The Oldsmobile Silhouette is a minivan manufactured by General Motors from 1990 to 2004 over two generations.
Production ended when General Motors discontinued its Oldsmobile brand in 2004. GM continued to market badge-engineered variants of the U-body minivans, the Saturn Relay and the Buick Terraza from 2005 to 2007.
Background General Motors' first attempt at producing a minivan to compete with the Chrysler minivans—the rear-wheel-drive, truck-based Chevrolet Astro and its twin, the GMC Safari—failed to compete strongly against Chrysler's dominance in the minivan market in the 1980s. The 1990 Oldsmobile Silhouette and its sibling models sold more successfully than the Astro/Safari predecessors.
First shown to the public in 1986, the Pontiac Trans Sport concept car featured futuristic styling, individually removable bucket seats with built-in stereo speakers, a gull-wing rear passenger door and extensive use of glass including a glass-paneled roof.
The Trans Sport was approved for production without the gullwing door and the glass roof. Chevrolet and Oldsmobile received production vehicles based on the Trans Sport with the Lumina APV and Silhouette respectively. While the Pontiac Trans Sport was targeted at sport- and style-oriented buyers, the Lumina was the value offering and the Silhouette targeted premium markets, competing with the Chrysler Town & Country.
First generation (1990–1996)
The first 1990 Oldsmobile Silhouette was manufactured on August 1, 1989. Assembled in General Motors' North Tarrytown Assembly assembly facility, these U platform vans consisted of a galvanized steel space frame wrapped in composite plastic body panels that were impervious to rust and minor dents and dings, a manufacturing technique developed on the Pontiac Fiero and also used extensively on General Motors' Saturn line of vehicles.
The Silhouette was available with seating for seven, with the five lightweight () rear seats being individually reconfigurable and removable. In 1994, built-in child seats were added to the option list, which provided the ability to switch two of the rear seats between adult and child seating with the pull of a seat-mounted tab.
Included with the level ride package, which utilized a compressor and air-pressurized rear shock absorbers to maintain vehicle height regardless of load, was a control panel and air hose kit that allowed the vehicle to be used to inflate tires, air mattresses, and sporting equipment.
In 1994, a remote-controlled power sliding door feature was added, a General Motors innovation.
For the 1994 and 1995 model years, traction control was available with the 3800 engine option.
The first-generation Silhouette was not available in Canada.
European Market
Europeans grew accustomed to sleek minivans thanks to the Renault Espace and did not object to the futuristic styling. For the European market, however, the Oldsmobile Silhouette was sold as the Pontiac Trans Sport by replacing the Oldsmobile badging with Pontiac badging, along with Pontiac wheels. Sales in Europe were good for an American import, but did not represent enough volume to make a fourth, distinct model economically feasible. Like the Oldsmobile Silhouette, the European Trans Sport did not receive any facelift, as the vans' initial styling had not been negatively received there.
The Pontiac Trans Sport of Europe was discontinued in 1997. Its successors were both the Chevrolet Trans Sport (a rebadged second-generation Pontiac Trans Sport) (LWB), and the Opel Sintra (SWB). In the United Kingdom, it was sold as the Vauxhall Sintra.
Engines 1990–1995 LG6 3.1 () V6 1992–1995 3800 () V6 (optional) 1996 LA1 3400 () V6
Modest sales success The Oldsmobile Silhouette and its siblings were controversial because they were the first minivans to be marketed as stylish or sporty. While they were lower and sleeker than the competition, the large, long, and sloped windshield made for a disconcerting driving experience until the driver adjusted to the "different" proportions. Automotive magazines dubbed these minivans "dustbusters" after a similar-looking household appliance.
The first engine in these vans was a meager 3.1 L V6, that produced only , which was not up to the task of hauling these fairly heavy vehicles.
In 1992, the Silhouette and its siblings received the 3.8 L 3800 V6 as an option, which provided better torque and acceleration, making them the most powerful minivans then in production.
Production of the first-generation Silhouette and its stablemates ended on June 26, 1996, at which time the Tarrytown, New York, plant which produced them and which had been in operation since 1900, was shuttered and scheduled for demolition.
Year to year changes
1990 All-new model. The Silhouette, in keeping with its positioning as GM's luxury minivan offering, is available with optional leather seating, a feature not available on its platform mates and available only on the Chrysler Town and Country among competing manufacturers' models.
1991 Black carpeting was added to the dashboard in the place of the more reflective plastic to address customer complaints about glare from the windshield.
1992 Newly available for 1992 was GM's 3800 V6 engine coupled with a Hydra-Matic 4T60-E 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. The cowl-mounted fixed radio antenna was eliminated, and an integrated roof antenna was installed, sandwiched between the roof and the headliner. Side-view mirrors were changed to the folding type, and were enlarged to provide better rear visibility. Brakes were enlarged and anti-lock brakes (ABS) were added as standard equipment. A pop-up sunroof was added to the options list. Steering-wheel mounted controls for the stereo system were added as an option.
