Vauxhall Sintra: the American MPV that Britain did not love

The Vauxhall Sintra was a large seven-seat MPV sold in Britain from 1997 to 1999, the British version of the Opel Sintra. It was imported from the United States, where the same vehicle was sold as a Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac, and it was withdrawn after only a few years.

Vauxhall Sintra at a glance

Written from the English and German Wikipedia articles on the Opel Sintra; the Vauxhall car is the same vehicle with a British badge.

History of the Vauxhall Sintra

The Sintra was one of the second-generation U-body large MPVs, known internally as GMX110s. Despite popular belief, the name was not inspired by the Portuguese town of Sintra: it was chosen by a computer from a list of short, easy-to-pronounce words ending in “a” to fit Opel’s naming scheme. It was imported to Europe from the United States, where General Motors built identical models for Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac, and it was based on the short-wheelbase version of the platform, with the same wheelbase and tracks as the short-wheelbase Chevrolet Venture and Pontiac Montana.

For the British market a right-hand-drive Vauxhall-badged version was introduced in March 1997. ABS was standard, along with dual front airbags, dual front side airbags and seat-belt tensioners. The bonnet was made of aluminium to save weight and improve the crumple zone, and the Sintra had the largest interior of all MPVs on the European market, including those from DaimlerChrysler. Rather than the 3.4-litre V6 used by its American sisters, it used Opel engines imported to the United States for assembly, and it offered a manual gearbox with a floor-mounted lever instead of an automatic. It had sliding rear side doors on both sides and could seat between five and eight people.

The Sintra had an important influence on the U-body’s development, because GM wanted to keep it close in size to European large MPVs such as the Volkswagen Sharan, Ford Galaxy and Renault Espace. The platform was therefore made quite narrow, which made the GMX110s narrower than the previous American minivans and shaped the third generation even though none of those were sold in Europe.

Reviewers and customers found the materials, fit and finish below the usual Opel standard and below what European rivals offered, something only partly addressed by changes such as new upholstery for 1997. The car proved relatively unreliable, and in both May 2000 and May 2001, after it had been withdrawn, it was ranked the least satisfying car to own in the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey for cars first registered in the United Kingdom. A 1998 Euro NCAP frontal test found the cabin structure unstable and the steering wheel with its airbag broke off, which might have caused fatal neck injury; the Sintra scored 2.5 stars, with one of three stars struck for that hazard. Opel and Vauxhall dropped the model in April 1999, just as the Astra-based Zafira arrived.

Design and features

• American build: made in Doraville, Georgia, and imported to Europe.
• Big interior: the largest cabin among European MPVs of its time.
• Manual gearbox: unlike its American sisters, it had a floor-mounted manual.
• Aluminium bonnet: fitted for weight saving and crash performance.

Vauxhall Sintra versions

• Sintra 2.2 16v: the four-cylinder petrol model.
• Sintra 3.0 V6: the six-cylinder petrol model.
• Sintra 2.2 DTi (1999): the diesel, only 1,394 built.
• American sisters: Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Trans Sport.

The Sintra was replaced in practice by the smaller Zafira, and it was Vauxhall’s only large MPV until much later. More cars are in the Vauxhall collection.

Sources

• Opel Sintra, English Wikipedia: origin, equipment, reliability, safety, end
• Opel Sintra, German Wikipedia: model background