Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

October found our Dodge Grand Caravan doing 30 days' worth of duty for which it was designed. In the hands of Road Test Coordinator Kelly Stennick, the Grand Caravan ran car pools, road trips and shopping sprees tirelessly. Did it live up to its transport reputation? You bet.

During the first week in Kelly's possession, the Grand Caravan was loaded to full capacity, carrying six of Kelly's fellow daycare mothers to the theater for a girls' night out. Traveling 35 miles to the local venue for a stage production of "The Full Monty," Kelly's passengers, ranging from very tall to practically pint-size women, appreciated the Grand Caravan's spaciousness. "The second-row captain's chairs were easy to fold forward, making it painless for all three of us to crawl into the last-row bench," remarked one mother and theatergoer. "I wish my sport-utility had the same low step-in height and comfortable seating — especially way in the back."

Kelly's next major outing was to an IKEA furniture store, where she purchased a completely unassembled curio cabinet packaged in an extra long, narrow box. By folding both third-row seats along with one of the second-row chairs, she was able to load the box without displacing her accompanying two-year-old. The child's safety seat was still strapped securely to a second-row chair, without danger of the box toppling over on her. An admiring onlooker nodded when he saw us open the rear hatch door by using the key fob while we were still approaching with the heavy load.

But special jaunts weren't the only trips made easy by the Grand Caravan's convenient size and features, as everyday adventures up and down the freeway were a snap as well. Kelly found the driver seat a very nice place to spend a few hours of freeway time, and one front-seat passenger commented that the seats were as supportive and comfortable as the seats in his expensive European sport sedan.

The stereo controls were easy to use, but Kelly was often somewhat miffed by the numerous temperature control buttons, and usually hit the wrong button at least once during every drive, sending the fan shooting up instead of simply raising the automatic climate control temperature. Another complaint concerned the dual cupholders that pull out from the lower center stack. "The design is simple to use," Kelly remarked, "but the spring-loaded bottoms of the cupholders require weight in your drink or they don't lower themselves properly into the ring of the holder. If you have an empty, or nearly empty can of soda, its light weight will not allow it to sit properly, and there's a great chance that you'll be mopping up soda drips by the time you take your first corner."

At the end of her month in the Dodge Grand Caravan, Kelly was an even more devout minivan fan than prior to her DGC duty. The ease with which it loaded kids and cargo, along with its comfortable seats and pleasant driving experience, made it a good choice for her on-the-go family.

Current Odometer: 35,781
Best Fuel Economy: 22.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.8 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None