While today's minivans offer levels of comfort and performance on par with sedans, the Chevrolet Astro was a minivan from a different era. Compared to front-wheel-drive, car-based minivans, the Chevy Astro was a true workhorse with considerable towing and hauling capabilities.Chevrolet did offer the Astro van with an all-wheel-drive system, which made it one of the handful of vans, mini or otherwise, capable of tracking confidently through snow and ice.
Most Recent Chevrolet Astro
A 4.3-liter V6 was standard on all Chevrolet Astro passenger vans. Early vans were exclusively rear-wheel drive; Chevrolet added the option of all-wheel drive in 1990. From 1995 onward, Chevrolet sold only the extended-length Astro.
Options included rear air-conditioning, leather upholstery, second-row bucket seats (reducing seating capacity to seven), upgraded stereos, towing preparation and a locking rear differential.
Four-wheel antilock brakes were made standard on Astro passenger vans in 1990. A 1995 face-lift gave the Astro a fresher exterior look. Speed-sensitive power steering was added to ease parking in 1997, and in 1999, Chevrolet adopted a new all-wheel-drive system that sent power to the front wheels only when the rear wheels began to slip -- thus improving fuel economy.