The Chevy Astro is a rear wheel drive minivan which was introduced back in 1985 by Chevrolet. It was originally designed to be a direct competitor to the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. Production continued until 2005, but these cars still remain popular for a number of reasons.

During the lifespan of this particular range of vehicles, things were somewhat different in many respects to how they are today. Firstly, minivans were considered to be crude utility vehicles with little emphasis on comfort and extra features that you would normally expect in a family vehicle.

Driving and handling the Chevy Astro was a surprisingly pleasant experience however, and in some respects, this particular model did start to mark the beginning of a new era of more comfortable minivans with more features than people would normally expect of the time.

During its lifespan, it easily fulfilled all the basic requirements that one would expect of a minivan. However, certain models also accommodated up to eight passengers, making it extremely useful for a number of reasons.

This line of vehicles underwent a major redesign back in 2005, the final model in a particular range. It’s also boasted a 4. 3 l V6 engine, which became completely standard on all Chevrolet Astro passenger minivans.

Today, you can pick up the earliest Chevrolet Astro for around $1000 second-hand, but the latest models cost roughly 10 times that although they are vastly improved for a number of reasons.

Other than a few minor aspects, the Chevrolet Astro changed very little over most of its lifespan. Nonetheless, there were various noteworthy developments such as improved breaks which came in 1990. These four wheel antilock brakes were welcome change, dramatically enhancing the safety of the vehicle. Especially from then on, this particular range of products had an exceptionally good safety record. Airbags were added to both of the front seats back in 1996, improving its safety record even more.

The safety record started to improve especially in 1996 when airbags were added to all the front seats. In 1995, the exterior of the van was rather largely redesigned and in the following year, this redesign extended to the interior as well, with a complete redesign of the dashboard adding new controls and ease of use. To this day, the Chevy Astro remains quite popular.