Great Family Minivan

We purchased this van used about 2 months ago from a local dealer. It had 52000 miles on it. We selected this van after driving similar year Chrysler and Ford vans. I was a bit concerned with the mileage on the odometer. Those concerns were set aside once I we drove the van.

We had previously owned a 1995 Ford Windstar and were tired of the annual head gasket replacement process. I was pleased to see that there appears to be no major flaws with this vehicle when reading reviews on the web. This van is the extended length and I guess they call it the "luxury" package. It is pretty well loaded. Eight passenger seating, load leveling suspension, OnStar (we haven't signed up for yet), Homelink, Front and rear heat and A/C and my kids personal favorite "MontanaVision" A/V system with wireless headphones.

Driving Impressions: This van is quiet. I can talk in a normal tone to people sitting in the rear-most seats and carry on a normal conversation. The Montana has good strong acceleration from the 3400 V6 even fully loaded. Cargo capacity is very good behind the rear seat. We were able to accommodate all of our trappings (luggage, coolers, groceries) on a recent trip for the four of us. The drivers seat is comfortable but could use the addition of a lumbar support. The other seats seem comfortable as well even for long drives. The controls are decently placed and all have a night illumination that takes the guessing out of selection in the dark. The suspension seems a bit wallowy but steering is precise. Not sure if it is just the "air ride" or normal. The power sliding door on the passenger side is nice but the drivers door is not power like the Honda Odyssey. The A/C system gets quite cold but is not overly powerful. The most impressive item is the gas mileage. In this day of $2 a gallon gas it is nice to have a vehicle this big that averages just under 20 around town and 24-25 on the highway. My old Windstar never matched that.

Overall Impressions: Solid, quiet, safe, convenient and so far reliable. We will keep this for a good long time.