Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan revamped with rear door option
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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KINNEBUNKPORT, Me. -- In the War of the Minivans, that family niche market segment fought over by domestic automakers, consider the contested skirmish over perks for passenger conveniences won by General Motors with the redesign of its recently departed Dustbuster on wheels.
The new GM minivan, appearing in versions for Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile, provides more interior room, more passenger-friendly amenities and three tiers of seats sculptured for comfort.
Deluxe editions, wearing the badge of Oldsmobile and the recycled moniker of Silhouette, contain two rear sliding passenger doors, a hammock-like net tucked between front seats for stowing small items plus countless other storage compartments scattered throughout an airy cabin, handy rear-seat power point to plug in portable electronic gear like TV and VCR, a storage area which conforms as you vary seat configurations -- and as many as 17 cupholders.
Sure, no minivan ever needs to tote 17 containers of beverages at any one time, but the point with Silhouette is that there's one near any seat position when you want it.
Silhouette in its new shape and form has more going for it than plentiful cupholders, however. There's so much here now that the new rendition warrants serious consideration in any comparison with domestic competitors.
In extended tests while touring the rugged coast of Maine, Silhouette easily proved itself as a convenient family hauler and its comfort factor merited the descriptive as limousine-in-disguise.
Yet Silhouette's exterior styling, conservative and subtle, seems unremarkable.
Of course, it's sleek and smooth, with softly rounded corners to subdue the awkward boxy nature of a minivan. Side windows above sheetmetal slabs taper upward to the rolled roof, and above the cascaded prow a rakish windshield makes a strong statement in streamlined profile.
All of these sweeps and curves and cascades work in visual concert so Silhouette appears smaller than its interior measurements actually indicate. This in turn becomes a user-friendly asset which eliminates any factor of intimidation due to the innate size, as a goal of GM's redesign was to make this compact minivan as easy to use as that icon of yesterday's family, the station wagon.
Like a conventional car-based wagon, Silhouette rides low to the ground so passengers may step rather than climb aboard like stepping into a sedan.
Silhouette in new format rides on two wheelbases.
The regular edition rolls on a wheelbase of 112 inches, with access supplied from two hinged front doors and a right-side sliding door reaching to rear seats, plus a top-hinged back lift gate.
The extended version adds eight more inches of length to the wheelbase, which translates to extra space for the cargo and rear passenger area rigged with second and third tiers of seats.
It can carry up to seven people or, with the two back rows of seats removed, a lot of cargo -- loads as large as 4 by 8 sheets of building material.
From a driver's perspective, Silhouette's bold windshield combines with deep side windows to provide excellent outward visibility.
The driver sits in a comfortable bucket that stands high in front of a redesigned instrument panel, with padded steering wheel, column-mounted shift lever and handy switches and dials set within easy reach.
For back-seat passengers the floor slopes up toward the rear like theater seating so rear rows rise higher than seats in front and everyone gets a good view.
Silhouette's regular-wheelbase edition places two form-fitting bucket seats in front separated by a walk-through aisle and followed by a 2-person bench with 60/40 split for the center row and a rear 3-person seat split 50/50 -- with capacity for as many as seven.
Rear bench seats flip and fold in various ways to accommodate people or cargo, and aluminum frames make the benches easy to move when more cargo space is required.
Two optional toddler seats flip out from center bench.
For that limousine-like ride, the top extended-length Silhouette GLS trim packs modular captain's chairs in the second row, with deluxe leather upholstery also available.
Two of the most appealing conveniences concern options for rear passenger doors on extended-wheelbase editions.
An optional left-side sliding door permits backseat riders to reach left rear seats without having to crawl across from the conventional right-side door.
When combined with the two front hinged doors, adding the left slider converts Silhouette to 4-door sedan.
A second optional door feature -- power operation for the right sliding rear door -- can be incredibly convenient at times, particularly for the driver because all it takes to close that big slab is a simple tap to the control button mounted in the overhead console, or for passengers an auxiliary button on the right B-pillar beside the door.
Conveniences extend beyond interior perks and comforts to Silhouette's easy-to-maneuver personality. A turning radius of less than 40 feet allows a driver to wiggle through traffic and park with ease in a crowded lot.
Ride quality feels firm but smooth due to Silhouette's ladder-type chassis which becomes a flex-resistant platform to support front independent suspension components with MacPherson struts and variable-rate coil springs.
Power rack and pinion steering responds quickly, and power-assisted brakes tied to computerized anti-lock system add precise control for stopping.
Power's there when you need it too.
Silhouette's 3.4-liter V6 in every issue pumps 180 hp.
This is an excellent engine with instant response for passing, and it connects to GM's 4-speed electronic automatic transmission which shifts smoothly.
A 25-gallon fuel tank on the extended model and good fuel economy figures mean Silhouette has a driving range which far exceeds a passenger's range for rest stops.
Silhouette's price structure in the upper $20,000s makes it competitive with other domestics as skewed to the deluxe end of the GM line of minivans.
1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE
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| 1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact minivan |
| Model Options: |
Compact minivan |
| Wheelbase: |
Regular: 112.0 inches
Extended: 120.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
Regular: 187.4 inches
Extended: 201.4 inches
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| Engine Size: |
OHV 3.4-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
18/25 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 22,000 to $ 29,000 |
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