The Venture was introduced in 1996 for the 1997 model year as a replacement for the radically styled Lumina APV. In the United States, it was also sold as the Oldsmobile Silhouette and the Pontiac Trans Sport, which was later renamed as the Pontiac Montana for 1999 (2000 in Canada). The Venture came in three trim levels, the "base", "LS", and "LT". The base models of the Venture were short wheelbase models which came equipped with cloth upholstery, front bucket seats with fixed head restraints, a 2nd-row 2-passenger bench seat, and steel wheels. The "LS" came in both short and long wheelbases, and offered aluminum wheels, a varied seating configuration, adjustable head restraints, side airbags, power windows (optional on the base models), and a remote keyless entry system. The "LT" model was an upscale of the "LS" and was exclusively a long wheelbase model and offered a power driver seat (optional on the base and "LS" models), optional leather seats, a roof rack (optional on the base and "LS" models), and a driver side sliding door (optional on the base and "LS" models from 1997–1999). The anti-lock brakes were standard on all Ventures from 1996–2002, but became optional on the base models later on.