2009 Chevrolet Express LS 1500

The five-door, eight-passenger, rear-wheel-drive 2009 Chevrolet Express LS 1500, the base trim of its model lineup, looms large in the passenger-van market. Lean and mean, with a standard 135-inch-wheelbase configuration and a cargo capacity of 204 cubic feet with the rear seats removed, the ’09 Chevy Express LS 1500 is designed and built for toting passengers and cargo from point A to point B efficiently and with little fanfare. Its standard appearance, comfort, and convenience features include 17-inch steel wheels, tinted glass, front vinyl bucket seats, air conditioning, and an AM/FM stereo with two speakers. Options for the ’09 Express LS 1500 include power doors, windows, and heated mirrors, a sliding rear side door, rear-zone climate control, a roof rack, carpeted floor mats, a trailer towing package, power-adjustable front seats, a 6-CD changer (MP3-compatible), leather, a remote anti-theft alarm, and alloy wheels.

The Express LS 1500 is powered by a 5.3-liter V8 engine that, in combination with the standard six-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, puts out 301 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque at an EPA-rated 13/16 mpg. The ’09 Chevy Express LS 1500 - indeed, the entire Express lineup - features such standard safety features as four-wheel ABS, traction and stability control, three-row head curtain airbags, and side-impact door beams.

By Eric Tallberg