Quick Impressions:
When Dodge totally redesigned the Grand Caravan for the 2008 model year, I was expecting big things from it. After all, since Dodge created the mini-van segment in the early 1980's, one would think they would still be the leading innovator in this market. However, when I saw the first spy photos of it in the major car magazines, its ugly "refrigerator box" styling was not exactly encouraging to me; the class leading Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna both look great (my test van was dark blue--it would have looked worse in white--or in any other lighter color).
Now having spent a day driving the Grand Caravan SE, I can see that my concerns for it were more than just "skin deep." This version had a Flex Fuel, 3.3 liter V6 engine with 175 hp and 205 foot-pounds of torque. It felt quick from a standstill, but it was all downhill after that. My driving companion clocked its 0-60 mph time at a pathetically-slow 14.03 seconds, demonstrating that 175 horsepower is not nearly enough for a 4300 pound minivan (potential buyers should opt for Grand Caravans with the 3.8 liter, 197 hp engine or the 4.0 liter, 251 hp engine). It had a four-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode, but due to the placement of the the gear shifter on the dashboard I never felt comfortable when I tried to use it--it was just downright awkward.
What was even more awkward and disturbing was the Grand Caravan's tendency to "roll back" much too easily on hills when pulling off from a complete stop. Automatic transmissions tend to "lock" somewhat when on a hilly grade; however, twice when I began to pull off from a green traffic light on two separate hills, I had to hit the gas quickly and peel rubber to avoid rolling back on the vehicles behind me. That was quite unnerving, to say the least.
On the plus side, the Grand Caravan seemed to handle very securely. Its list of safety features includes four wheel anti-lock brakes (and they worked well, by the way), electronic stability control, and side curtain air bags. It also had cruise control, always a nice feature to have on long trips. Interior room was cavernous, and seating comfort was generally good and supportive. However, the second row seats lacked the innovative "stow 'n go" capability that should have been standard equipment (but the third row seats did have it). Removing the heavy 2nd row seat was a painful process (literally) that required two people to accomplish the task. In fact, the things this van is lacking is problematic and inexcusable.
For instance, why no tachometer? With the weak, coarse-sounding 3.3 liter v6 engine being overtaxed like it was, it definitely needed one. Secondly, I found the AM/FM CD stereo (which thankfully did have decent sound quality and an mp3 player jack) and climate control buttons and knobs to be far too small to look at at a quick glance and use effectively (although it did have dual-zone climate controls for the front seat passengers, and rear climate controls for back seat passengers--a very good thing).
I've seen dashboard layouts far better than this one in the Grand Caravan. I also expected the dash materials to be better than what it had, too; it looks good at a distance--but feels cheap and hard up close. Finally, I found the interior noise level to be a bit higher than I would have liked; it was a combination of both wind and road noise.
The Caravan's fuel economy in mixed driving (city and highway--much of it in the mountains) averaged about 19 miles per gallon. Non-mountain driving yielded a two to three-mile-per-gallon increase in fuel economy. Okay, considering gas prices have dropped below $2.40 a gallon recently, and may continue to fall in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, my day in the 2008 Dodge Caravan SE verified to me that the Chrysler Corporation missed a huge opportunity to create another benchmark vehicle. The Grand Caravan could have been a "Grand Slam," but instead--it merely turned out to be a bunt single.
Too Bad.
The Car Exam Grade: C+
Review and Photos by P.S. (11-11-2008)
Test Date: 11-09-2008
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