Chevrolet Astro

General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Astro and GMC Safari in 1985 in response to the wildly successful Chrysler minivans introduced two years earlier. The GM twins differed from the Chryslers by being larger and rear-wheel drive. Even though GM subsequently introduced a series of front-wheel drive minivans, the Astro and Safari survived for 20 years in the Chevy and GMC lineups, with only a few modest changes along the way.

Although many components were borrowed from other GM models, the Astro and Safari were different enough to get their own chassis designation, the M body. Unique aspects of the Astro and Safari were unit-body construction instead of the body-on-frame construction more common to pickup trucks and full-size vans. They also used a front subframe, which incorporated the engine and front suspension. Underhood wwas a 2.5-liter four-cylinder or one of two 4.3-liter V-6 engines. The V-6 engines gave the Astro a a towing capacity of up to 5,500 pounds, a significant advantage over front-wheel drive minivans.

The 1990 model year introduced several improvements to the Astro and Safari, including a new long-wheelbase version, available all-wheel drive and a new, more modern dash layout. The long-wheelbase versions of the vans were about 10 in. longer than the short versions, giving them more cargo and passenger capacity. The new dash layout was also welcome, however, the all-wheel drive system proved to be problematic. It reduced fuel economy significantly (17 mpg city versus up to 21 in rear-wheel drive versions), and the torsion bar front suspension was prone to failure. The vans received a more thorough upgrade in 1995, with a new nose and tail that brought the styling in line with the full-size Chevy Express vans, and in 1996 a new dash with an airbag-equipped steering wheel was introduced. Safety remained an issue throughout the Astro and Safari's model runs, with the vans receiving poor frontal offset barrier crash test ratings from the IIHS, and its three-star federal barrier test was below the average when the Astro went off sale in 2005, although side impact scores were significantly better.

Although largely unloved by the press, the Astro and Safari were successful in the marketplace, selling more than 3.7 million copies in the 20-year life of the vehicle. It also proved popular with the custom van industry, which turned out conversion examples of the Astro and Safari. As a somewhat ironic side note, customized Astro vans were also popular in Japan, despite the vehicle's size, thirsty engines and left-hand drive only configuration.