I will never ever drive a minivan. Well, thats what I said until about 4 months ago. That's when my husband ordered his new 2004 Pontiac Montana.
He had a limited list of vehicles and options to choose from for his company car. Our family drives the Montana solely when he is home and on the weekends. Since this van will be mine all mine to drive in 2 years, when he orders a new one, I had to take a long hard look at my life now.
Being almost 30 (gulp), with a 2 year old, I chose to swallow my pride. We chose the Montana because it gave the best bang for our (or should I say his company's) buck.
We like the sporty look of the van. If you squint your eyes, it reminds you of an SUV. Using the driving lights at night work much better than the headlights alone. The whole road is much more illuminated. The large rear gate hatch opens quickly, sometimes a little too quick, so be careful or you might get knocked in the head. It is useful as a cover for loading and unloading without getting you or the contents wet in the rain.
Inside, the seats are comfy. My husband's long road trips without a back ache were a welcome change from the other cars he had been driving. We opted for the automatically ajustable driver seat which is simple to use because just one knob controls each direction. The look of the interior dash is quite pleasing. The gauges are easy to read. The interior is quite spacious. Plenty of head and leg room in the front. There seems to be ample passenger room in the back. The cargo area is a little too small for me. I would like to have more room there without moving the seats. It would've been nice to have the optional convenience station which pops up to allow for more storage and allows you to hang grocery bags. I have to say that my favorite thing about the van is it's built in car seat. It makes life so much easier with a child. I no longer have to wrestle with changing the car seat from my car to his. Plenty of cup holders for us; however, the cup holders in the rear seat near the child seat are useless for our daughter as they pull out from the side and she is unable to reach that far down to get her drink.
The first time I drove the van, I loved it. The driver controls are easy access with and simple to use. I like the switch that automatically cracks the rear windows to let a little air in without blowing you away. The van takes a few minutes to heat the large space, but no longer than normal. We had a chance to try out the AC a few weeks ago, very nice. The radio system has a feature that is able to adjust the volume to your driving speed. This feature can be turned off if you find it annoying.
It handles like a sports car. The steering is tight, which feels comfortable for me. The van has plenty of power in the left hand lane. I don't even notice the tranny shifting and the engine is quiet. The brakes work well, sometimes a little too well, so I had to get used to driving without my passengers and I doing crunches. I have not noticed any blind spots and have no problems maneuvering in reverse.
No one's (or nothing is) perfect so I have a few complaints. There is some wind noise from the back, especially on the interstate. It is annoying to the passengers in the very rear seat when the back windows are cracked because of the wind noise. The arm rests are a little awkward, too low and close to the seat. There is a cargo net between the seats. I think a console doubling as an arm rest would've been a better idea. A piece of advice: spring for the remote sliding doors as opposed to the manual doors. The sliding doors are hard to maneuver, especially with kids.
All in all, very happy with this smooth riding, roomy van. My daughter loves it. My husband travels most of the week in it and he thinks its very comfortable. I'm sold (or maybe its just that I'm getting old). The more I ride in and drive this van, the more I fall in love with it. I am not even ashamed to say that we own one any more. I'm actually proud.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 24,000
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: LE
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