1. Overview
2. Gallery
   • Photo Gallery (13)
   • 360° View
   • Video
   • Web Videos (51)
3. Trims and Specs
   • Select a Trim (10)
4. More Resources
   • Related News (0)
   • Other Expert Reviews (1)
   • Consumer Opinions (2)
   • Car Tweets
   • Q&A (0)
5. Next Steps
   • Get GMC Insurance Quotes
   • Get GMC Financing Quotes
   • Check Local Classifieds
   • Find a local dealer

     Select State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Select City
     

     See all GMC dealers

November 14, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/gmc_savana-cargo-van_2001

  TheCarConnection Team
 TheCarConnection Team

A full-size van isn’t a purchase you enter into lightly. After all, only a select few folks really need the cargo-swallowing, people-moving capabilities of a real full-size van. Usually, to drive one of these rolling guest rooms, you’re a carpool devotee, a leader of a church group, a traveling futon salesman or someone who chooses an alternative lifestyle, living on four wheels instead of a crawlspace.

This wasn’t always the case. The full-size van’s lot in life changed considerably with the advent of the minivan back in 1984. No longer did you have to arouse suspicion in parking lots (the term sin bin didn’t apply to shopping carts, after all). No longer did you have to drive a gargantuvan for seven-passenger seating. You really don’t have to today, either — but the big vans are actually growing in popularity. GM is selling about 40,000 of the vans each year, and the numbers have been on the rise.

It helps if you know exactly how much van you need, before you even enter a GMC shop. The Savana (has anyone actually compared it to the vast African plain?) are half-ton, ¾-ton and full-ton models — G1500, 2500 and 3500, if you must know. The latter two offer a longer wheelbase; our G1500 is the preemie of the bunch, if you can believe anything with a 135.0-inch wheelbase qualifies as “fun-sized.”

A range of engines is available, including a 4.3-liter V-6; three V-8s of between 5.0 and 8.1 liters of displacement; and a big 6.5-liter turbodiesel V-8. If you’re expecting a fraternity semi-formal among your guests, you’ll want to choose the standard trim level; the upscale versions are your bag if you’re trying to impress Texans.

Conversion dream

The Savana we drove was a base vehicle with LS trim. It featured a 5.7-liter V-8 engine, four-speed automatic, eight-passenger seating and a CD player. There’s none of the in-car video of the smaller Venture minivan, although this vehicle is a converters’ dream. You could probably add an entire video-editing suite along with a back-door ladder if you liked.

A full-size van isn’t a purchase you enter into lightly. After all, only a select few folks really need the cargo-swallowing, people-moving capabilities of a real full-size van. Usually, to drive one of these rolling guest rooms, you’re a carpool devotee, a leader of a church group, a traveling futon salesman or someone who chooses an alternative lifestyle, living on four wheels instead of a crawlspace. This wasn’t always the case. The full-size van’s lot in life changed considerably with the advent of the minivan back in 1984. No longer did you have to arouse suspicion in parking lots (the term sin bin didn’t apply to shopping carts, after all). No longer did you have to drive a gargantuvan for seven-passenger seating. You really don’t have to today, either — but the big vans are actually growing in popularity. GM is selling about 40,000 of the vans each year, and the numbers have been on the rise. It helps if you know exactly how much van you need, before you even enter a GMC shop. The Savana (has anyone actually compared it to the vast African plain?) are half-ton, ¾-ton and full-ton models — G1500, 2500 and 3500, if you must know. The latter two offer a longer wheelbase; our G1500 is the preemie of the bunch, if you can believe anything with a 135.0-inch wheelbase qualifies as “fun-sized.” A range of engines is available, including a 4.3-liter V-6; three V-8s of between 5.0 and 8.1 liters of displacement; and a big 6.5-liter turbodiesel V-8. If you’re expecting a fraternity semi-formal among your guests, you’ll want to choose the standard trim level; the upscale versions are your bag if you’re trying to impress Texans. Conversion dream The Savana we drove was a base vehicle with LS trim. It featured a 5.7-liter V-8 engine, four-speed automatic, eight-passenger seating and a CD player. There’s none of the in-car video of the smaller Venture minivan, although this vehicle is a converters’ dream. You could probably add an entire video-editing suite along with a back-door ladder if you liked. A full-size van isn’t a purchase you enter into lightly. After all, only a select few folks really need the cargo-swallowing, people-moving capabilities of a real full-size van. Usually, to drive one of these rolling guest rooms, you’re a carpool devotee, a leader of a church group, a traveling ...