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General Motors has a vehicle for you that isn’t a sport-utility and isn’t named Suburban. It’s the 1997 GMC Savana, a full-size van that seats eight and has a cargo hold large enough for their luggage as well as the pet–even if the pet is a lion, in which case those two offspring who don’t fit are probably better off cabbing it anyway.

While mini-vans have captured all the attention, there comes a time when mini won’t do and maxi is needed instead.

That’s where Savana comes into play.

And before we go any further, kudos for the GM folks who tossed out that weather-beaten, dog-eared book that’s been in the GM library too long. Titled “100 Worst Names in Automotive History,” GM’s marketing folks pull it off the shelf each time a new moniker is needed. But not this time.

This vehicle had gone under the name of Rally in passenger version, Vandura for commercial usage. Rally is tolerable, but Vandura? Now it’s Savana (Sa-VAN-a. Clever, huh?) for both.

That said, the Savana we tested is a rather pleasant machine. Room you won’t believe, though comfort is another story. Front bucket seats are like easy chairs, but the second and third rows are a tad stiff. And they’d be far more comfortable if they sat on a track that allowed you to move them back a bit to increase legroom between rows. Tilt seat-backs in the second and third row would provide comfort for long trips as well.

There’s a hallway-size walk-through between the two front buckets and the second and third row of seats so Mom or Dad can slip in back to serve refreshments on a journey or threaten the kids with a cattle prod when they get unruly. (Oops. That wasn’t politically correct. Make it to serve refreshments or threaten to unplug the kids’ lap-top computers.

Savana features speed-sensitive variable-orifice power steering, engineering mumbo-jumbo that means the vehicle handles rather well–better than some of its mini-rivals. It takes only light wheel effort to maneuver into and out of most situations, but don’t expect to slink between two cars in the mall parking lot without calculating the geometry. Once between the lines, expect to find the back end hanging out a foot or two.

The vehicle we tested came with the optional 5-liter, 230-h.p. V-8. A 4.3-liter V-6 is standard, but we prefer the 4.3 in the compact GMC Jimmy or Chevrolet Blazer, not in a barge as big as this–especially if you want to tow. A 5.7- and 7.4-liter gas V-8 and 6.5-liter turbo diesel V-8 are optional, the latter designed for optimum mileage and cruising range before the need to fill the 31-gallon tank. Should you stop and get a quick $5 worth of fuel with that 31-gallon tank, the gauge not only doesn’t move, it snickers at you.

We also appreciated the fact Savana comes with dual air bags and anti-lock brakes.

Unlike most mini-vans, the test vehicle came with dual swing-out rear doors rather than a hatch lid. The w ide-opening (165 degrees) doors made it easy to toss groceries in the back, but the door pillars block rear vision.

Along the passenger side there also were dual swing-out doors rather than a slider, which is a no-cost option. With swing-out doors, you have to allow extra room between you and the vehicle parked next door.

Base price is $22,334. Our test vehicle added $5,641 in options and, even with freight, priced out less than $29,000. Not bad.

Savana is GM’s best-kept secret (the Chevy version is called Express, another nice name).

Most are purchased as paneled business haulers or airport/hotel shuttles, with only 8 to 10 percent serving as the family/vacation bus, said Cheryl Catton, Savana brand manager for Pontiac/GMC division of GM.

“We haven’t been a player in the passenger market and sales have been well below where we want to be. We’d like to get passenger usage up to 16 percent of sales from people who have large families or need m re power and room than a mini-van who now look at a Suburban but who could move into a larger van,” she said.

It’s possible, she said, that GMC might offer a luxury Savana with leather seats and trim and a few other gadgets now the domain of customizers or conversion outfits.

“The question is how we can go upscale without chasing value-conscious buyers away and how big is that luxury full-size van niche,” she said.

One way to determine the demand for an upscale full-size van is to team up with a conversion outfit such as Chicago-based Land Jet “to get more exposure” to the luxury concept, she said.

And what should arrive during our interview with Catton but a . . .

LAND JET
So what’s the busy executive to do when required to travel to a town that’s too close to fly to but too far to waste time behind the wheel of the company car?

Take a GMC Savana converted into a Land Jet–basically an office on wheels that’s a lot more comfy and cozy than even a stretch limo and allows the executive to work the whole way there.

The only two items Land Jet lacks are a latrine and a bed, though a stuffed leather seat that folds into a bed is in the works and after that a latrine probably would rise on the wish list.

Michael Toll, who, until a year ago, was managing director of London operations for Blockbuster Video and now is president of Land Jet, has reached agreement with GMC to convert the maxi-van into a rolling office.

The conversion includes five leather-bound bucket seats, a trio of car phones with speakers and headphones, fax machine, a pair of oak table-tops built into the walls, file cabinets, on-board navigation system with maps, four 110-volt power outlets for coffee or tea pot as well as reading lamps, plus window shades for privacy.

There’s also a dry bar, dry sink, refrigerator, microwave, TV, stereo, CD player,makeup mirrors and a 14-inch raised roof with power glass opening to provide room for those items.

For the pleasure of, well, driving pleasure, the Land Jet conversion runs about $50,000, bringing your Savana to about $74,300.

Toll, however, said if you choose a satellite dish, armor plating or right-hand-drive, you should expect to pay a little more.

“Land Jet is for those business people who are tired of airports as well as downtime when traveling on the road,” Toll said.

The conversions began last fall with the first major redesign of the GMC full-size van in 25 years. Since then a half dozen conversions have been sold with customers ranging from an insurance broker to a man who owns a string of nursing homes.

“We’re targeting three groups of people,” Toll said, “CEOs with drivers so they can work while traveling on the road; business teams, such as auditors, consultants or sales people who may drive 50 to 300 miles in one day and can be pr oductive while they do, plus exchange their airline tickets for one tank of gas; and livery services so their passengers can relax.”

Toll said: “It’s easier to justify an office than it is a limo and a driver–and Land Jet isn’t ostentatious.”

Maybe not if you leave out the makeup mirrors.