- Chevy’s ancient Express gains a 7-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth for 2027 models.
- Van debuted for MY96 when mobile phones were rare and music streaming didn’t exist.
- CarPlay and Android Auto remain unconfirmed so don’t celebrate too wildly just yet.
Imagine showing someone from 1996 an iPhone 17, Spotify or Google Maps. Then imagine showing them a Chevy Express. They’d probably recognize the van, but nothing else. After three decades on sale though, Chevrolet’s container-shaped time capsule is reportedly receiving some almost futuristic technology in the shape of a color touchscreen.
According to GM Authority, the 2027 Express gets Chevrolet’s Infotainment System 3, complete with a seven-inch HD touchscreen, Bluetooth calling and wireless audio streaming. That IS3 is outdated tech compared with what Chevy fits to its modern SUVs, and it comes with a tiny 7-inch screen. But it’s going to look like it beamed down from 2076 compared to the prehistoric setup it replaces.
Related: Chevy’s Five-Year Plan Includes A New Sedan And Updated Gas Models
MY26 Express vans – and their GMC Savana twins – currently only offer an AM/FM radio, MP3 compatibility, an auxiliary input, and on some versions, just two speakers. Bluetooth is a $200 option and the nearest you get to nav is one of those 16-way compass notifications in the retro green LCD odometer display. Take a trip back in time by drinking in the image below.
Chevy‘s Express first appeared for the 1996 model year, going on sale in January of the same year. That makes it the oldest-design new vehicle currently on sale in America. Thirty years ago most people didn’t own any kind of mobile phone, Apple was struggling financially, not booming, Google didn’t exist and streaming music meant accidentally dropping your Walkman into a river.
Not The Express’s First Touchscreen Rodeo
The Infotainment System 3 (shown above in a Silverado HD) isn’t technically the Express’s first touchscreen. Chevrolet previously offered a 6.5-inch system with navigation, Bluetooth, USB connectivity and a CD player, but inexplicably dropped it after 2019, GM Authority says. The Express then went back to basics while seemingly waiting for technology to circle around and find it again.
Passenger versions of the MY27 van will get four speakers, as will Cargo models fitted with the five-seat Crew Van Package, while regular Cargo and Cutaway versions stick with two, the report says. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto haven’t yet been confirmed for 2027, nor has SiriusXM.
Of course, the really remarkable thing isn’t the new screen but that Chevrolet is still building the Express at all. Its appearance has barely changed since a 2003 facelift, and underneath you’ll still find the kind of old-school hardware commercial buyers apparently love. Today’s engine choices include a 276 hp (280 PS) 4.3-liter V6 and a mighty 401 hp (407 PS) 6.6-liter V8 added in 2021, both paired with eight-speed automatics.
