Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

It's been Minivan Madness for Executive Editor Karl Brauer these past couple of months. Having driven our long-term Odyssey in February before participating in a minivan comparison test this month (watch for the story to appear on the site soon), Mr. Brauer says he was about minivanned-out by the time he gave up the keys to the new 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan. And in case anyone is keeping track, Karl also owns a 2000 Honda Odyssey as his personal vehicle (well, actually it's his wife's, he just paid for it). Needless to say, we think he's ready for some two-door performance cars to bring some romance back to the Brauer garage.

The upside of all this box-on-wheels seat time is that Mr. Brauer is in a uniquely qualified position to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Chrysler's latest offensive in the minivan wars. How did it do compared to all the other vans on the market? Well, that's why we performed the comparison test, so a final call won't come until that story is completed and posted to the site.

Mr. Brauer does say that the new Chrysler minis offer some of the best driving dynamics currently available in the minivan market. Karl feels the 3.8-liter V6 in our long-term vehicle provides abundant low-end torque, giving the Grand Caravan an almost nimble feel during around-town cruising. The copious power delivery is backed up by a responsive, communicative steering system that further elevates the Dodge to "almost fun-to-drive" status. Rather amazing for a minivan. Add in the multi-adjustable power seat with controls for height, seatback angle and seat bottom angle, and you have a van that, from the driver seat, scores well. Research Editor Erin Riches backed up Karl's opinions with her own comments about the Dodge's driving dynamics, "The Grand Caravan's engine and transmission seem to be a much better match for each other than the Odyssey's. Acceleration from a stop was much quicker, therefore making it easier to enter a freeway."

Does scoring well from the driver's perspective guarantee success in the highly competitive minivan market? Does the Dodge's powerful engine, quick steering and comfortable seat mean it's the best minivan in the world? Dodge advertising would tell you yes, but current sales figures and factory-offered incentives would suggest otherwise. Which brings up another interesting point: Does it strike any of our readers odd that the "best minivans in the world" have to be rebated up the wazoo to move off dealer lots while Honda Odysseys that are a year old with 10,000 miles on the clock are still going for over MSRP? It certainly makes some of our editors go "hmmm."

Anyway, Mr. Brauer's answer to the question is No, these are not the best minivans in the world. Here's why.

The first issue he had with the Caravan came not from his own observations, but from his wife's. Specifically, when he brought the Dodge home, his wife questioned him regarding the Caravan's passenger capacity. He relates the exchange:

Mrs. Brauer: "Does that van hold as many people as our Odyssey?"
Karl: "Yes. It's got room for two in the first row, two in the second and three in the third."
Mrs. Brauer: "Uh-huh, so who's the sorry sap that gets stuck riding over the 'crack' in the third row?"
Karl: "Not any of our friends or relatives, honey, 'cause we bought an Odyssey."

An additional point should be made here: The Odyssey has a strap that deploys from the roof to provide the center passenger in the third row with a shoulder strap. The Dodge does not, meaning the center passenger not only rides on "the crack" but also doesn't have top-notch safety restraints. Score one (again!) for the Honda. Of course, the flipside of this is that the Dodge owner can pull one side of the third-row seat out and carry five passengers and still having additional cargo space. Cargo/Passenger Flexibility advantage: Dodge. Passenger Comfort/Safety advantage: Honda.

Speaking of compromise, there's still the issue of the third-row seat that doesn't fold flat. Chrysler execs are probably getting really tired of hearing about this one, but that doesn't change the fact that the MPV and Odyssey made it to market before these redesigned Chryslers, and both of those vans offer the disappearing third-row seat. Even the GM vans, without undergoing a redesign, now have fold-flat options for their rear seats. When it came time to put Chrysler's system to the test, Mr. Brauer came away with mixed feelings.

"I finally tried removing the third-row seat (or should that be seats, since it has two pieces), and I have to admit that it was really easy from a design standpoint. Without ever cracking the owner's manual, I was able to pull each side out and then reinstall them by simply reading the numbers on various levers and straps under the third row. Using the system is literally as easy as 1-2-3. Lifting the seat out proved less awkward than some seats I've removed from various minivans and SUVs, but still more work than my Odyssey's third-row system. Chrysler likes to brag that each side weighs "only" 55 pounds, but that's 110 pounds more than I have to lift when "removing" my Honda's third-row seat. Also, with the seats out, there are these lovely tracks running along the cargo area that would be great for catching various forms of family detritus over time. Actually, that could happen even with the seats installed. Finally, while this two-piece seat wasn't terrible to remove, the Chrysler Town & Country on our comparison test had a one-piece third-row seat. That solves the "crack" problem, but makes the prospect of removing the seat even more daunting. Yet again, Honda owners don't have to deal with either of these issues."

