Chevrolet’s humble Express van (and its GMC Savana counterpart) turn 30 years old this year.
In today’s automotive landscape, we’re used to cars changing seeing major redesigns every few years. Granted, things can move a little bit slower in the truck world (looking at you, Toyota Tundra and Nissan Frontier). But even models that finally saw a redesign after fifteen-or-so years pale in comparison to some of the oldest vehicles still available on sale today. We are, of course, talking about an unsung hero of the cargo hauling domain: the Chevrolet Express.
See, while you can technically go out and buy a “brand-new” Express, like this utility van from our friends at Johnson Auto Plaza in Brighton, Colorado, or even its GMC Savana counterpart, you’re buying something that’s…well, more of a relic in design terms. The Chevy Express and the GMC Savana first made their debut back in 1996, based around the same platform as the iconic GMT400 trucks (with these derivatives appropriately called the GMT600 series).
While General Motors did give it a mid-cycle update for the 2003 model year, it hasn’t really changed much since then. At least, not from the outside.
The only major element that has shifted, over the years, is the list of available powertrains. Up until around 2020, customers either purchased these vans with the automaker’s long-running Vortec V6 and V8 engines, or a Duramax turbo-diesel unit (either the 6.6-liter through 2016 or the 2.8-liter “baby Duramax” through 2022). Since 2021, it has gotten a relatively modern powertrain upgrade with GM’s latest 6.6-liter L8T V8. For 2024 and newer models, there’s also an 8-speed 8L90-E automatic transmission.
Usefulness is the name of the game here, but it still has some solid power.
With 401 horsepower and 464 lb-ft of torque on tap, the latest available gas V8 engine does still give GM’s aging cargo vans some decent oomph. Having such a large-displacement, low-strain V8 under the hood also homes in on one major reason these vans haven’t drastically changed over the years: usefulness and dependability.
Whether it’s in cargo van configuration or a utility van like we see here, GM still builds its vans in the same Wentzville, Missouri plant it’s used for the purpose since 1995. GM also currently builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon at that plant. For cutaway chassis models (the ones that are upfitted as shuttles, box vans or ambulances, for example), GM has outsourced production to Navistar and its Springfield, Ohio plant since 2017.
Check out more on the Chevy Express in Andre’s full review below:
What’s in store for the future?
I know some folks may be asking a couple questions. First off, it’s not unprecedented for GM to run its van lines for 30+ years. The old “G-Series” vans (think The A-Team era), ran for 32 years, between 1964 and 1996. For folks asking “what about the Ford E-Series?”, that is also ancient. Technically, the Blue Oval’s “Econoline”/E-Series range has been going since 1960, with the “current generation” going since 1992.
So yes, depending on how you slice it, Ford has the edge for the single longest-running van lineup among American automakers. There is a slight caveat there, in that passenger and cargo vans haven’t been available to fleets since 2014. Only the cutaway chassis version is still running, and actually (quietly) saw a minor facelift for the 2026 model year — it’s first (extremely minor) update since 2008.
As for either of these vans, status quo seems to be alive and well with regard to the future. While GM initially planned to bring an electric Express/Savana to market, it abandoned those plans back in 2024. The BrightDrop, which you could think of as sort of an electric analog to these long-running twins, is also dead. We may see a GMT620 generation sometime in the future, but it seems neither Ford nor GM are really gunning to change a formula that’s been working for decades at this point. To that end, it’s unclear whether these aging vans are going to just be put to pasture soon (as Ford has marketed the Transit as its go-to since it first came to the U.S. market more than a decade ago), or if we’ll get real replacements in the near future.
