Who says that a minivan has to be a symbol of complete domestication?  Certainly not Pontiac.  Soccer moms and cable TV companies aren’t the only ones who can use a versatile hauler of people and things.  The 2000 Pontiac Montana is a convincing advance of the theory that a car is mere transportation, but a minivan is an extension of the home–a mobile headquarters for day-to-day erranding or for traveling.  Twenty years ago, this was the role of the full-sized station wagon, but minivans and sport-utilities have completely replaced the wood-paneled Vista Cruisers and Country Squires of days gone.

The Montana began life as an option package on Pontiac’s first foray into the minivan arena, the TranSport, in 1998.  The option package proved to be so popular that for 1999, the name replaced TranSport as the model name.  It carries over into 2000 with no major changes.  The rugged-sounding name seems like it might be more appropriate for a sport-ute, but Pontiac has positioned the Montana as “the driver’s minivan with a distinctive sport-utility flavor.”  While it lacks a four-wheel drive option, the Montana caters to the same crowd that’s snapping up sport-utes left and right.

From the outside, heavy side cladding and sporty round foglights set the Montana off from other minis.  It’s slightly less anonymous than its siblings, the Oldsmobile Silhouette and Chevrolet Venture, although the three GM minivans are differentiated mainly by badges, grilles, and bumpers.  Seen together, there’s no mistaking that these three are the same van wearing different suits.  In spite of that, Pontiac has done a good job of giving the Montana a family look.  The body-colored split grille, heavy fender flares, and sculpted ridges along the van’s sides ensure that it won’t look out of place among the Grand Ams and Firebirds it shares showroom floor space with.  Pontiac’s good-looking five-spoke aluminum wheels contribute nicely to the pseudo-sport-ute look.

The Montana’s merits as a mobile home base are immediately obvious once inside.  The vehicle seems to be geared toward eliminating the need to leave it for any reason.  As with most minivans, front-seat passengers can easily climb between the seats to get to the rear.  The power right-side sliding door can be controlled with a switch on the console over the driver’s head, as can the optional power rear vent windows.  A net between the front seats and many deep cubbyholes ensure that whatever accessories need to be brought aboard are close at hand, although storage for compact discs and tapes is awkwardly close to the floor. MontanaVision, an optional multimedia entertainment center that installs in the overhead console, keeps rear-seat passengers occupied with a VCR, fold-down TV monitor, CD player, and video game inputs.  Seats are comfortable and nicely upholstered whether they are buckets or benches, front or rear.  The easily removable folding bucket seats are light enough for one person to carry, and the cargo area that results from removing all of the rear seats is big enough to swallow an upright mountain bike without removing the wheels.  To make that bike feel even more at home, the Montana features an onboard air compressor in the cargo area.

Ahead of the driver, black and white instruments are ringed with red, a nod to Pontiac’s sporty image.  The steering wheel could use a thicker rim and a thinner center section, although the radio controls in the center of the wheel are a nice touch.  Unfortunately, the Montana has retained Pontiac’s irritating self-locking doors, which secure the vehicle when it is put into gear but don’t unlock when the vehicle is turned off.  This can be infuriating for drivers who don’t want to unlock the doors every time they get out.

Out on the road, the Montana remains a good companion, as long as it isn’t pushed.  This limitation is common among minivans, however; like sport-utes, minivans can’t be treated like sports cars and expected to shine.  The Montana feels sluggish and top-heavy, but only when compared to a car.  Its stability is above average when compared to other domestic minivans.  The ride is much like that of a large American sedan, minus the floatiness.  Refreshingly, the driving experience stands head and shoulders above the original minis from General Motors.  The Montana stops smoothly and confidently, whereas sudden braking in the original TranSport could be a white-knuckle experience.  Because of the rake of the windshield, the Montana’s nose is farther away than it seems to be, a recipe for clipped garbage cans and mailboxes in the hands of the unwary.  The perceived sluggishness isn’t because the Montana is underpowered; it’s just that 3942 pounds is a lot of weight for the 185-hp 3.4 liter V6 to move around.  Pontiac’s recommended 3500-lb towing capacity sounds like it would be working the Montana awfully hard.

On the other hand, the Montana doesn’t inspire the need to rush.  Why run when all of your business can be taken care of from the driver’s seat?  Equipped with a cell phone, the Montana is practically a hotel room.  All of that weight means that the spacious Pontiac is also very quiet on the road.  Passengers won’t have to shout to be heard in this mobile HQ.

The 2000 Montana is available in three- and four-door body styles, and there are two wheelbases available.  The four-door is only available on the longer Montana, however.  Our test vehicle was one of the four-door, extended wheelbase models and featured everything that could be expected on a well-equipped family vehicle.  Par for the course on a minivan these days includes keyless entry, power rear vent windows, front and rear controls for the air conditioning, a power driver’s seat and a roof rack.  It stickered for $27,360.  Montanas start around $22,000 for a short-wheelbase, three-door model.

Outdoor sports participants take heed:  the minivan’s image as a mom-bomb is not entirely deserved.  The days of the cool woody wagon are over, but a Pontiac Montana is a heck of a lot easier on the eyes than an Acura Integra loaded down with rooftop bike and ski carriers and a jet-ski trailer.  Really, it is.

Specifications:

All specs are for the Montana extended wheelbase model, which we tested.

Length:    201.3 inches
Width:        72.7 inches
Height:        68.1 inches
Wheelbase:    120 inches
Curb weight:    3942 lb

Cargo space:    155.9 cu. feet

Base price:    $24,335
Price as tested: $27,360

Horsepower:    185 hp
Fuel capacity:    25 gallons
Est. mileage:    19/26

6/2009 update: Wow.  Rose-colored glasses off, now.   The Montana turned out to be kind of a shitbox, didn’t it?  A well-executed shitbox, perhaps, but I suspect that almost nobody is particularly proud of his/her ten-year old Montana these days. GM even pulled the plug on all of its minivans a few years later, after a somewhat desultory attempt to sexify them a little.