The Pontiac Trans Sport and its siblings, the Chevrolet Lumina APV, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana were a set of minivans that débuted with radical styling in fall 1989 as 1990 models.

Background

The Trans Sport and its sibling models were produced by General Motors to compete with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. Because the larger Chevrolet Astro and the GMC Safari "mini-vans" were based on a body-on-frame, rear wheel drive truck platform, they appealed to a different segment of the market and did not put a significant dent in Chrysler's almost complete dominance of the minivan market in the late eighties. The GM minivans, while more successful than the Astro/Safari duo in terms of market share, were able to capture a large chunk of the market away from the Chrysler models.

Original concept

First shown to the public in 1986, the Pontiac Trans Sport concept car was extremely well received. It featured futuristic styling, individually removable bucket seats with built-in stereo speakers, a gull-wing rear passenger door and extensive use of glass including a glass-paneled roof as well as many other "dream car" features.

Based on the warm reception the concept vehicle received, the Pontiac Trans Sport was approved for production, but as is often the case, the styling and features showcased on the concept did not make the translation to the mass-produced edition. The gullwing door was deemed too expensive to produce and would probably have hit overhead garage doors in suburban garages. The glass roof was too heavy and too expensive, so the resultant production vehicle made-do with high-gloss black painted panels for the roof to suggest the glass canopy the concept sported.

Chevrolet and Oldsmobile were also given production vehicles based on the Trans Sport in order to cover the widest possible range of potential customers. It was intended that the Lumina APV would be the value-priced version, The Trans Sport would net the more sport- and style-oriented buyers, and the Oldsmobile Silhouette would be the minivan for the premium market.

Technology and innovative features

Assembled in the now-defunct General Motors Tarrytown, New York assembly facility, these U platform vans consisted of a galvanized steel space frame wrapped in composite plastic body panels that were impervious to rust and minor dents and dings, a manufacturing technique developed on the Pontiac Fiero and used extensively on General Motors' Saturn line of vehicles.

The Trans Sport was available with seating for seven, with the five light-weight (34 lb or 15 kg) rear seats being individually reconfigurable and removable. In 1994 built-in child seats were added to the option list, which provided the ability to switch two of the rear seats between adult and child seating with the pull of a seat-mounted tab.

Included with the level ride package, which utilized a compressor and air-pressurized rear shock absorbers to maintain vehicle height regardless of load, was a control panel and air hose kit that allowed the vehicle to be used to inflate tires, air mattresses, sporting equipment and the like.

In 1994, a remote-controlled power sliding door feature was added, a General Motors innovation, which is now found in almost every other minivan available.

For the 1994 and 1995 model years traction control was available with the 3800 engine option.

Modest sales success

The side view of a Trans Sport may explain the origin of the minivan's "dustbuster" nickname.

1990-93 Pontiac Trans Sport

The design of these minivans was controversial. At the time that the Pontiac Trans Sport and its siblings were conceived, no one had tried to market a stylish or sporty minivan, and GM felt that this represented a potentially large market segment that the class-leading Chrysler minivans failed to address. They styled these minivans to be lower and sleeker than any of the competing brands on the market. The extremely large, long and sloped windshield and the resultant long distance to the base of the windshield when sitting in the drivers seat made for a disconcerting driving experience until a person could adjust to the "different" proportions. Automotive magazines christened the new minivans "dustbusters" after Black and Decker's trademark for handheld vacuum cleaners, since the minivans shared a similar side profile to the handheld vacuum cleaners.

The first engine in these vans was a meager 3.1 L V6, that produced only 120 hp (89 kW), which was not up to the task of hauling these fairly heavy vehicles around with any authority. In 1992, the Trans Sport and its siblings received the 170 hp (127 kW) 3.8 L 3800 V6 as an option, which provided much better torque and acceleration for the vans, making them the most powerful as well as best handling minivans in production at the time.

In response to criticism (and relatively modest sales) attributable to the vehicles' avant-garde styling, feedback from potential customers, automotive publications, and even chiding in Chrysler Corporation's advertising, in 1994, the Trans Sport and Lumina APV received a facelift, shortening the nose by 3 inches (76 mm) and toning-down of the cladding to effect a more conventional look. Additionally a ridge was added to the interior dashboard to lessen the perceived distance to the base of the windshield.

Europe, which had grown accustomed to sleek minivans thanks to the Renault Espace, did not object to the futuristic styling, and sales were respectable, so the decision was made to retain the original shape on the European version which, from the 1994 model year onwards, was an Oldsmobile Silhouette, transformed into a Pontiac Trans Sport by the addition of Pontiac badging and wheels. Another specificity was the 1995 introduction of a, vital for the European market, diesel version. It used a PSA 1.9 litre turbodiesel outputing 90 hp (67 kW) which was clearly underpowered.

