The Invasion of the Space Cars – From the Old Box

The three-page article on the “space car invasion” from AutoWeek 41 of 1991 is a perfect example of why it’s so fun to look back. If there is anything that breathes the feeling of ‘other times’, that’s it. Nowadays, the MPV is an almost completely out-of-favour body shape, but what about the brands covered in the 1991 article? Pontiac gets the most attention of all brands and Chrysler also shines big on the page. One brand no longer even exists, the other brand has been gone from the Netherlands for years.

Well, Pontiac was never really big in our country, but with the Trans Sport it managed to achieve a modest success. As far as is known, more than 4,000 of these have been sold in the Netherlands. That is quite special when you see the thing, with its extremely American appearance, the length of almost 5 meters and the fact that you were dependent on a no less than 3.1 liter V6 for the drive. Then later there was also the GT, with even a 3.8 in the nose. Immodest in the Netherlands. You still saw them quite often. You also regularly encountered the sister models Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Silhouette.

An American that you saw much more often, however, was the Chrysler Voyager. In fact, we can call it one of the most popular MPVs ever in our country. The Voyager was both with its engine (in basic trim) and size more modest than its compatriot and that appealed to the Dutch more. Moreover, it was a car that had a slightly less pronounced American appearance. In fact, the lines were actually quite in line with the European market. With its attractive price tag, ‘Captain Chairs’ and comfortable yet relatively smooth handling, the first Voyager already convinced a good 10,000 buyers here. The second generation went even further.

The Voyager even did much better in sales than Renault’s entry in this area: the Espace. The second generation Espace was ready for it in 1991, with more modest engines than the two Americans and, moreover, on all fronts a slightly more thoughtful and – compared to the Voyager – more modern design. The big problem compared to the Voyager in particular: the price. You could put the Chrysler in front of the door from just under 48,000 guilders, the Espace only from about 57,000 guilders. A huge price difference. You bet they got sleepless nights at Renault from those ‘crazy Americans’.

The competition did not have much to fear from the Toyota Previa. That has remained a relative rarity in the Netherlands. The Japanese space wonder was slightly below the Pontiac Trans Sport in terms of size, but above the Voyager and Espace. That was also easy to see, because the Previa looked big. In the interior you also had that idea because of the large glass sections, which of course was nice for the space experience, although the seating space was not spacious due to the placement of the engine under the front seats. The Previa has remained somewhat special because of more than just its appearance. The Japanese hardly sold in our country.

In 1991, smaller MPVs were and came on the market, especially from the Asian corner. Honda did something with the Civic that we can almost speak of a crossover: it brought the Shuttle on the market, certainly from the front still very similar to the regular Civic. A spacious thing that still drove quite briskly. Especially if you had the 1.6 sixteen valve, which also had a really sporty chassis. Mitsubishi came out in 1992 with two models that followed a more traditional MPV approach: the Space Wagon and Space Runner. The first in particular was super practical for its size, with three rows of seats, and left the showroom quite enthusiastically. Finally, there was also the Nissan Prairie for several years, which, despite its relatively compact size, was also available as a seven-seater. The first full year of sales (1989) Nissan sold more than 500 in the Netherlands, but after that the enthusiasm dropped – probably also because of the rapid growth of modern competitors.