Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

A painful lesson was learned by Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed during his stint in the Dodge Grand Caravan this month: Don't drive in a parking garage with the tailgate open.

After putting a suitcase into the rear, Phil hit the button to close the rear tailgate automatically. Hearing the beep, beep, beep, he assumed the tailgate was closing and began to pull forward. However, the motion-detecting device (designed to keep it from closing on a child, for example) apparently caused the door to reopen, and it struck a low-hanging pipe. The result was a broken rear window and a dented tailgate.

While Phil had noted that the automatic tailgate was very convenient, he admitted that the accident would never have occurred with a manually operated tailgate. This didn't turn him against this option. Instead, he vowed to keep the van motionless until the tailgate was completely closed.

When Phil took the Grand Caravan to a glass shop for repairs, the owner told him that they had heard of similar such incidents from other customers. "At least once a month, we have broken windows from this exact kind of thing," the owner said. Hopefully, other Dodge Grand Caravan owners can learn from our mistake and be extra careful when using the auto-close feature. Bear in mind that, with the tailgate raised, the clearance required increases by almost 2 feet. Also, owners should realize that three beeps are heard before the tailgate begins lowering. And don't assume it is completely closed until all the beeping stops.

Despite this mishap, Phil was able to have the glass replaced and take a golfing trip to Northern California with two friends. (The dent was too significant for a paintless dent remover to repair. We'll get it handled as soon as we can.) One of the golfers was a 6-foot 6-inch, 317-pound opera singer named Louis Lebherz. This enormous man found the front passenger seat quite comfortable, and he even termed the headroom "generous." At one point, he sat in the second-row seats and found them to be quite acceptable, too.

The van was put to the test by loading in four golfers along with their clubs, shoes and miscellaneous equipment. The third-row seats were tilted forward for additional carrying room. (While the seats could have been removed, it would then have been necessary to stow them somewhere, which is a hassle.) This made packing rather messy, since luggage was loaded on the tilted-up seats and tended to spill off. Even so, the storage space was sufficient.

Although the Dodge was loaded to the gills, Phil couldn't tell by the way it performed and handled. The suspension carried the extra weight without feeling wallowy or unstable. Phil was a big fan of the firm, car-like ride and the way it cornered. The V6 engine gasped a little when climbing hills, but the seamless shifting of the automatic transmission made good use of available power.

Speaking of the transmission, one of the features on the Grand Caravan is a switch on the shift lever that can be used to shift up or down. To get into this "manual" mode (called Autostick) the driver must move the shift left from "D" to "4." Then, a push up (toward "+") or down (toward "-") accomplishes the gear change. Phil took his trombone-playing son, Andrew, to music camp in the mountains above Los Angeles. On the long decent back to civilization, he experimented with the manual shift feature.

"Initially, I was reluctant to try this," Phil noted in the logbook. "It required shifting from 'D' past '1' on the indicator to '4.' I didn't want to dump it in the lowest gear at 50 mph. However, when I made the shift, I saw that the indicator jumps directly to '4.' Once I was in the manual mode, I then bumped it up or down depending on the slope, traffic and driving conditions. It was a handy feature."

When Phil bragged about his discovery to Senior Editor Chris Wardlaw, the experienced auto journalist pointed out that a faster downshift could be achieved by pressing the overdrive-off button located at the end of the gear selector. This was an easier way to downshift from 4th to 3rd gear.

As has been noted in earlier updates on the Dodge, the center stack is filled with buttons and dials to control the climate and radio/cassette/CD player. At a glance, it's hard to find the right button to do what you want. Phil noted that he kept reaching for the fan switch when he wanted to turn down the radio. The radio volume knob is blocked from view by the shift lever, but the fan switch is clearly visible. However, Phil did like the satellite volume control on the backside of the steering wheel that he could use to surreptitiously turn down the music cranked high by his opera-singer friend.

Phil appreciated the two power-operated side doors. "I don't know if it's the novelty I like or the practicality," his notes read. "One situation in which it's useful is when approaching the car from across a hot parking lot. If I hit both doors, cooler air can circulate through the van before I get there."

The downside of the doors is their operation. The master unlock button must be pressed first. Until then, no amount of jabbing at the button in the backseat will work. Phil's kids often became so impatient with trying to engage the power-open feature they just yanked the side doors open manually.

On balance, Phil felt the Dodge compared favorably to the Honda Odyssey in most categories except the cost. If the Dodge had a disappearing third-row seat and could be purchased at a lower price (with the same list of equipment), it would be a real contender. As is, Phil felt the best quality of the Dodge was its agile handling and the exceptionally supportive and comfortable front seats. (It should be noted that many of the features we have enjoyed in the Dodge Grand Caravan are now packaged as the Grand Caravan EX.)

This month, the Grand Caravan went in for its 7,500-mile service at Santa Monica Dodge, requiring only an oil change and tire rotation. The service representative, Charles Lawless, quickly and cheerfully arranged for this work to be done without attempts to sell the unnecessary extra services so often pushed at other dealerships. The work was performed on-the-spot and completed in less than an hour. Other dealerships could take a lesson from this painless and efficient service.

Current Odometer: 9,571
Best Fuel Economy: 21.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.8 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.1 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $965 (repair broken rear window)
Maintenance Costs: $43.35 (7,500-mile service)
Problems: None