1997 Chevrolet Venture LS GM reinvents its minivans. By Marcia Ruff, New Car Test Drive .com

In the rising tide of minivans, General

Motors has been treading water for years. Its long-nosed, plastic-bodied

minivans--the Chevrolet Lumina, Pontiac Trans Sport, and Oldsmobile Silhouette,

aka the "Dustbusters"--never managed to catch a wave with consumers.

For 1997, General Motors launched a brand-new lineup of front-drive

minivans. The designers have kept the best of the old--the sturdy 3.4-liter

V6 engine, the modular seats that can be removed individually, and the

power sliding door--and changed just about everything else.

The result is a group of thoroughly competent vehicles that belong on

the shopping list of any minivan buyer.