Chevrolet Venture minivan adds video gear in special edition
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- What better place to catch a flix than in the movie capital of the world. Only the twist for this Hollywood screening is that we're not sitting in some popcorn-littered theater but chauffeured down Hollywood Boulevard while strapped in the comfy back bucket of a special Warner Bros. Edition for Chevrolet's Venture minivan with video entertainment equipment aboard.
As the top trim version of Venture, the Warner Bros. Edition has the wheelbase stretched long to increase space for second and third tiers of seats and there's a sliding door on each side for easy access to rear quarters.
This Venture also stocks fancy fittings -- leather-clad bucket seats for all three rows, a fine audio sound system and the hands-free OnStar telecommunications link with 24-hour availability for in-vehicle safety, security and information services.
The on-board entertainment system comes with video cassette and compact disc players mounted up front in the instrument panel and an overhead rack above front seatbacks with audio jacks and a color LCD video monitor that folds down for viewing by those on second and third rows of seats.
Controls at rear posts allow the riders to adjust headset audio volume and choose between video (recorded movies and television programs or games like Nintendo and Sega Genesis) or audio selections from CDs.
The image quality from the video screen (measuring about seven inches diagonally) looks sharp with vivid colors, even in bright daylight, and the stereophonic sound quality derived from the headset is strong and pure.
What's the big idea behind factory-installed video gear for Chevy's minivan?
It traces to a primary task for minivan buyers, who often use the vehicle to fill the rear seats with frisky children for carpooling chores or travel long distances on vacation treks with the kids aboard.
Adding the element of video equipment to a carpooler's vehicle translates to a high-tech way to entertain young riders, as any parent knows that a child will sit for hours in quiet amusement watching video tapes of movies and cartoons or playing video games.
The audio-visual equipment in Venture's Warner Bros. Edition offers similar opportunities to amuse passengers, but with a handy built-in package that eliminates the bulky video cassette player and television set.
Even adults can be entertained with the videos, as we discovered during a cruise through Hollywood and on to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.
Operation is easy, with the driver or a front-seat rider managing controls for the video and CD players, and back-seat viewers simply switching between the audio or video selections.
The video equipment only appears in the Warner Bros. Edition of Venture, which has evolved with enhanced features since the original version rolled out five years ago.
Venture's current series includes two wheelbase lengths for regular (112-inch) and extended (120-inch) editions, all with two front doors and the two sliding side slabs plus a rear liftgate.
Regular-length Venture divides into four trims, commencing at the price-leading Value, then adding equipment in incremental steps through Plus, LS and deluxe LT.
Extended-length Venture also has four variations, starting at the Plus and rising through LS and LT trim to the top model, Warner Bros. Edition.
The standard seat arrangement for Value, Plus and LS shows two front buckets separated by a walk-through aisle and followed by a bench for two split in 60/40 sections as well as a third bench for three divided in half.
Two optional toddler seats fit in the center bench.
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. With all rear seats removed, the minivan's vast cargo compartment can haul loads as large as 4x8 sheets of building material.
A new seat configuration for the 2001 Venture LT cancels a second row bench in favor of two captain's chairs.
In the Warner Bros. Edition, the third bench also is replaced by three captain's chairs, for a total of seven.
Another arrangement as an option on LS or LT adds a third captain's chair on the second row, for eight in all.
Leather upholstery, standard for the Warner Bros. Venture, may be added optionally to Venture LT.
Another optional feature -- power operation for sliding rear doors -- is convenient, particularly for the driver because all it takes to close the door is a tap to a control button mounted in the overhead console, or for passengers an auxiliary button on a pillar nearest the door handle.
Power for the right-side slider is optional for Plus and LS Ventures but standard on LT and Warner Bros. Power for the left-side door, new for 2001 editions, may be added optionally to the LS, LT or Warner Bros.
A new optional device for Venture aids a driver when parking by warning about objects in the minivan's rearward path. Sensors in back locate an object behind Venture and determine its proximity to the bumper. Audio and visual signals warn when the object is detected, then increase in frequency as the vehicle approaches in reverse.
Any version brings an easy-to-drive attitude.
Venture turns on a brief radius and maneuvers well through traffic or parks easily in a tight space.
The ride quality feels firm but smooth, thanks to a rigid ladder-type chassis that supports a suspension system with front independent components including MacPherson struts and variable-rate coil springs and a semi-independent arrangement in back with twist axle and coil springs.
Rack and pinion steering with power assistance responds quickly, and brakes with front discs and rear drums linked to an anti-lock system deliver precise control.
Venture also provides muscle, as derived from the 3.4-liter V6 pumping up 185 hp at 5200 rpm and torque production of 210 lb-ft at 4000 rpm.
The engine connects to a smooth-shifting electronic automatic transmission with four forward gears.
Venture's price structure looks good too. The regular-wheelbase Venture Value lists for $21,090 and an extended-wheelbase Plus edition starts at $25,570. Deluxe LT extended is $29,370 and the Warner Bros. totals to $30,665.
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| 2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact 4-door minivan |
| Model Options: |
Compact 4-door minivan |
| Wheelbase: |
Regular: 112.0 inches Extended: 120.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
Regular: 186.9 inches Extended: 200.9 inches |
| Engine Size: |
OHV 3.4-L V6 |
| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side) |
| Gross Weight: |
5357 pounds |
| Towing Capacity: |
3500 pounds |
| Gas Mileage: |
19/26 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 21,000 to $ 33,000 |
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