C O V E R     S T O R Y

Americans popularized the form of transportation known as the minivan.  The premise was simple: combine the space of a van with the good performance and external packaging of a sedan, so that even without the kids, mom or dad can be comfortable driving it.  Finally, an affordable American minivan has arrived on our shores—the Chevrolet Venture from GM.  Surely this has piqued the attention of many moms and dads who are looking for the ideal vehicle for their caboodle.  The Venture’s specifications are certainly impressive, particularly the price: a reasonable PHP1.15 million.   

We’ll give you a comprehensive look at this American van, with some comparisons to its closest competitor, the Kia Carnival.  This time, the American is the upstart, muscling in on its well-established rival from Korea.  Will it be a rout or a close match?  We’ll examine our contenders in the most relevant areas.

Seating  

The Venture is certified by the government as a 10-seater vehicle, and indeed it has count-’em, ten seatbelts.  All seating positions get a headrest, too, except for the last row middle passenger.  The front row features a driver’s chair and a separate bench good for two more persons.  The middle row is made up of two split-folding and removable benches, to seat four persons.  Three people can fit in the last row bench seat, which can also slide, fold, tumble and be removed. 

That fits 10 people—in theory.  In practice, we found out that the Venture can indeed seat 10 people, but it’ll entail some careful selection as to who sits where.

We tried seating three adults in the front row and it was a snug fit.  The driver and middle passenger felt too close for comfort.  Also, the middle passenger has limited legroom because of the dashboard.  However, if the middle passenger happens to be a kid, or a very good friend of the driver, then you won’t hear any complaints from the front.

For the second row, better select two wide and two narrow people.  The bench seat is expansive and back support is adequate.  The adjustable headrests help immensely with comfort.  Elbow room is at a premium, though.  As for the last row, at least two of the three people should be the narrow type.  Not to worry if you’re assigned to the last row; it boasts of headroom equal to that of any other seating position—meaning there’s plenty of space above your head.  Legroom is also generous even for a trip to Tagaytay or for hours of crawling in Manila traffic.

If you’re all tall and wide, then forget everything we just said, hop on board and hope that you get to your destination quickly!

The Carnival doesn’t even attempt to squeeze ten seats in its interior.  Its seating configuration clearly dictates a maximum of eight passengers.  There are two chairs in front, and like the Venture’s, each has armrests. (We’re wondering why all cars don’t have this feature—it’s so comfortable!)  The second row has a one-person chair and a two-person bench.  You can even swap the positions of the chair and bench. The third row is a three-person bench. 

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