Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

Is the end of the world nigh? That's what many of us had to ask ourselves when Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer admitted to a growing fondness for our long-term Dodge Grand Caravan. As a certified Odyssey fan (and former Odyssey owner), Karl has shown little love for the DGC occupying a slot in our long-term fleet of test vehicles. So why the sudden change of heart?

"There's no denying that Chrysler got several items on this vehicle extremely right. The cell phone holder in the center console is pure genius, the power delivery is exceptional, and the handling under most conditions is as car-like as anything on the market with dual-sliding doors. Dodge gets credit for accomplishing this without having an independent rear suspension."

Karl made note of several instances where the front tires unintentionally squealed as he pulled away from a stoplight. The 3.8-liter engine has gobs of low-end torque, making rapid take-offs almost too easy. Lead foots will want to show prudence when navigating suburbia. Shrieking tires and white picket fences don't readily mix. The flipside of all this power is the potential for dreadful fuel mileage. Karl noticed that, due to his city commute with minimal time spent on the freeway, mileage numbers for the month of December were among the lowest recorded for the Grand Caravan thus far. At 13 mpg, the Dodge drank plenty of gas. At least fuel prices have been dropping recently.

With the DGC cresting 22,500 miles during December, Mr. Brauer had the opportunity to try out our local Chrysler dealership's service center. This was the second time Karl had dealt with Buerge Chrysler-Plymouth in Santa Monica (the first time was with our PT Cruiser in September 2000). It was also the second time he had initially used the Internet to set up his service appointment. And, as Karl feared, it was the second time he filled out the online service request, was sent an e-mail saying "someone from our service department will call you immediately" and never heard from anyone at Buerge. A week later (Maybe my understanding of the word immediately just differs from theirs, he thought), Karl used the telephone to schedule an appointment.

Karl relates the experience:

"I set up an 8:30 a.m. drop-off time, and arrived at 8:25. I had to wait a few minutes before a man checked in my car, and I had to wait a few more to see my official service writer, Jerry. Jerry offered to perform $180 in services to my Dodge, but I only wanted the recommended factory service for 22,500 miles, so both of us went to get the owner's manual and see what, exactly, that required. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any service information in the owner's manual. I later discovered that a separate booklet contains this information, and it was nowhere to be found in the Grand Caravan. Jerry pulled up the manufacturer's recommended service for a 2000 Grand Caravan (he didn't have the 2001 information). Knowing that the vehicle had been redesigned since 2000, I wasn't thrilled at the idea of basing my service on the previous-generation van. But because we had now spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out what the Caravan was supposed to have done to it at 22,500 miles, I said 'Fine, do to it whatever the 2000 model calls for.'

"I also mentioned a shudder in the steering wheel that was obviously coming from the power steering pump. Finally, I mentioned the damaged interior panel on the liftgate, and that a part was supposed to have been ordered to replace this several months back. Jerry found the reference to said part and offered to look into it.

"I went into the lounge and told the cashier I needed a ride back to work (about two miles). She said the shuttle would be back in 15 minutes. After 20 minutes of waiting I asked again and was told that the shuttle would be back in 5 to 10 minutes. I had lost faith in these estimates and called a co-worker to come get me. Sure enough, three minutes after hanging up the phone, the shuttle driver appeared. I told him someone else was coming and waited another 15 minutes for my ride to show up.

"Total time spent dropping off the Dodge Grand Caravan: 1 hour.

"At 2:00 p.m., I called the dealership back to check its progress because I was leaving town the next day and wanted to make sure the van would be ready by the end of business that day. The service was still being performed, and the other issues were still being checked into. At 3 o'clock, I received a call from Jerry, who informed me that a special tool was needed to confirm the bad power steering pump, and his service center didn't have said tool. He was getting the tool from a nearby Ford dealership and would have the pump checked out soon. The interior part, according to Jerry, had indeed been previously ordered, but because no one from Edmunds ever called back to check on it, the part had eventually been returned. Since it had been three months since our last visit to Buerge, I consider this our fault for not following up on the interior piece. Jerry said that he could order both the power steering pump and the interior panel, and they'd be ready in a few days. I could bring the car back then to have them installed, and he even offered me a rental car. He also said that the service was being performed, and the van would be done around 4:30.

"At 4:40 I received a voice mail from Jerry saying the car was ready. I picked it up and paid $94.43 to have the fluid levels checked and topped off, the coolant hoses inspected, the oil and filter changed, the tires rotated, the chassis lubed, the brakes inspected and the maintenance reminder reset. I was able to pay the bill and pick up the Grand Caravan in less than 15 minutes."

Other issues noted by Mr. Brauer this month included his increased success at installing two child seats. "I still prefer the automatic locking retractor seatbelts that almost every other vehicle uses these days," said Karl, "but by utilizing the clamp near the seatbelt tongue, I was able to get the seats tightly cinched down."

Mr. Brauer also still dislikes the power-sliding door setup. "It's annoying that I need the remote to open the doors from the outside, unless I want to open them manually. And I don't like searching for the little button on the B-pillar to close them. I usually ended up foregoing the power feature and just manually operating them for simplicity and efficiency's sake. Good design for upper body muscles, bad design for a feature that is supposed to offer convenience yet offers limited functionality."

Karl was also impressed by the cargo space in the Dodge. "We bought a microwave oven from Best Buy for my wife's parents for Christmas. It came in a very large box, and I was convinced that if I wanted to set the box flat in the cargo area I'd have to pull the third-row seats from the Caravan. Thankfully, the big box fit in the space between the third-row seats and the rear hatch. I give Dodge credit for offering so much interior space in this van."

A final comment came from Karl's wife, who claimed that at one point she couldn't get the driver's window to go up. Mr. Brauer was unable to recreate the problem, but we'll be watching this one.

We finally pressed Karl about his willingness to buy the Grand Caravan. We wanted to see how far he'd really come in appreciating the vehicle during the month of December. "If it was just the non fold-flat third-row seat, or just the growing list of mechanical problems, or just the annoying power-sliding doors and seatbelts, I'd consider this van a viable alternative to the Odyssey. Unfortunately, it's all those things, plus a questionable resale value. And don't get me started on the many Honda Odyssey improvements for 2002. Do you know that van now has 240 horsepower and an optional DVD entertainment system and a five-speed automatic transmission and..."

Never mind, Karl. Never mind.

Current Odometer: 22,847
Best Fuel Economy: 15.0 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.0 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.5 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: $94.43
Problems: Shudder in power steering system noticeable at low speeds.