and a stiffer occupant compartment, have improved the van's crashworthiness. Seat-mounted side airbags for first- and second-row occupants are optional, but there's still no protection in the third row. Inside, the SV6 seats seven, and the fold-flat third-row seat offers a 50/50 split, allowing families to carry a mix of passengers and cargo. The SV6 is more family-friendly than the old Montana, as Pontiac has taken Honda's example and installed folding center trays (with cupholders) between the first- and second-row captain's chairs. An overhead rail system provides rear-seat access to climate and entertainment functions, and can be customized to families' liking with various storage containers. In addition to the usual rear DVD entertainment system, the SV6 is available with a PhatNoise mobile digital media system that allows owners to store thousands of MP3s and/or several dozen movies on a removable 40-gigabyte storage device.
We're not entirely sold on the whole "SUV/van" concept. To our eyes, the Montana SV6 looks more like a minivan with a really big and flat front end. Subjective styling issues aside, the SV6 offers budding families a myriad of interior features and solid overall competence, but still doesn't match the driving dynamics, safety features or conveniences of the best-in-class minivans.
The Montana SV6 minivan comes in one size and trim level. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, an eight-speaker sound system with a CD/MP3 player, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, the OnStar communications system, cruise control, keyless entry and power windows, mirrors and locks. An upgrade option package includes a passenger-side power-sliding door, a power driver seat, a sport suspension, rear air conditioning, alloy wheels and additional interior storage. An all-wheel-drive system is available, and includes an automatic load-leveling rear suspension and an inflator kit. An optional PhatNoise mobile digital media system allows owners to store thousands of MP3s and/or several dozen movies. Other noteworthy options include dual power-sliding side doors, leather seating, a 115-volt A/C outlet, trip computer, rear parking assist, heated seats and a remote vehicle starting system. A sport package, featuring the 3.9-liter V6, 17-inch chrome alloys, engine cooler and sport badging is optional. The SV6 is also one of the few minivans to offer factory-installed mobility options, including a lowered floor and a sit-and-lift second-row seat.
All models come standard with four-wheel antilock disc brakes. Side-impact airbags for first- and second-row occupants are optional, but there's no protection for passengers seated in the third row. The StabiliTrak stability control system is optional. The NHTSA gave the SV6 a perfect five-star rating for driver and front-passenger protection in frontal crashes. For side-impact crashes, the SV6 earned four stars for protection of front occupants and five stars for the rear occupants. In frontal-offset crash testing conducted by the IIHS, Pontiac's minivan earned a "Good" rating (the highest).
The Montana SV6 seats seven, and the fold-flat third-row seat offers a convenient 50/50 split. A pleasing color scheme with faux metal accents brightens up the van's interior. Folding center trays (with cupholders) between the first- and second-row seats are available. An overhead rail system provides rear-seat access to climate and entertainment functions, and can be outfitted with various storage containers. Springing for the PhatNoise digital media system saves you the hassle of juggling DVDs on road trips, while an optional remote vehicle start system makes it easy to warm up the van on cold mornings.
The standard V6 power plant is down on power compared to its competitors, so we recommend you opt for the stouter 3.9-liter V6. The Montana SV6's suspension is on the soft side, yielding a smooth ride and average handling for this class. Upgrading to the sport suspension (part of the Convenience Package) does provide more responsive handling, though maneuverability in tight spaces is still compromised by the van's large turning radius.
Press Release :
Whether it's a quick commute to soccer practice or a cross-country vacation, GM's new 2005 crossover sport vans (CSVs), including Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Pontiac Montana SV6 and Saturn Relay, are outfitted with segment-leading, thoughtful entertainment and convenience features to make trips more enjoyable for all passengers.
GM was the first manufacturer to offer an integrated, factory-installed video entertainment system in vans and one of the first to offer a DVD system. With the new CSVs, leadership in in-vehicle entertainment - a very important area of customer consideration in vans - increases with a standard DVD player with flip-down, 7-inch (178-mm) screen and integrated controls on all models. The system accommodates CD, MP3 and DVD formats, has a parental mute override function and is equipped with inputs to allow items such as video games and video recorders to be played on the screen.
The new CSVs also offer the segment-exclusive Mobile Digital Media Powered by PhatNoise system. PhatNoise is a wallet-sized, 40-gigabyte hard-drive cartridge that installs in the vehicles' integrated overhead rail system. The system's capabilities include: Storing and playing back up to 10,000 songs in MP3, WMA or WAV formats (10,000 songs capacity is based on 128 kbps MP3 encoding with average song length of 4 minutes; using 64 kbps WMA encoding with average song length of 4 minutes gives 20,000 songs capacity)
Storing and playing up to 40 typical movies in MPEG format (standard format for movies)
Storing and playing a combination of songs and movies
Playing classic video games with a wireless game controller
A voice-browsing interface - if the driver wants to listen to music, the system reads aloud over the radio speakers the song's name, allowing the driver to quickly navigate through a list of stored music using steering wheel buttons
The ability to create custom playlists of music and play the songs back in order or at random, creating your own personal "radio" station; multiple playlists can be created for each family member or for different moods
Listening to books, magazine or newspaper articles downloaded from audible.com
Allowing simultaneous listening to two entertainment sources
The PhatNoise system's hard-drive cartridge is easily removable, so it can be connected to a home PC or laptop to download content for playback in the vehicle, giving passengers an unprecedented level of entertainment customization. There is simply nothing comparable to PhatNoise available in any other vehicle.
Audio options
In addition to the standard DVD and optional PhatNoise entertainment systems, the new CSVs offer a host of other audio choices, including:
Standard AM/FM radio with MP3-capable single-disc CD player
Available premium AM/FM radio with integrated (in-dash), MP3-capable six-disc CD changer
Available "tri-mode" entertainment system allows passengers to listen to as many as three separate entertainment sources simultaneously - DVD, CD and radio - through the speakers and dual-channel wireless headphones
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio provides more than 120 coast-to-coast, digital-quality channels of original commercial-free music and premier news, sports and talk as well as advanced traffic and weather information for select major metropolitan areas nationwide. Consumers can subscribe to the basic service for $9.99 a month. In addition, GM customers with GMAC financing can choose to include the XM subscription in their car payments.
A navigation radio also is available in Buick Terraza and Saturn Relay. It features an AM/FM MP3-capable CD radio that is compatible with XM Satellite Radio and other rear-seat entertainment functions, and a large, easy-to-read 6.5-inch (165 mm) screen with touch-screen controls. The system allows the driver to use voice commands (including French Canadian) to control some of the functions for safer, hands-on-the-wheel, eyes-on-the-road vehicle control. A DVD disc provides full-map route guidance.
'Toy box' convenience Along with the numerous audio and video entertainment choices, the new CSVs also deliver surprising, segment-leading versatility with the adaptable, second-row "toy box" convenience center. For CSVs equipped with second-row modular bucket seats, this optional, multipurpose utility box offers four molded cupholders, a divider tray - which can be used to hold lunch or serve as a writing/drawing surface - and a soft-sided cooler. Made from heavy-duty plastic, the toy box is easy to install and the tray can be removed to provide access to a storage bin suitable for CDs, DVDs and other miscellaneous items. It also has holes to accommodate the wires of video game controllers.
Another innovative storage feature found inside the CSVs is an overhead rail system, which integrates into a single unit overhead lighting, rear HVAC controls and audio controls for the standard DVD entertainment system. Snap-in storage and accessory modules are available to store smaller items such as CDs and DVDs.
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