Opel Sintra
Encyclopedia
The Opel Sintra is a large MPV
manufactured by General Motors
for the Europe
an market (in the United Kingdom
under the Vauxhall
Sintra nameplate) between 1996 and 1999. The Sintra is one of the second-generation U-body
MPVs (known internally as GMX110s). Its name was chosen by a computer from a list of short, easy to pronounce words and not after the historic Portuguese
town of Sintra
. It featured sliding rear side doors on both sides and was available in different seating configurations, which provided seating for from 5 to 8 passengers. Unlike its North American counterparts, it offered manual transmission instead of automatic transmission, and had the gear shift mounted directly on the floor like the older generations of European vans.
and Pontiac Montana
/Trans Sport, and similar exterior dimensions. Along with other U-body minivans, it was made in Doraville, Georgia
. It did not, however, use the LA1 3400 V6 engine, but rather a selection of Opel engines (which had to be imported to the United States for assembly).
The Sintra had an important influence on U-body development – because GM wanted to keep it similar in dimensions to European large MPVs (such as the Volkswagen Sharan
/Ford Galaxy
/SEAT Alhambra
or the eurovans
), the platform was made quite narrow, which in turn made the GMX110s narrower than the previous "dustbuster" minivans, and more importantly than most American competitors. This influence continued through the third and final generation U-body minivans, even though none of them were sold in Europe.
Many reviewers and customers found that the materials, fit and finish were below the usual Opel quality, and also below what European competitors offered – this was only partially addressed by several changes made throughout the model lifetime, like replacing the upholstery fabric for the 1997 season. The model also proved relatively unreliable. In 2001 the Sintra, by now no longer sold in the UK, achieved position 182 out of 182 in a J D Power "customer satisfaction survey" covering cars first registered in the UK between August 1998 and August 1999.
On top of that, the EuroNCAP
frontal impact crash test performed on a 1998 model revealed significant deficiencies – the cabin structure proved unstable and the steering wheel (along with the airbag) broke off (unlike the IIHS test of its North American twin, the Pontiac Trans Sport where the steering wheel only moved upward), which might have caused fatal neck injury to the driver, and that the damage to the dummy's feet were extremely high. Despite relatively good performance in side impact tests, the Sintra only managed to score 2.5 stars (3 stars with one struck due to the fatal neck injury hazard). Consequently, the Sintra's popularity plummeted even further, forcing Opel and Vauxhall to drop the model in 1999. Because the Astra
-based Opel Zafira
compact MPV
debuted at the same time, it is sometimes said that the Zafira replaced the Sintra, but in fact Opel never had a large MPV after the Sintra, and GM eventually abandoned this segment of the worldwide market altogether.
Minivan
Minivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
manufactured by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
for the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an market (in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
under the Vauxhall
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
Sintra nameplate) between 1996 and 1999. The Sintra is one of the second-generation U-body
GM U platform
The U-platform is a front wheel drive minivan and crossover SUV platform from General Motors produced since 1990. North American sales ended in 2009, but Chinese production continues. The minivans were divided into three generations, 1990-1996, 1997-2005 and 2005-current...
MPVs (known internally as GMX110s). Its name was chosen by a computer from a list of short, easy to pronounce words and not after the historic Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
town of Sintra
Sintra
Sintra is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.In addition to...
. It featured sliding rear side doors on both sides and was available in different seating configurations, which provided seating for from 5 to 8 passengers. Unlike its North American counterparts, it offered manual transmission instead of automatic transmission, and had the gear shift mounted directly on the floor like the older generations of European vans.
History
The Sintra is specifically based on the short-wheelbase version of the second generation U platform and has the same wheelbase, front and rear track as the short-wheelbase Chevrolet VentureChevrolet Venture
The Chevrolet Venture is a minivan produced by General Motors from the 1997 to 2005 model years. It replaced the Chevrolet Lumina APV. Identical minivans were also sold in Europe as the Opel Sintra, and in the UK, they were badged as a Vauxhall. Opel assisted in the development of the minivan as well...
and Pontiac Montana
Pontiac Montana
The Pontiac Montana is a minivan from the Pontiac division of General Motors. Prior to the 1997 model year, it was known as Pontiac Trans Sport. In 1997, the Trans Sport added the Montana moniker as part of an available trim package. The package proved so popular the line was renamed Montana in...
