Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

Although assigned to Road Test Editor John DiPietro, the bulk of the Grand Caravan's mileage this month was accrued under the hands and feet of colleague Liz Kim. As Mr. D. was on vacation back East, Liz seized the opportunity to use the DGC to comfortably trek up to San Francisco (a six-hour drive from Los Angeles). The following are her comments about that voyage.

"I finagled the Dodge Grand Caravan for a family trip up to San Francisco for my cousin's wedding. My parents had requested that I borrow a seven-passenger vehicle, since we would be toting my aunt and uncle back to Los Angeles. During the ride up, we truly appreciated the Grand Caravan's capaciousness. The rear passengers liked the separate climate controls, and I was thankful for the four-disc CD changer, although it was usually blocked by the Super Big Gulp that is a requisite part of every road trip."

"In the city, the Grand Caravan proved itself nimble enough to navigate through the narrow streets, although I would have preferred a car with slimmer dimensions. It fortunately had enough low-end grunt to handle San Francisco's famous hills, and the climate control was strong enough to quell prickly tempers when we were trapped in a massive traffic jam."

"On the way back to L.A., we had to cast lots to decide which three would be squished into the third row. With every member of the Kim clan more pudgy than not, it was an uncomfortable ride back there; skin-to-skin contact for several hours makes for cranky passengers. The dual cupholders on either side, as well as sizable storage bins, helped matters some by keeping various snacks and sugary drinks close at hand."

"I would've appreciated a navigation system to pilot through the entangled streets of the city, but it's not available as an option. Overall, the DGC is a comfortable place to be, but the brakes seem to fade easily and the steering wheel has a clicky quality to it, almost as if it were cracking a joint."

During his shorter time in the DGC, DiPietro enthused about how he actually enjoyed piloting the family bus: "I love the seats — they have the perfect combination of shape and cushion firmness. They feel almost too soft initially, yet there is enough support so that longer stints behind the wheel are not fatiguing. And the driving position is excellent, making it easy to see over other vehicles (except those dang SUVs) in traffic and allow easy parking of this rather large so-called minivan."

Agreeing with Ms. Kim, John stated that "the 3.8 V6 has a broad spread of power, making the big van sprightly around town and fairly fleet on the freeway. The ride is supple and the handling fairly tight. All told, this is a nice vehicle for a long trip."

John didn't notice any brake fade (although he didn't tackle the streets of San Francisco) or the clicking steering wheel. But he discovered that the power driver-side door was in a foul mood one time, when it wouldn't respond to repeated jabs at the icon on the key fob. After that isolated incident, however, it worked every time. Only using the power feature when his hands were full, John liked the fact that "the doors are as easy to slide open manually, if so desired, as non-power doors."

A long-overdue trip to the recycling center was in order for DiPietro, who was glad to have the spacious Dodge at hand. Making the trip solo, John removed one rear seat and folded the other one down, which gave our editor plenty of room to toss his bags full of cans, bottles, paper and assorted plastics.

Regarding the seat removal process, John remarked that "the seats are easy to take out, as they have rollers and a track so they glide right out after you pull a few levers. The hassle lies in then having to lug them somewhere to leave them, such as in your living room. And those suckers aren't light, either."

Summing up his thoughts, DiPietro remarked, "Yes, the Honda Odyssey is still the one to beat overall, with its increased power, superb reliability and build quality, and that hide-away third seat. But in terms of handling dynamics and seat comfort, I have to give the Dodge the nod."

Current Odometer: 20,603
Best Fuel Economy: 18.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.7 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.6 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None