Pontiac Montana

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Pontiac Montana Models

The Pontiac Montana is available in two wheelbase lengths (112 and 120 inches), and with eight or 10 different option packages, depending on how you count them. All of them are simply called Montana, with no suffixes such as SE, LE, and so forth; which is either admirably refreshing or exasperatingly confusing, depending on your point of view.

You'll want to spend some time figuring out the best seating arrangement for your particular needs. The base-level, short-wheelbase van comes with six bucket seats, but can also be configured for seven passsengers, with two buckets up front, two captain's chairs in the middle, and a three-person 50/50 split bench seat in the rear. Or trade the split bench for a fully stowable bench. Even eight-passenger seating is available, with three modular bucket seats in the second row and the stowable bench in the third. Extended-length models offer the same configurations again, minus the six-bucket style and plus a second eight-passenger variation with the split bench rather than the stowable in the extreme rear.

The MontanaVision video entertainment system comes only as part of the top two option packages on the extended-wheelbase model. 

All models get two sliding rear doors as standard equipment; a power-operated curbside door comes with most long-wheelbase trim levels. OnStar is standard on all models. Parking Aid, an ultrasonic system that detects objects immediatley behind the rear bumper, is standard on the more deluxe long-wheelbase models and optional on others.

Driving the Pontiac Montana

The Pontiac Montana corners quickly for a minivan, especially versions that have the Sport Performance and Handling Package. It's tires don't complain until you push very hard, and that's unique for a minivan. Body roll is less noticeable in the Montana than it is in the Silhouette and Venture; part of the Montana's handling package includes stiffer springs and larger shock absorbers in the rear.

Back on the big highways, you'll feel no pain. The noise from the powerplant is limited to an isolated and distant hissing. At 80 mph, which we found to be the average cruising speed on most Western highways marked at a 75 mph limit, the engine is revving at just 2400 rpm. The Montana doesn't sound like it's straining to keep up, and passing slower cars can be done without too much prior planning.

The V6 engine has good throttle response in traffic, and it's efficient; we managed 25 mpg on a fast trip across the state. The EPA estimates highway fuel economy at 26 mpg. Traction control is optional; and it's a good idea for easier control in winter driving. Without traction control engaged, you can easily spin one of the front wheels during a spirited take-off on dry pavement. With a torque-pumping V6 and front-wheel drive, torque steer is sometimes noticeable as a slight tug on the steering wheel under hard acceleration.

The brake pedal is typically spongy, as it is on most GM platforms that were designed in the early 1990s. Newer designs, such as the latest Bonneville and GM's newest big pickups and SUVs, lack this mushy feeling, so the Montana will likely get a better-feeling brake pedal in the future. Having said that, the antilock brake system works well, without undue clattering of the pedal.