The original Chevrolet Express debuted way back in 1965, when sex was safe and cars weren't. At the time, vans came in only one size--gargantuan--and the idea of parking a van inside a residential garage hadn't been taken seriously yet. The van world changed irrevocably with the arrival of the Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager in 1983, and as minivans proliferated, full-size vans fell into disfavor with everyone except commercial customers. Aside from the Express and its corporate twin, the GMC Savana, there are only two other maxivans left on the market--the aging Ford Econoline and the sprightlier Mercedes-Benz-built Dodge Sprinter.
In 1995, the Express was the beneficiary of a stem-to-stern overhaul--its first in three decades. Two years ago, it was freshened substantially to upgrade its mechanical components and bring its styling in line with the rest of the Chevy corporate family. The Express is sold in a dizzying array of iterations, several of them earmarked for fleets, commercial use, and van conversion companies.... Read full article