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GM’s Pontiac Division is putting a new spin on its 1997 Trans Sport minivan.

Rather than just another minivan, the 1997 Trans Sport will lie between a minivan and a sport/utility vehicle both in design and usage.

Borrowing a page from General Motors’ truck lines, the new front-wheel drive Trans Sport, which was introduced at the New York International Auto Show earlier this month, will be offered in two sizes — standard and stretched.

“Our new Trans Sport is for that growing segment of buyers who demand a vehicle that lies somewhere between a tradition minivan and a sports/utility,” Roy Roberts, Pontiac’s new manager, said at the van’s unveiling.

The theme is meant to break with the industry notion that there are minivans, and then there are sport/utility vehicles. Pontiac is taking a middle ground with its “Montana Package.”

The package offers special self-sealing tires with enhanced rain and snow performance, five-spoke 15-inch cast aluminum wheels, traction control, automatic load leveling, a roof rack, Montana badging, and two-tone exterior styling.

There is nothing wrong with making a smaller vehicle bigger, not that the regular Trans Sport is small with its 112 inches of wheelbase and overall length of 187.3 inches. In its extended form, the wheelbase moves out to 120 inches, the overall length to 201.3 inches, and the cargo capacity moves from 126.6 cubic feet to 155.9 cubic feet. Also available are dual sliding doors and a passenger-side power-sliding door.

I tend to believe the extended length Trans Sport is going to ride a little better that its shorter sibling. But something I don’t understand is Pontiac’s listing of the base curb weight for both vehicles. The weight is listed as 3,702 pounds for both versions. I think maybe they’d better check the engineering specifications on that little item.

The new Trans Sport comes with an updated version of GM’s 3400 SFI (sequential fuel injection) V- 6 engine, a motor originally designed in 1979. The ’97 V-6 embodies at least six generations of engine technology, including thicker side wall stiffening of the lifter valley ribs in the block, a structural oil pan to strengthen the lower end, and the addition of roller rocker arms.

The emphasis for this proven push rod/rocker arm, two valves per cylinder V-6 is on both horsepower and torque — at 180 horses and 205 foot-pounds of torque. Trailer towing capacity can be increased to 3,500 pounds when used with an auxiliary oil cooler.

No matter how you work at it, a van is still going to look like a van. The styling of the Trans Sport’s front end, however, incorporates excellent forward vision. The design of the split grille and fascia, headlamps, hood, windshield, and hidden wipers and radio antenna creates aerodynamic body lines that reduce wind noise.

If you have people to move, there are five different seating configurations. The basic seating accommodates seven in a 2-3-2 seating configuration. In an exclusive eight- seat arrangement, seating is 2-3-3, with three bucket seats in the second row and a 50/50-split folding bench seat in the third row.

There are the expected amenities of storage compartments, interior lighting, electrical accessory outlets, and what might pass for a cup holder record. The Trans Sport offers 17 cup holder locations, so you’ll never want for a place to put your drink.

There also are some minivan firsts, such as second-row auxiliary temperature and blower speed controls, a ventilation system with a replaceable air pollen filter, and rear seat audio controls.

Production will be at GM’s Doraville, Ga., plant with introduction in the late summer or early fall. GM had no comment on price at the New York show.