The number of available minivans on our market isn’t very substantial which makes for interesting rivalries. Yet, there seems to be two types of target customers for minivans which is, well, a little confusing given how few are still offered. Proof: The Chrysler group sells two minivans, the Dodge Grand Caravan we’re testing this week and the more upscale Town & Country.
When you think about it, who really needs a minivan? Some will say no one does. But seriously, parents with young kids do; parents who need the space and carry-all versatility of a minivan above anything else; young parents who are starting their careers and don’t necessarily have the beans to spring for an expensive vehicle.
That makes us wonder why there are so many upscale minivans that cost over $40,000. After all, if you’re wealthy enough to afford a vehicle at that price, chances are you might prefer something trendier such as a crossover. Which brings us back to the Grand Caravan. Along with the Kia Sedona, the Dodge is the least-expensive minivan on the market.
For 2011, it gets a long list of changes and improvements, starting with a new engine underhood that will replace all previous renditions. The new 3.6-litre V6 produces 283hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, tacked on to a 6-speed automatic with manual mode.
Acceleration is fierce for a minivan: the Grand Caravan will hit 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds. The new V6 has a wonderful power band and nothing about the old lumps will ever be remembered. A little noisy at wide-open throttle perhaps and our fuel economy average of 12.7 L/100 km could be a little better, but overall, the Pentastar did a good job. Oh, there’s a new ECON button on the dash that’s said to improve fuel economy; on or off, we didn’t notice any difference, at least in normal driving.
Braking performance—emergency braking, specifically—could also be better. Our recorded distance of 64 metres to stop the vehicle from 100 to 0 is much too long. Yet in normal stop-and-go traffic, no problem. It’s not the first Chrysler to act this way during our tests.
The Grand Caravan also gets some cosmetic changes this year. We’re not talking extreme makeover here, but subtle changes that distinguish the 2011 model from previous ones. These include a new front fascia, new taillamps and rear bumper, as well as the Dodge name spread out on top of the license plate recess.
The greatest argument for buying a Grand Caravan, however, is found inside and is called Stow ’n Go. Move the front seats up, lift the trap doors on the floor, pull on a handle and watch the second-row seats fold up and recess themselves into the floor cavities. Flip the 3rd-row bench as well and you get a completely flat cargo area.
Get it? No clumsy, heavy seats to remove and find a place for when you want to haul something big. No other minivan besides the Town & Country offers such a convenient setup. You’ll find up to 4,072 litres of cargo space, slightly less than in the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, but still commendable.
The new roof rack is also cleverly designed. When not in use, the crossbars are integrated into the roof rails, but can be extracted when duty calls. It’s an easy exercise of unscrewing them, moving them around and screwing them back in. Good job.
The redesign has been applied to the dashboard as well. It boasts a more harmonious look and is built with fewer bits and pieces, which means less chance of squeaking. The air vents no longer feel like they’ll break when you adjust them, and a new steering wheel is more stylish than the previous one. We just wish the shift lever didn’t look so tacky and that its shift gate would have remained straight, because it worked better that way.
The multimedia system that consists of a CD and DVD player, a hard drive, a USB port, Bluetooth connectivity, and navigation is handy, but the touchscreen menus suffer from a lack of logic. For example, there’s no physical button to access the navigation system, but if you cycle though the other features, you’ll eventually find a button marked NAV on the top right corner of the screen. It works, of course, but it’s not very intuitive.
Our Grand Caravan Crew model lists for $33,995 and includes alloy wheels, fog lamps, three-zone climate control, power-adjustable pedals, a power driver’s seat and a trip computer. We’re also treated to several options, including rear-seat DVD, power-operated side doors and hatch, a heated steering wheel and heated 2nd-row seats that boosts the final tally to $40,170.
But the Dodge seems to benefit from year-long rebates, and as we’re writing these lines, the Crew model gets a $6,000 instant discount which means it actually ends up costing about $34K. That’s an excellent deal.
On a base Grand Caravan SE, you get $7,000 off, which means it starts at just $21K. We’d choose the SXT with the Stow ‘n Go, however, which would cost just under $25,000 with the current rebates. No wonder the Grand Caravan is among the bestselling vehicles in Canada.
When you compare all minivans, there are a couple of other models that offer a better ride, more refinement and slightly better fuel economy. However, for those young parents who really need one and have to balance a tight budget, the Grand Caravan, at least in its simplest trim levels, is a no-brainer.
By Michel Deslauriers, photo Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com
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