/Trans Sport, and similar exterior dimensions. Along with other U-body minivans, it was made in Doraville, Georgia
Doraville, Georgia
Doraville is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 8,330.-History:Doraville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, approved December 15, 1871...
. It did not, however, use the LA1 3400 V6 engine, but rather a selection of Opel engines (which had to be imported to the United States for assembly).
The Sintra had an important influence on U-body development – because GM wanted to keep it similar in dimensions to European large MPVs (such as the Volkswagen Sharan
Volkswagen Sharan
The Volkswagen Sharan is a large MPV produced by the German automaker Volkswagen since 1995.-First generation :The name Sharan is derived from a Persian word meaning "Carrier of Kings"....
/Ford Galaxy
Ford Galaxy
The first Galaxy was designed as a joint venture product between Ford and the Volkswagen Group. Produced at the joint-venture AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal, the vehicle was badge-engineered to create three vehicles: the Ford Galaxy; by Volkswagen Passenger Cars as the Volkswagen Sharan;...
/SEAT Alhambra
SEAT Alhambra
The SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal...
or the eurovans
Eurovan (PSA/Fiat)
The "Eurovans" are a family of large MPVs from the Citroën, Peugeot, Fiat and Lancia badges, built by Sevel at Sevel Nord factory. It was launched in March 1994. Production ceased in November 2010....
), the platform was made quite narrow, which in turn made the GMX110s narrower than the previous "dustbuster" minivans, and more importantly than most American competitors. This influence continued through the third and final generation U-body minivans, even though none of them were sold in Europe.
Many reviewers and customers found that the materials, fit and finish were below the usual Opel quality, and also below what European competitors offered – this was only partially addressed by several changes made throughout the model lifetime, like replacing the upholstery fabric for the 1997 season. The model also proved relatively unreliable. In 2001 the Sintra, by now no longer sold in the UK, achieved position 182 out of 182 in a J D Power "customer satisfaction survey" covering cars first registered in the UK between August 1998 and August 1999.
On top of that, the EuroNCAP
EuroNCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme is a European car safety performance assessment programme based in Brussels and founded in 1997 by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport and backed by several European governments.-History and activities:Euro NCAP is a...
frontal impact crash test performed on a 1998 model revealed significant deficiencies – the cabin structure proved unstable and the steering wheel (along with the airbag) broke off (unlike the IIHS test of its North American twin, the Pontiac Trans Sport where the steering wheel only moved upward), which might have caused fatal neck injury to the driver, and that the damage to the dummy's feet were extremely high. Despite relatively good performance in side impact tests, the Sintra only managed to score 2.5 stars (3 stars with one struck due to the fatal neck injury hazard). Consequently, the Sintra's popularity plummeted even further, forcing Opel and Vauxhall to drop the model in 1999. Because the Astra
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a small family car engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since 1991.It is branded as Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom, the Buick Excelle XT in China and the Chevrolet Astra/Vectra in Latin America...
-based Opel Zafira
Opel Zafira
The Opel Zafira is a compact MPV engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel. The Zafira is sold under the Vauxhall marque in the United Kingdom.- Zafira A :...
compact MPV
Compact MPV
A compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments...
debuted at the same time, it is sometimes said that the Zafira replaced the Sintra, but in fact Opel never had a large MPV after the Sintra, and GM eventually abandoned this segment of the worldwide market altogether.
Engines
- 2.2 L I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
16VMulti-valveIn automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and can operate at higher revolutions per minute than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.- Multi-valve rationale :A multi-valve design...
DOHC EcotecPetrol engineA petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels.... - 3.0 L V6 24VMulti-valveIn automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and can operate at higher revolutions per minute than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.- Multi-valve rationale :A multi-valve design...
DOHC L81 V6GM 54-Degree V6 engineGeneral Motors' Opel subsidiary in Europe designed a compact V6 engine with an odd 54° vee angle. It was an iron block/aluminum head DOHC design with 4 valves per cylinder. All 54° engines were assembled at Ellesmere Port in England.... - 2.2 L DTiTurbodieselTurbodiesel refers to any diesel engine with a turbocharger. Turbocharging is the norm rather than the exception in modern car and truck diesel engines...
-4 16VMulti-valveIn automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and can operate at higher revolutions per minute than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.- Multi-valve rationale :A multi-valve design...
DieselDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
- Available during last year of production (2000) with only 394 built.