2023 Pontiac Transport
The 2023 Pontiac Trans Sport is a minivan marketed by the Pontiac division of General Motors for the 1990-1999 model years for two generations with the GM badge-designed variants, the Chevrolet Lumina APV and the Oldsmobile Silhouette. Introduced a year before the second generation Chrysler minivans, the Pontiac Trans Sport and the like marked an industry shift towards adopting the form factor used by Chrysler in the minivan segment. APV vans shared mechanical commonalities with W-platform sedans, along with a unique front-wheel drive, transverse-engine chassis.
Pontiac Transport VAN
The Pontiac Trans Sport concept was first presented in 1986 with futuristic styling, gull-wing doors, a built-in Nintendo Entertainment System, and a glass roof. The concept was well received and the production of the Trans Sport was approved in 1987. Many of the more distinctive features of the concept have not been translated into the production model. Chevrolet and Oldsmobile received badge-designed variants of the U-bodied minivans with the Lumina APV and Silhouette.
 Pontiac Transport Sport |
 Pontiac Transport 1986 |
Trans Sport, along with the Lumina APV and Silhouette, boarded the U-body platform and was constructed from a galvanized steel space frame with the dent and corrosion-resistant polymer plastic body panels on the sides and a galvanized steel roof. Similar construction was used on the Pontiac Fiero and some GM Saturn vehicles. The press kit has appropriately left ground clearance in the spec sheet. Image is another matter, and Montana blurs the line between minivan and sport utility in terms of style, but no one would confuse this Pontiac with a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Pontiac Transport Interior
The sliding door on the right side of the van can be equipped to open automatically at the push of a button. The ventilation system has a replaceable pollen filter, which is good news for allergy sufferers. Optional rear audio controls allow rear passengers to listen to a CD, cassette, or stereo via headphones, while front passengers select any of three environments simultaneously.
Pontiac Transport Engine
The Pontiac Trans Sport has a standard 3.4-liter, 180-horsepower V6 engine. This is the same one Chrysler offers with its premium on-demand engine. Available is a driver-side sliding door, just like on Chrysler vans. Buyers who need eight passenger seats can choose the Trans Sport, the only minivan on the market to offer this configuration. Chrysler vans have folding seats, but they’re heavy suckers to unload. The Trans Sport can be equipped with modular seats that weigh just 38 pounds each and are relatively easy to remove.
Pontiac Transport Safety
The Pontiac Trans Sport also meets current side impact standards. However, the Trans Sport performed very poorly in the equalization crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety but performed quite well in federal head-on crash rides. There are no federal standards governing offset crash durability.