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Full Test: 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager
The Original Recipe for Greatness
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By B. Grant Whitmore
Date posted: 01-01-1999
Since the 1984 model year, Chrysler Corp. has made the best-designed, best-selling minivans on the market. Ingenious innovations and constant updates to Chrysler's people-moving products have left its competition reeling in a game of never-ending catch-up. This year, though, things are different; redesigned family trucksters from Ford and Honda seriously threaten the Chrysler minivans' lock on the sales crown.
We'll get it out of the way right now. Edmund's® has already scheduled a minivan comparison test for early this spring, pitting the venerable sales leader against newly minted usurpers. Thus, this report won't be drawing too many conclusions about which minivan is the best on the market. In this test, we wanted to focus solely on a Chrysler product (in this case the Plymouth Grand Voyager SE) to see what the original recipe for greatness was in the minivan sales race.
Right off the bat, we're impressed with the Grand Voyager. Even the cheesy wheel covers and tape stripe that are a part of the van's optional Expresso Décor Package can't disguise the fact that this minivan is a good-looking vehicle. The Grand Voyager has a low-slung appearance that gives it a sharper, more appealing edge than some cars, and its inoffensive, body-colored, egg-crate snout is a nice departure from the chrome-plated proboscises that adorn so many of today's light-duty trucks. Even style-conscious Angelenos had no problem warming up to the Grand Voyager as we cruised the streets of Southern California. When deciding whether to cram into a sporty Toyota RAV4 or the bigger, more comfortable Plymouth for a night on the town, our passengers didn't feel like they were giving up much of their hip-ness when they chose the bigger minivan. A friend of one of editors summed it up best when he said, "Cramped isn't cool, let's take the minivan." We're certain he wouldn't have felt the same if he were confronted with last year's Ford Windstar.
Looks aren't everything, as countless unemployed model/actors in Hollywood are sure to tell you, so it's good to know that underneath its pretty wrapper the Grand Voyager is more than just eye candy. (Never thought you'd see a minivan referred to as eye candy, did you?) For starters, the Grand Voyager has a huge interior that begs to be filled with people and cargo. Four full-size adults can sit comfortably in the front- and middle-row seats, and two kids, or one medium-sized adult, can happily inhabit the back seat. Our test Grand Voyager was equipped with seven-passenger quad seating, meaning that second-row passengers got captains' chairs. A bench seat for the middle row is available for drivers like Edmund's® Tech Editor Karl Brauer who likes his child's car seat within arm's reach.
The Grand Voyager also has a plentitude of storage cubbies, cupholders and map pockets, which makes it easy to stash a Fred Sanford-like amount of junk safely and securely inside your vehicle. It's nice that Plymouth gives us a place to put all this stuff, since minivans attract crap like a port-o-john at Lollapalooza. After a few days, we found that we had stashed two road maps, a phone book, a CD storage case, a few water bottles, and a random cantaloupe (we assume this rolled out of a grocery bag) in the Grand Voyager.
The driving position in the Grand Voyager is good, but not great. One of our taller drivers had difficulty getting the seat adjusted properly, claiming that an additional inch of rearward travel would have solved his problems. The Grand Voyager does have large, well-placed mirrors, however, that keep drivers from having to crane their necks to see what is happening in the traffic around them. The mirrors also contribute to the surprising ease with which our drivers were able to parallel park this 186-inch van; we've had more trouble parking some sedans.
The Plymouth Grand Voyager's interior was totally redone when the minivan was redesigned in 1996 and hailed as a triumph of user-friendliness. Three years later, the design is still functional, but no longer shines like a beacon of ergonomic brilliance. Too many buttons that look too much alike litter the dashboard like a spilled box of Chiclets. Want to turn on the rear window wiper? Be careful, you might activate the air conditioning. The same thing goes for the parking brake release. If you grab the wrong lever, you will pop the hood instead of the brake. Likewise, the stereo controls are confusing and the trip computer is confounding. After a week with the Grand Voyager, we were unable to change the stereo to one of our presets without averting our eyes from the road, nor could we discern a way to access speedily the trip computer's relevant information. We're not trying to make the Grand Voyager sound like a fun house at Knott's Berry Farm, but certain operations could be better organized and simplified.
Although the aforementioned interior design missteps are annoying, they are quickly forgotten once the Grand Voyager is underway. Chrysler Corp. sets the standard for minivan handling and performance, and our Grand Voyager proved to be responsive, capable and, dare we say, nimble, on our test loop. The Grand Voyager's impressive handling characteristics are largely the result of the nicely weighted rack-and-pinion steering setup and the well-damped independent-front, solid-beam-rear suspension. These features make the Grand Voyager handle twisty roads as well as some cars, and inspire drivers with the confidence necessary to have some fun behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, the Plymouth's engine and transmission don't quite live up to the performance promise implied by the Grand Voyager's capable suspension. Our test van was equipped with the optional, 3.3-liter OHV V6 engine that makes 158 horsepower and 203 foot-pounds of torque. The power is directed to the front wheels via an electronic four-speed transmission. The power delivery is strong at city speeds, but the engine totally loses its steam once higher highway velocities are reached. Drivers should be prepared to leave plenty of room to pass on the freeway, because it might take longer than anticipated. Further debilitating the motive power is the automatic transmission, which is slow to kick down when additional power and torque are needed.
The Plymouth Grand Voyager is no longer the newest thing on the block, and, depending on who you read, may no longer qualify as the best minivan in the country. Nevertheless, the Grand Caravan offers considerable bang-for-the-buck, with prices starting under $20,000 for base models and leveling out at $26,845 for a nicely equipped SE. Sporty handling, plenty of room, a great-looking exterior, and a low price should keep the Grand Voyager near the top of your list when you're looking for affordable family transportation.
See all the Ratings: 1999 Plymouth Voyager 2 Dr SE Passenger Van Road Test Scoreboard
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