of the giants (most often seen doing airport shuttle service) and the minivans

(most often seen packed with kids and soccer gear). Somewhat overlooked

is the middle ground, where you'll find the GMC Safari, its mechanical

twin the Chevrolet Astro, and remaining stocks of the Ford Aerostar, which

has reached the end of its production run. What sets these apart is that

they are larger than the minis and are rear wheel drive.

While these mid-size vans may seem to be technological throwbacks, they

serve a very real and valued purpose: With more power than the minivans,

and with rear-wheel drive, they can tow much heavier trailers than the

front-drive minivans can handle.

If your summer vacations or recreational pursuits include a boat, camping

trailer, jet skis, dirt bikes, race car or anything else that rides to

the play site, and if your tow vehicle is also going to have to serve daily

use and you don't want to be forced into manhandling some monster through

city traffic, one of these mid-size vans could be for you.

Among the available crop, we think the Safari and Astro rank very high.

They're big enough to handle a fairly heavy trailer, without the trailer

handling it. Playing a major role is the 4.3-liter V6 engine that delivers

lots of torque for those big loads; it's by far the strongest powerplant

in the segment. And just because a vehicle is rated for a certain trailer

weight doesn't mean it will deal with it comfortably or easily, because

the rating might be near the upper limit of what that vehicle actually

can do. But the Safari and Astro have the size and power to deal comfortably

with a trailer weighing 5500 pounds. These are great tow vehicles.

transmission. There are three trim levels; the base SLX, middle level SLE

and top-of-the-line SLT. Most will have rear-drive but, for those who live

where weather can turn nasty, there's an optional all-wheel drive.

The 4.3-liter V6 is rated at 190 bhp and 250 lb.-ft. of torque. From

the inside out, it's been configured to deal with the harsh use vehicles

like this often must endure. Latch the boat and trailer on behind, pile

the family inside, turn on the air conditioner and when you get to the

uphill side of the Rockies this thing will deal with it. The only transmission

choice is an electronically controlled four-speed automatic, which for

1997 has some changes aimed at enhanced fuel economy and reliability.

The all-wheel drive option utilizes a viscous limited-slip center differential

and gives great traction for getting out of the snow-covered parking lot

at the ski resort of pulling the boat and trailer up a wet and slippery

launching ramp. But it adds 230 pounds, and its presence knocks the rated

trailer capacity from 5500 down to 5000 pounds.

The SLX trim level includes air conditioning, dual airbags, AM/FM stereo,

four-wheel antilock brakes (ABS), intermittent wipers, rear-door child

safety locks and five-passenger seating with seven-passenger accommodations

optional. The SLE adds adjustable front seat lumbar supports, power door

locks, tilt wheel, cruise control and standard eight-passenger seating.

With the SLT you add tinted glass, power mirrors and windows, aluminum

wheels, leather-wrapped steering wheel, remote keyless entry and more luxurious

eight-passenger seating. There is a long list of options which are available

virtually across the three trim levels, so we somewhat prefer the SLE because

it includes a nice level of appointments and most of the good stuff you

might want while allowing the freedom to pick and choose from the rest.

Among the major options are a CD player and sound system upgrades, leather

seating (on the SLT only), locking rear differential (a worthwhile item

for dealing with bad weather), rear heater, roof-mounted cargo carrier,

power driver's and front-passenger seats, rear radio and cassette controls

and a trailer package that includes a platform hitch. One option worth

investigation is the choice of rear dutch doors. The normal configuration

for the rear of the Safari/Astro, split doors hinged at the side, allows

easy access but inhibits rearward vision due to the resultant large center

pillar where the doors meet. The dutch door option uses a swing-up liftgate

with a single window, and two lower half doors that swing outward. Therefore,

there's no blockage of rearward vision, and the lower swing-out doors allow

you to load or unload heavy cargo without having to reach over a fold-down

tailgate.

car-like. Owners even refer to their minivans as cars. But there are few

such misconceptions about the Safari. It's built higher off the ground

than the front-drivers, so you will have to make at least something of

a climb to reach the driver's (or any other) seat. To those who are height-challenged

or who place a premium on decorum during entry and exit, this vehicle height

may be an issue. Then, once inside, there is more of a feeling of being

in a "truck-like" vehicle than a "car-like" vehicle.

Not that it's rough or crude; far from it. But you sit higher and the seating

position won't confuse you into thinking you're behind the wheel of a sedan.

But if those issues are not issues with you, the Safari has a lot to

offer. With all seats in place there is 41.3 cubic feet of cargo space,

and with the center and rear seats out of the way you'll have room for

a whopping 170.4 cubic feet of sample cases or home improvement supplies.

And, once seated, you'll find the comfort level to be surprisingly good,

a big benefit in something that is likely to be used for longer trips.

Thanks to a revision a couple of years ago the instrument panel design

is rounded and flowing. The instruments are clearly legible, and occupants

will appreciate the controls for the sound system and the heating and air

conditioning being easy to operate and not intruding upon each other's

spaces. Further down in the center console are a pair of cupholders which

will accept both cans or mugs, and a moderate glovebox. There are numerous

other storage areas throughout the interior: Map pockets in the front doors,

a big compartment along the left-hand side of the center seating area,

a cupholder for the center seat, large storage areas under the third seat

armrests, open bins behind those same armrests and two more cupholders

for the third seat. In addition to the cigarette lighter there are three

12-volt power outlets, two in front and one in the rear.

With eight-passenger seating the center and rear seats are three-person

benches; in the SLT, these benches are split-back with folding armrests

and a center console. Optionally available is seven-passenger seating,

which replaces the center bench with a pair of high-back, reclining buckets.

Outward visibility is great, especially from the front. You sit up high

and the windshield and side windows are huge, so you have an absolutely

commanding view of the road.

"truck-like" from your expectations; in feel, it's somewhere

in between. The strong engine gives ample performance, so this thing scoots

with traffic and has plenty of power to make that dreaded uphill freeway

merge, even when loaded.

Steering feel is direct, and the whole feeling of going down the highway

is one of immense, sure and relentless stability. Our personal experience

in the Safari includes one day-long run in which it was loaded past the

window sills, we had to make it by sundown and the speedometer spent most

of the time in a range beyond that posted roadside, but it was comfortable

and easy as we simply let the Safari do the work.

Ride-wise, there's a noticeable gap between the Safari and the better

front-drive minivans (some of which approach luxury-car territory). This

is exacerbated due to (in the Safari) sitting up high and nearly over the

front tires. But only the most critical will object and, when you consider

the workhorse aspects of the trade-off, we feel the end result is worth

it.

moms might not like it, and the climb to get up and in will discourage

others. But, we repeat: If you don't want to herd a monster van around

town, and you need some extra people or cargo space, and you tow a trailer

of more than just pop-up camp-out size, then the GMC Safari or Chevrolet

Astro might be the only thing that fits your bill. It's been around a long

time but, for a lot of very valid reasons, it remains one of our favorites.