Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

For the month of May, our minivan (in much demand for its people- and cargo-hauling capabilities) completed some pretty important duties for various members of our mobile staff. Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed borrowed the Dodge Grand Caravan for a weekend to take his family and his visiting parents to the Eureka Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park about 300 miles northeast of Los Angeles. When he returned, he filed these notes:

"I couldn't help thinking that we were using the minivan at its peak capacity by transporting six people and their luggage over a long distance. The Caravan comfortably seated everyone (one seat was still empty), and the cargo area proved large enough to swallow two days' worth of luggage.

"My parents had once owned a VW Microbus, and they have had little to do with minivans since then. They were blown away with how much the minivan has been improved. They were most impressed by the Dodge's quiet delivery of power and the smooth ride. At 70 miles per hour, my mother kept saying, 'It feels like we're only going about 30!' My parents also praised the comfortable leather seats (even in the third row) and the easy entry and exit through the dual power sliding doors. On the other hand, my father, who spent a lot of time riding shotgun, was critical of the complicated array of buttons and knobs on the center console. He was doubtful that all those "bells and whistles" were really necessary.

"Our route took us over 30 miles of punishing dirt road on the way to the Eureka Sand Dunes. The Dodge rattled noisily on the washboard road, but it was difficult to imagine any other minivan that wouldn't have been jostled under the same conditions. Most of the other vehicles on the road were SUVs with beefed-up suspensions and larger tires, and they weren't making any better time than we were.

"At the sand dunes, the Dodge dealt with sections of road where sand had blown across the hard-packed dirt road without losing traction. When we finally stopped for a picnic, we stepped out into 25 mph winds. We opened the tailgate and ate lunch partially sheltered from the elements.

"The Dodge Grand Caravan was a big hit with my parents and family, because it allowed all six of us to travel together in comfort. My father, who is actively involved in the energy business, was even satisfied with the gas mileage we got — about 21 miles per gallon. When I dropped my parents at the airport, my mother said, 'Tell Mr. Edmunds how much we enjoyed using that nice minivan!' I looked for Mr. Edmunds to give him her compliments but never could find him."

Well, Vivian, Mr. Edmunds sightings are about as rare as natural hair color on WB network programs, so hopefully he'll read this update to find out how appreciated his minivan was.

Also utilizing the Dodge was Photography Editor Scott Jacobs, who used it to haul the remnants of a change in residence. He had this to say: "I had the DGC for about two hours and took it to my old apartment to pick up my refrigerator. I have a huge clunker of metal kind of fridge, so it's large and heavy. The DGC has a low enough cargo area that it was a cinch to load my behemoth of a Frigidaire in there, and I was impressed by the fact that there was plenty of room to spare, as well.

"In terms of performance, I could definitely feel the added heft. The van was sluggish in accelerating and slow in cornering. I really didn't want to push it, either, and have the fridge slide around scratching everything up, so those impressions are from driving slowly." We find that it's easier to drive fast with a bunch of people on board than loaded with an old appliance; people are less prone to breakage, no?

Road Test Editor Liz Kim also had a couple of days in the white Grand Caravan and praised it for its comfortable cabin replete with plenty of amenities, such as the four-disc CD changer and heated seats. She also found its ability to provide spirited acceleration, thanks to the 3.8-liter V6 that provides 215 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of thrust, endearing. It's always such fun to see a rather arrogant-appearing sport sedan driver being startled by a boring-looking minivan outgunning his sleek machine from a stoplight.

Our Grand Caravan is slightly past due for its 30,000-mile service interval; we'll get the regular maintenance done post haste. We'll also have them investigate the annoying click in the steering column, as well as the rattling left front suspension component of which we spoke in the previous month's update, and let you know of our findings.

Current Odometer: 30,275
Best Fuel Economy: 21.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 17.7 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.3 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: Rattling front left suspension component; clicking steering column.