Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

Minivan. Just the word automatically jars the imagination toward a family vehicle. Not only does it become simply the transport, but central to all of the family's daily functions. It hauls food supplies back to the family base, ships the kids off to soccer practice and acts as an all-purpose mobile storage shed for all of their gear. Yet Photo Editor Scott Jacobs had our Dodge Grand Caravan for the month. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a 30-year-old single man who has no children and lives with two roommates. "Thankfully, my girlfriend was traveling for the month," Scott wrote in the log book. "I think the two of us riding together in a minivan would have given her ideas of wedding bells and the pitter-patter of little feet."

Though Scott eluded the question of commitment for a little longer, he couldn't escape the ridicule of his roommates and friends. "The minivan doesn't say 'Hey, I'm a cool guy.' In fact, for my friends it was open season," commented Scott. "I'm used to people asking me what I'm driving since I rotate through a lot of cars. After I mention I'm driving a minivan, I get one of two responses. It's either the short 'Oh' of disappointment or the long 'Oh' of derision."

All social aspects aside, Scott did find a lot to like about the Caravan. Of particular note was the 3.8-liter V6 engine. Cranking out 215 horsepower with 245 pound-feet of torque, the Caravan could really get up and move. "I could squeal the tires from a stop and feel myself being pressed into the seat when I mashed the accelerator," he wrote. "It's a great thrill for such a large vehicle." Besides the performance, Scott noted that the Caravan is jam-packed with handy gizmos like two-stage heaters for the extremely comfortable front seats, in-dash CD changer, power sliding side doors, triple-zone climate control and a removable center console that can be placed between the second-row seats. "It's obvious a lot of thought has gone into the design," Scott said. "It makes this minivan a great family vehicle."

It wouldn't be a monthly update unless there was some kind of damage to the Caravan, and this month was no exception. If you're not used to driving a vehicle of hefty girth, you can quickly get yourself into some trouble. Scott found this out the hard way. He was pulling into his parking space at his apartment when he noticed his neighbor working on a motorcycle. He pulled his turn a little tighter so as not to hit the neighbor, thus shortening his turn radius, and the rear passenger wheel well brushed against a cement pole. "I heard a thud," Scott lamented, "and I immediately thought that I'm the most unlucky guy around." If you've been reading the long-term updates recently, you'd know Scott has racked up quite a score of damage in the last few months. "This time, however, it was my fault and I feel pretty stupid." In fact, this is the Caravan's fifth encounter with a pole! Two occurred while pulling into a space, two while pulling out of a space and the fifth run-in was on the tailgate. A parking assist system would be quite helpful to alleviate some of these mistakes, but it's quite clear that careful aware driving is essential, especially with a larger vehicle.

The Grand Caravan was slighted. Over the course of one month, people drove it, disparaged it, attacked its character and damaged it. The Caravan plotted, and wrought its revenge. At one point, Scott didn't notice that the door sill panel had come loose. As he stepped out of the van, the panel caught his shoe. Tripped up by the snag, he tumbled out of his seat to the pavement, much to the amusement of several passing children. After prying himself from the asphalt, the idea of karmic retribution came to mind.

Even though the Caravan doesn't fit Scott's current lifestyle, it still demonstrated to him that it is a very capable family hauling machine. Packed with thoughtful design, power, gadgets and plenty of room, the Grand Caravan certainly should make any family's shopping list.

Current Odometer: 33,171
Best Fuel Economy: 14.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.0 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None