Getting past the third-row seat design, Karl gave the power sliding doors and rear hatch a once over and, once again, he was less than thrilled. "The power door system is silly. You can't use the power option from outside the vehicle unless you have the key fob. This means that if you are holding the keys and your wife wants the door to open while she loads a child, she has to pull the door completely open by herself or ask you activate it with the key fob. Other vans with this feature let you get the power door started by pulling the outside handle, but not this one. Once inside, you have to locate the tiny button on the B-pillar to use the power close feature. Again, in other vans, you can simply pop the interior handle once and the door closes. This is not a terrible system, but I had more than one situation where it was a hassle to get the van open and shut. Requiring the key fob to get the sliding doors to power open when you are outside the van is just plain stupid.

"Also, in addition to the above problem, the power doors are too noisy when they close. All sorts of buzzes, whines and clicks go on for several seconds as the door locks itself down. Having just come off the minivan comparison test, I know that most other vans have far quicker and less audible systems for closing the doors. The Ford Windstar and Toyota Sienna doors close quickly and smoothly with just a slight "click" from the motors and the Odyssey has an only slightly longer "whir-click" sound when securing its doors. But the Caravan and Town & Country go on for a couple of seconds, making the types of sounds I associate with the main hatch on a deep space probe. Also, during the first few inches of the opening process, a slight "clunking" can be heard and felt through the floorboard, if you are seated in the second row. It's far from loud, but it obviously comes from the power mechanism rubbing against something as it pulls the doors open. I thought maybe it was unique to our long-term car, but the Town & Country on our comparison test did the exact same thing. Could future problems arise from this? We'll see, but anytime things are clunking together it doesn't bode well for long-term reliability."

Karl's final complaint centered on the Grand Caravan's seatbelt system. "The seatbelt system works in a way I've not seen before. In every other modern vehicle, I've used a locking seatbelt system for locking down my child seats. You simply pull the belt all of the way out and then it clicks as it retracts to indicate that the belt is ratcheting closed and that it can't be pulled back out until the belt is fully retracted (thus locking the seat in place and keeping it there during an accident). In the Caravan, there is no ratcheting system. Instead, there is a small piece of plastic near the buckle that is supposed to lock down the lap belt and not let it slide after baby seat installation (or, I would assume, when used to restrain full-sized humans, as well). After being perplexed as to why the seatbelt wouldn't lock while retracting, I checked the owner's manual and learned how this system works. I then installed the seats, and it did seem to hold them relatively securely. However, I have more confidence in the conventional locking system (where I can actually pull on the shoulder belt after a seat in installed to confirm it won't move) than the Chrysler system where the lap portion seems secure, but the shoulder section continues to move in and out freely. And even if the lap belt is secure, what happens to the shoulder section in an accident if an adult is using it? I couldn't ever get the shoulder belts to lock up like you can in most cars, even by pulling on them quickly." A call was placed to Chrysler PR to ask about the system, but no one called back before this article was posted to the Web site.

The Grand Caravan does have its strong points, and Karl made note of them in the logbook. He liked the white-faced gauges that were clear and easy to read. He thought the exterior lights that flash to indicate when just the driver door is unlocked and when every door is unlocked were a great idea. He also liked the removable powered center console, though getting the console reinstalled proved a chore on several occasions ("Don't even think about doing it while driving"). Chrysler was also thoughtful enough to have the odometer light up as soon as you open the driver door -- no key-in-ignition required! Lots of owners will probably never notice this, but when you are tracking mileage and have to enter the odometer reading at every fill up like our staff does, this minor feature is a major convenience.

Something Karl noticed toward the end of his month in the Grand Caravan worried him: At less than 2,400 miles, the Dodge seemed to have a slight flutter at idle. It was so subtle that Karl wondered if it was always there and he just didn't notice. But rather than blow it off, he noted it in the logbook just in case.

As he handed off the Grand Caravan's keys, Karl was left with some strong impressions. "I'm willing to dub these new Chrysler minivans as the best driving minivans on the market, as long as the road remains smooth. Throw in a bump, however, and the non-independent rear suspension upsets the entire chassis, rather than soaking up the bump with minimal notice like the Odyssey, which has an independent rear suspension. The Dodge does have excellent low-end punch and steering feel, but as fun as it is to drive, it's just not that well designed from the minivan buyer's perspective. And in the end, that's what this vehicle has to do well -- be a minivan."

Current Odometer: 2,415
Best Fuel Economy: 20.2 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.2 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None