Production of this generation of U Platform minivans ceased in 1996, at which time the Tarrytown plant which produced them and had been in operation since 1900 was shuttered and scheduled for demolition.

First Generation

1990

• All new model-
• Available as Trans Sport (with silver cladding) and Trans Sport SE (monochromatic)

• Launched in Europe with minor differences in exterior trim required for regulatory concerns as well as engine and transmissions appropriate for Europe's differing fuel cost and vehicle taxation structure.

1991

• Customer complaints regarding glare reflected on the interior of the windshield from the massive expanse of the dashboard led to the addition of black carpeting in lieu of the more reflective plastic used in the previous year.

• Power windows and door locks made standard on American models.

1992

• Newly available for 1992 was GM's 3800 V6 engine coupled with a Hydra-Matic 4T60 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission.

• A new Trans Sport GT model debuted, equipped with the 3800 V6 engine standard.

• Base model dropped, leaving Trans Sport "SE" and the aforementioned "GT" as the two trim levels offered.

• With the departure of the base model, silver cladding was no longer available.

• Leather seating became available as an option on the GT model. Previously, leather seating was an Oldsmobile Silhouette exclusive within the U-body minivans.

• The cowl-mounted fixed radio antenna mast was eliminated, and an integrated roof antenna was installed, sandwiched between the roof and the headliner.

• Side view mirrors were changed to the folding type and were enlarged to provide better rear-ward visibility.

• Brakes were enlarged and anti-lock brakes (ABS) was added as standard equipment.
• A pop-up sunroof was added to the options list.
• Steering wheel-mounted controls for the stereo system were added as an option.

1993

• GT model dropped, while GT features remained available as options. All Trans Sports would be called "Trans Sport SE" from 1993 to 1996.

• A remote controlled power sliding side door was announced for 1993, but failed to actually make it into production that year.

• A new color scheme with gold cladding, gold wheels and a body-colored roof behind the C-pillar was available as an extra-cost option with certain exterior colors.

• A redesigned center console was added this year with revamped, larger climate controls, a large storage cubby and a large storage bin at its base.

1994

• The exterior styling was revamped, three inches (76 mm) were trimmed off the nose, headlights lifted from the Pontiac Bonneville were installed, Bumper-mounted fog lamps were added as standard equipment, cladding was made less flamboyant and stylized.

• In an effort to lessen the perceived distance to the base of the windshield, a ridge was added to the interior dash finishing panel.

• A remote-controlled power sliding door became available as an option.
• Built-in child seats for the second row became available as an option.
• A traction control system became available as an option.
• Rear deep-tinted windows now featured a darker tint than previously used.
• A driver's side airbag became standard equipment.

1995

• Automatic power door locks that engaged/disengaged with the transmission shifting into or out of "park" added as a standard feature of the power door lock option package.

• Rear portion of the roof, behind the C-pillar previously painted black as standard with body color as a no-cost option, would be only available painted body color as a further effort to "normalize" the vehicles' looks as compared to competitors.

1996

• Both 3.1 and 3.8 L V6 engines dropped, a 3.4 L V6 3400 engine became the only power plant available.
• Traction control dropped as an option.

2nd generation

1997-1998

Pontiac Trans Sport Montana

In the 1997 model year, the Trans Sport and its siblings got their first major redesign, ditching the one-of-a-kind construction and look to create a more conservative, conventional minivan. Gone were spaceframes, plastic body panels, and sleek styling. The new minivans were of unibody steel construction and the styling was intentionally conventional to such an extent that contemporary reviewers remarked that without looking closely at the badging and grille treatments, these minivans could be mistaken for their primary competitors, the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, which at the time commanded a 50% share of the minivan market.

Production of this generation was performed at GM's Doraville, Georgia facility.

Safety Criticism

A crash test video of the 1997-2004 Trans Sport/Montana has received some criticism due to extreme damage to the vehicle in the 40 mph (64 km/h) crash test. The minivan received a "Poor" rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and some comments made by the IIHS were

• Major Collapse of the occupant compartment left little survival space for the driver.
• Extreme steering wheel movement snapped the dummy's head backward.

• The unnatural position of the dummy's left foot indicates that an occupant's left leg would have been seriously injured in a real-world crash of this severity.

• The forces on the left lower leg were so high that the dummy's metal foot broke off at the ankle.