It was imported to Europe from the United States of America, where General Motors produced identical models under the Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac brands.

Contrary to popular belief, the name was not inspired by the historic Portuguese town of Sintra, rather, it was chosen by a computer from a list of short, easy to pronounce words.

The Sintra had an important influence on U body development, because GM wanted to keep it similar in dimensions to European large MPVs (such as the Volkswagen Sharan, Ford Galaxy, SEAT Alhambra, Renault Espace, or the Eurovans).

Many reviewers and customers found that the materials, fit and finish were below the usual Opel quality, and also below what European competitors offered – this was only partially addressed by several changes made throughout the model lifetime, like replacing the upholstery fabric for the season of 1997.

The Euro NCAP frontal impact crash test performed on a model from 1998 revealed significant deficiencies – the cabin structure proved unstable and the steering wheel (along with the airbag) broke off (unlike the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) test of its North American twin, the 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport, where the steering wheel only moved upward), which might have caused fatal neck injury to the driver, and that the damage to the dummy's feet were extremely high.