Before we bought our new 2004 Chevy Express fifteen-passenger van, my wife and I fought over the passenger seat. Now, we fight over who gets the keys.

My wife and I both grew up in relatively large families and learned to drive in a full-size vans. Now that we have our own relatively large family we have the requisite family van. After 160,000 miles I decided it was time to retire the ten-year-old family van.

Having grown up on Fords, we had a pretty high opinion of their look, ride, and durability. A new Ford seemed like the natural choice and in no time I found (what I thought was) a great deal on a used 2003 extended Ford Econoline. But before we purchased it, my wife asked some of her friends with big(ger) families what they liked about their vans. The Chevy Express owners spoke up and now I know why! The safety features alone put this van in a class of its own.

If you're like me, you may not even notice an extended Chevy/GMC van when you see one because of the extended wheelbase. For as long as I can remember, the tell-tale sign of a fifteen passenger van was the large portion of the van extending about two feet beyond the rear axle. The Chevy Express/GMC Savana vans push the rear axle rearward twenty inches, so they look like regular full size vans with no overhang. The trick to identifying extended GM vans is to examine the space between the rearward side door and the rear wheel well; if it's more like a foot than an inch its an extended van.

The extended wheelbase is a premier safety feature meant to improve stability and handling of heavily loaded extended vans. A series of high profile fatalities from van rollovers prompted the US DOT to statistically analyze heavily loaded extended vans (read: not a real road test, but enough to understand the physics of a loaded van). The study (see reference links below) determined that a loaded fifteen-passenger van becomes seven times more likely to rollover during an emergency maneuver than a lightly loaded van. Many factors played into the cases they studied, such as driver experience and fatigue, but from a physics perspective the center of gravity of the vehicle moves up approximately four inches and rearward eighteen inches. With more weight behind the rear axle (and a higher center of gravity), over compensation during an emergency maneuver becomes more likely.

Only Chevy Express, GMC Savana, and Dodge Sprinter offer extended wheelbases for their full size vans. I'm not so sure whether Dodge Sprinter actually qualifies as a full size van or a minivan on steroids, but since it can seat up to ten people I'll include it in my compares. Ford Econoline does not have an extended wheelbase option.

The second major safety feature of the Chevrolet vans integrates the antilock braking system with the traction control system and a new system that detects when the vehicle is not responding to steering input. In the industry this is called electronic stability control, or ESC. GM calls this feature StabiliTrak and the 3500 (one ton) extended wheelbase vans are the only GM vans to have this feature (it is available on other GM trucks as well; see reference links, below for details). Ford is the only full size, extended van manufacturer that does not offer ESC. Dodge Sprinter does not offer ESC.

The third major safety feature of these vehicles over the competition, though less glamorous, is the large crumple zone in the front of the van. Those familiar with the tight fit of older GMC/Dodge and even newer Fords will marvel at the empty space under the hood. A side benefit is the legroom between the front seats and the cowl (which is nearly under the dash on the 2004 Express).

These three features, none of which were available on the Ford or Dodge vans, prevented Ford and Dodge from receiving my business.* If I was offered the same Ford van I almost purchased, at half the price, I'm not sure I would buy it.

After putting close to 9,000 miles on the van, three oil changes, several overnight trips, a handful of trips to the beach, and countless trips to Sam's we still fight over the keys. It's safe to say our Chevy Express is now a part of the family.

I have to admit the Chevy Express actually exceeded my expectations for gas mileage. With a 6.0L V8 I didn't expect much above 13 MPG, even on the highway. For city driving (frequent stops/starts and idling) we get about 10-12 MPG, but take this beast on the open road and mileage jumps to nearly 17 MPG. Of the 9,000 miles we have put on the van, about two thirds have been local miles. Overall, gas mileage averages 12.76 MPG.

Finally, this van is a work horse. I have loaded the van with 1,500 pounds (in passengers) on a few occasions. The brakes capably handle the load and I never felt out of control. The effort required to stop is noticeable, but only slightly so. In fact, we recently went on a 200 mile trip with nine people (four adults) and all accompanying luggage, and I only noticed the load when accelerating up a moderate incline to highway speeds from a stop.

Beyond safety features, these are some of my favorite aspects of our 2004 Express:
• Removing the seats is easy (no tools) and there are no obtrusive metal bars extending above the floor. The process is simple enough, and the seat light enough, that my wife and I can get the seat in and out within one minute.
• The rear doors swing wide open and do not restrict cargo access. In fact, the rear access doors can swing out to 180°, so be careful opening the doors next to oncoming traffic or in a parking lot on a windy day.
• I love the (no charge) optional sliding door, especially for tight parking spots (and kids anxious to get out of the van!).
• The bench seat reading lights are shielded from view by the A/C ducts, virtually eliminating glare in the rear-view mirror.
• The compass and ambient air temperature display. I wish the compass showed the heading in degrees.

Other less glamorous features:
• The sun visor actually blocks the sun.
• The door chime engages if you leave a blinker on for too long.
* The windshield wiper fluid reservoir tank holds over 1 gallon of fluid.

Some features I feel are missing:
• Automatic door lock when in drive.
• Two words: Battery Buddy (I believe this is standard on GMCs). We have one on our "old" van and we never had to replace the battery!
• A driver-side sliding door. Driver side swing-out doors are available on GM vans, and they are nice!

* Dodge discontinued its full size van in 2002. The Dodge Sprinter was not available when I purchased our van, but there's no way I would have bought one. It is U-G-L-Y-you-ain't-got-no-alibi and Dodge nickles-and-dimes you for every option. Want a metallic finish? Pay $670 first. Want cruise control? Pay another $240. Need A/C? Fork over $2,655. Don't want diesel? You're out of luck. Etc.

REFERENCE LINKS
US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggestions on 15-passenger van safety (http://http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/Rpts/2004/809735Van.pdf) dated May 2004.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Coalition list of ESC equipped 2004 model year vehicles, and their marketing names (http://www.esceducation.org/about_esc/esc_equipped_vehicles.shtml).

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): ~30K
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: Express 3500 EXT Extended Wheelbase