GMC SAFARI INTERIOR DRIVER
GMC SAFARI INTERIOR PLUS

You’ll just have to figure out if you really can’t live without the $950 leather seats or the $309 heavy-duty trailering equipment. But most Safari buyers settle for the slightly less deluxe SLE package that costs around $25,000. A lot less than the $30,000 sticker on our Safari test vehicle. It makes 190 horsepower, but I wonder if you really need the extra space and the towing capacity, why wouldn’t you just buy a full-size van? You can get a V-8 in one of those and I’ll bet the sticker price would actua be less. I’d stomp on the accelerator and there’d be a noticeable lag before the V-6 kicked in. He: Another problem I noticed was passing trucks on the turnpike. If you’re not cautious, it does feel tippy. But you do have to adjust your driving a bit because this is not a car. Besides, I loved riding up higher than a typical minivan. I didn’t have any problem and neither did great-grandma, who is almost 96. You know what they say, climb stairs and you’ll stay out of the nursing home. I’m over 6 feet tall and it’s still a chore to climb in and out of the Safari. Another gripe I have is with the step-in height.

GMC SAFARI INTERIOR DRIVER

I think we were pretty miserable and cramped after just a couple hundred miles, weren’t we? So the passengers will probably appreciate the extra space in the Safari, even if the driver has no place to put his or her feet.

GMC SAFARI INTERIOR PLUS

He: I remember driving our family of four plus your parents and all our luggage in a competitor’s vehicle – one of those front-wheel-drive car-based minivans. The shoulder room alone in the center and rear of the Safari is 67 inches! That’s spread-out time. If you don’t believe me, look at the stats. When’s the last time you tried to cram seven or eight people in a Caravan? That means a van that can not only haul her kids, but their friends, too. I consider her a really salt-of-the-earth person who looks for functionality in a product and wants to keep the family together. But I kept thinking about our neighbor Donna, a person I really admire. It’s tall and boxy and doesn’t have a lot of personality. She: I’ll admit that I wasn’t running out to the driveway to coo over the Safari. But I have to tell you, driving the lumpy Ohio Turnpike, it didn’t take long for me to develop a case of nausea to go with my leg cramps. With the big 4.3 V-6, you can tow a pretty sizable boat or trailer. OK, the all-wheel-drive option is a great feature and I don’t even mind the truck chassis. He: I’m sorry, but I’m not one of those enlightened buyers who have discovered the dubious joys of owning and driving a Safari or its counterpart, the Chevrolet Astro. Nine times out of ten, the woman is driving and the guy is snoring in the passenger seat. Besides, I’ve seen the caravans down I-75 at Easter and Christmas vacation. I agree that it is a little bit of a squeeze up there in the driver’s seat, but if you’re a short-legged, 5-3 person like me, you’re probably not going to suffer too much. She: You’re blaming the Safari for your big EEE feet? Now that’s fair comment and criticism. The cramp in my left foot from having no space whatsoever on the driver’s side was enough to convince me. I drove it from Detroit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He: I sure wasn’t sold on it and I didn’t even have to go as far as Disney World to make up my mind. We did – and at least half of the family was sold on it. If you’re towing a big boat or camper or regularly take your three kids plus grandparents to Walt Disney World on vacation, you may want to take a hard look at the Safari, which can seat up to eight people.

And because it’s based on a truck chassis, not a car like many minivans, it drives like a truck. It doesn’t have a fourth door and unless you get the all-wheel-drive package that we had on our $30,560 test vehicle, you must settle for rear-wheel drive. The Safari’s looks haven’t changed much since its original design in 1985 and it has been a bit slow to catch up to competitors. It’s easy to overlook – or even have a field day criticizing – the 1997 GMC Safari SLT AWD mid-size van.

Gmc safari interior