1993 The Silhouette's exterior is facelifted, sporting wrap-around turn signal/parking lamps in front, along with standard foglamps. Tail lights' design is changed from a grid to a solid red color with black "dissolves" around the edges, a style that had been previously used exclusively on the Pontiac Trans Sport. A remote-controlled power sliding side door was announced for 1993, but was never made into production. The center console was redesigned with larger climate controls, a large storage cubby, and a large storage bin at its base.
1994 In an effort to lessen the perceived distance to the base of the windshield, a ridge was added to the interior dash finishing panel. A remote-controlled power sliding door became available as an option a year after the announcement. Built-in child seats for the second row became available as an option. A traction control system became available as an option. Rear deep-tinted windows now featured a darker tint than previously used. A driver-side airbag became standard equipment. A roof rack became standard on all Silhouettes and their subsequent model years, but remained optional on the Chevrolet and Pontiac. A third brake light was added, as mandated on light trucks for the 1994 model year.
1995 Automatic power door locks that engaged/disengaged with the transmission shifting into or out of "park" added as a standard feature of the power door lock option package.
1996 Final year of production. Replaced in 1997 by an all-new design carrying the same name. Both 3.1 and 3.8 L V6 engines were dropped, the 3.4 L 3400 V6 engine became the only engine available. Traction control dropped as an option. Air conditioning and movable rear seats are now standard.
Second generation (1997–2004)
The redesigned 1997 Silhouette was built at Doraville Assembly like other U-body based minivans. Canadian sales began as a 1998 model. The first Silhouettes were assembled in August 1996.
Having achieved second place in sales to Chrysler, General Motors brought out an entirely new U platform series of minivans, theoretically based on the lessons learned from its previous missteps. Reeling from the criticisms of the previous "dustbuster" minivans, the new Silhouette would be completely redesigned as conventional in all respects. The vehicle consisted of steel unibody construction, and the styling would be as conservative as possible. The previous generation was also a little too large for comfortably navigating European streets, so this new range of models would be narrower and slightly smaller than was the norm for the United States in order to produce a single range of minivans that GM hoped would fill the needs of both the North American and European markets. At this time, GM continued to offer the Silhouette as their premium luxurious minivan, while the Trans Sport/Montana and the Venture were offered as the mid-ranged sporty and basic value-oriented versions respectively.
During the development of this generation of the U-body minivan, General Motors extensively benchmarked the then current Chrysler minivans. The resultant vehicles more closely resembled the immensely successful trio of Chrysler minivans; However, Chrysler would launch a completely redesigned minivan line a year before GM.
Two different wheelbase lengths were offered as well as dual sliding doors. The base model (only offered for 1997) was the only model to offer short-wheelbase and a driver side sliding door being only optional, when all the other trim levels of the Silhouette were in long-wheelbase extended version and offered a standard driver side sliding door.
Unlike with the Venture and Trans Sport/Montana, the roof rack was standard on all Silhouettes. New for this generation were cabin air filters, and the filters can be accessed from behind an access panel easily accessed from inside the glove compartment.
Silhouettes, in keeping with their luxury positioning, offered many features as standard that were optional on competing makes and on its platform mates. In 1998, it became one of the first vehicles on the market to offer a DVD player with overhead retractable LCD screen for back seat viewing, which has since become a "must-have" option for families with children. For 2001, the Silhouette received a minor facelift that included a new grille and front bumper.
Trim levels Base (1997) GL (1997–2004) – Included: Cloth upholstery, 15" steel rims with hubcaps, air conditioning, map pockets in driver and passenger seats, power driver's seat, storage drawer under passenger front seat, an AM/FM stereo with single-CD player and seek-scan tuning, coaxial speakers, and clock, overhead console, fog lamps, and power front windows with automatic driver's side window. Later standard features were an AM/FM stereo with single-CD and cassette players and speed-compensated volume control, TheftLock, and clock, a garage door opener, rear seat audio controls, keyless entry, heated power mirrors, and automatic headlamps. GLS (1997–2004) – Added: leather upholstery, rear parking aid, tri-zone climate control system, rear seat audio/climate controls, compass, garage door opener, an AM/FM stereo with single-CD and cassette players, seek-scan tuning, coaxial speakers and clock, leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, power front seats with driver's side memory, 16-inch alloy rims, and power sliding passenger door. GS (1998–1999) Premiere (1998–2004) – Added: Entertainment system with DVD player with fold-down overhead color monitor for rear passengers, input jacks for video games or camcorders, 4 pairs of wireless headphones and rear seat visual/audio controls, heated front seats, and power sliding driver's side door.
Engine The engine was a 3.4 L LA1 3400 () V6 engine that was shared with the Chevrolet Venture and the Pontiac Trans Sport/Montana.
Safety criticism