2001 Pontiac Montana Review
Price Estimate: $826 - $1,312





+16
Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Available eight-passenger seating, folding third-row seat (extended length models), optional rear parking aid sensor, spunky V6 and sporty handling.
Cons
- Weak offset crash-test scores, uncomfortable rear seats, cheap interior materials.
What’s new
Updated styling and more feature content top the list of changes to the Montana for 2001, but perhaps most importantly, GM has figured out how to provide buyers with a third-row seat that flips and folds to create a flat load floor in extended-length models. New standard features include OnStar communications, power windows, a CD player and remote keyless entry. A rear parking aid sensor, power driver-side sliding door and an in-dash six-discCD changer are new options. When you buy the available TV/VCP setup, you get a larger screen for 2001.
Edmunds says
If you can stomach the heavy doses of plastic trim both inside and out, the Montana offers peppy performance and comfortable passenger accommodations in a feature-laden package.
For sale near Salem, NH
Vehicle overview
Ever since it took on the Montana name and a pseudo-SUV marketing angle, Pontiac's fun-to-drive minivan has been gaining attention as a worthy challenger to its rivals.
Like most other minivan makers, Pontiac offers a driver's-side sliding door, adding optional power activation for 2001. And Pontiac's minivan can accommodate eight-passenger seating, while other minivans cannot. Chrysler, Ford and Toyota vans feature removable third-row seats, but they're heavy suckers to unload. This year, Montana can be equipped with a handy folding back-row bench that creates a flat load floor when stowed.
On top of these useful features, Montana buyers can even get a reverse parking aid sensor and a TV/VCP setup to make family life in the 'burbs more pleasant. For motivation, Montana features a 3.4-liter, 185-horsepower V6 that gets 19 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. Around town, Montana feels downright spunky, with good throttle response and car-like handling. Its four-speed automatic shifts seamlessly and braking is excellent for a 4,000-pound vehicle. Front seats are comfy, and controls are easy to see and use.
In the safety column, dual front and side airbags are standard, as are antilock brakes and daytime running lights that operate the parking lamps rather than the headlights. Puncture-sealant type tires and a rear window defogger are standard, as is a ventilation system that features a replaceable pollen filter. OnStar communications is standard for 2001, making it easy to call for help should the need arise.
Rear-seat audio controls can be had with uplevel radios or a CD unit, and extended-wheelbase models can be fitted with MontanaVision, a factory integrated rear-seat entertainment system that includes an overhead LCD monitor (larger for 2001), a VCP, and video-game inputs. New this year is an available in-dash six-CD changer. For soccer dads (and moms) who are sport sedan wannabes, there's an optional sport performance and handling package that offers upgraded tires on racy wheels, special storage and a sport-tuned suspension with automatic load leveling and traction control.
Montana is, indeed, well packaged and versatile. But it isn't perfect. While the automatic sliding doors are great, they don't work exactly like a typical elevator door. Designed to reverse direction when they determine that an object is blocking the closure path, they need a stern reminder that you are in the way. Teach kids that they are, indeed, strong enough to push them back.
Cost to Drive
Monthly estimates based on costs in New Hampshire
$189/mo for Montana Value
Montana Value
vs
$151/mo
Avg. Compact Minivan
Pontiac Montana Owner Reviews
Most Helpful Owner Reviews
Trending topics
Runs great for all the abuse I give it!
5 out of 5 starsTom Gettman, 07/22/2016
2001 Pontiac Montana 7-Seat 4dr Ext Minivan (3.4L 6cyl 4A)
I bought this van 1 1/2 years ago with 112000 miles. I now have just over 170000 miles. I drive 170 to 200 miles per day. this van has never let me down. Only issue is that it has gone thru a couple of front wheel hubs. This van has never left me stranded.
Time for another vehicle
3.75 out of 5 starsDarla, 09/25/2010
2001 Pontiac Montana 7-Seat 4dr Minivan (3.4L 6cyl 4A)
I bought my mini-van in 2006, and it had 95,000 miles on it. For the first two years, it did great. I took it on vacations with no problems whatsoever. And the best part was that there was plenty of room for everyone. In 2008, I had to replace the head gasket and intake gaskets. It had been overheating. That's been the biggest expense. Recently, at 165,000 miles I've noticed that if I … turn the AC on for long periods of time when driving, it tends to run hot. I have not let it overheat, but it does run hot. I'm also noticing the transmission is sticking. The power sliding door has a mind of its own, sometimes works and sometimes not.
Major Gremlins
4.5 out of 5 starsDemers Family, 01/28/2006
2001 Pontiac Montana 7-Seat Convenience 4dr Ext Minivan (3.4L 6cyl 4A)
We loved the gas mileage this van got, and the space and comfort was superb, as was the interior configuration. However since we bought it used it had no manufacture warranty, nor dealer warranty. The summer of 2004 the a/c went out, we spent $700 on trying to get it fixed, they thought they fixed it, it died again the next day. Then the bearings went out, and both sets of brakes as well … as all the shocks and struts. We only put 25,000 miles on it when we owned it. We put $1000 into it, not counting the a/c and it still needed $1800 worth of work, and two car shops later the a/c problem still could NOT be solved! We traded it for an SUV, it is a sad loss we loved our van greatly.
POOR RELIABILITY AND COSMETIC PROBLEMS
3.38 out of 5 starsDISAPPOINTED, 03/12/2002
2001 Pontiac Montana 7-Seat Convenience 4dr Ext Minivan (3.4L 6cyl 4A)
SEVERAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDING THE GAS AND ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON, A CLIP ON THE FUEL HOSE MISSING. HAD WATER COMING IN THE OVERHEAD LIGHT CONSOLE
NOW I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION, PROBABLY THE TORQUE CONVERTOR. HAVE EXPERIENCED A GRINDING NOISE IN LOW GEAR, PRESSING ON THE GAS AND THE VAN DOES NOT MOVE, WHEELS SPINNING WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO FORWARD AND CLUNKING … FROM TRANSMISSION WHEN GOING FROM HIGH TO LOW GEAR.
2001 Montana Highlights
Value
Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee | $24,400 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 20 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $189/month |
Seating | 6 seats |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger3 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver5 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRollover3 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalPoor
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
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