2009 Dodge Caravan SE
Canadian consumers seem to have lost their appetite for minivans. Perhaps it's because of the proliferation of SUVS, or maybe it's because of the price of fuel; it could be because they're kind of uncool, or maybe it's just because people aren't buying cars the way they used to.
Whatever the reasons, Ford and General Motors are essentially out of the minivan business now, and Chrysler is hanging on by its fingernails. Still, these people-carriers do have their good points.
Take the Dodge Grand Caravan. This is the latest generation of the vehicle that changed the automotive landscape when it was introduced in 1983. It's had its shares of ups and downs over the years, but has soldiered on, and is now made in Missouri.
You could probably argue that the Volkswagen Routan, which is manufactured at Chrysler's plant in Windsor, Ont., is this vehicle's kissing cousin and similar in many ways, but, along with the virtually identical Chrysler Town & Country, the Grand Caravan is the last one standing at Chrysler.
With a starting MSRP of well under $22,000, it is well-priced. This gets you a cavernous 4,430 litres of interior storage space, plus seating for seven, and most of the modcons and standard features you'd expect in this market. Air conditioning, power door locks, keyless entry, one-touch-down driver's-side power window, 76-litre fuel tank, block heater and so on.
There are also nifty little storage hideaways under the floor and 60/40-split folding rear seats. Chrysler's slick Stow 'N Go seating does not come with the base model, however, which is kind of a shame. This is one of the few features on this rig that separates it from most of its rivals.
Chrysler also likes to package its extras in the form of "groups." I counted 11 different groups on Dodge's website - everything from the Climate group, which includes three-zone air conditioning, to the Travel Convenience group, which gives you additional lighting in the back row of seats as well as a "premium" centre console and rear window shades, among other things.
If you opt for the Canada Value Package, you get the Climate group, plus power sliding side doors and various other bits and pieces. It adds some $700 to the price tag.
One welcome bit of news for 2009 comes in the form of an engine change. Gone is the 3.8-litre pushrod V-6, and in its place is a much more useable 4.0-litre overhead camshaft power plant, which, with slightly over 250 horsepower on tap, has more get up and go, better power delivery and decent fuel economy.
Standard issue for most models, this engine is optional on the base version and it's mated to a six-speed automatic only. A 3.3-litre V-6/four-speed automatic with a FlexFuel option is the base power train. That means it'll run on E85 fuel, which is 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent gasoline. But try finding a gas station in Canada that dispenses that particular concoction.
Nonetheless, the new V-6 is a good thing; one of the weakest points of the last version of the Grand Caravan was the 3.8-litre engine, which was anemic, loud, unrefined and lumpy.
This new power plant is a big step up, but, that said, still lags behind rivals such as the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Kia Sedona when it comes to ooomph and refinement. Better, but not best.
My test Grand Caravan this time around was the SE version. It had the larger V-6 engine, along with ABS, traction and stability control systems, 16-inch wheels and tires and most of the convenience features already mentioned. Extras included four-wheel disc brakes, the trailer tow group ($650) and flexible seating option ($625).
Its base price of $26,595 balloons to well over $38,000 by the time the dust settles, and this would put it out of the running were I in the market for this type of rig. Quite frankly, for the money, rivals coming from Japan and South Korea are simply superior vehicles.
A few complaints. Chrysler designers repositioned the shift lever a couple of years ago and decided to put it halfway up the dashboard. Ergonomically, this was a mistake in my opinion and it should be on the steering column.
Second, the power side doors are a pain; it's faster to open and close them manually and sometimes they just balk and don't do anything at all. This is a common failing with most minivans, regardless of manufacture.
Third, I could not get along with the front seats - I found them perched too high off the floor and the pedals were too far away.
Lastly, the new V-6 is still a bit short of the mark, at least compared to the competition.
I'm rooting for Chrysler these days and hope it pulls itself away from the abyss. But if the company is hoping the Grand Caravan will lead the way, it needs to go back to the drawing board.
****
2009 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE
Type: Seven-passenger minivan
Base Price: $26,595; as tested, $38,874
Engine: 4.0-litre V-6
Horsepower/Torque: 251 hp/259 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Drive: Front-wheel-drive
Fuel Economy (litres/100 km): 12.2 city/7.9 highway; regular gas
Alternatives: Toyota Sienna, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest, Volkswagen Routan
****
Like
- Lots of interior room
- Innovative seating/storage
Don't like
- Misplaced shift lever
- Unrefined engine
- Recalcitrant side doors
- Awkward front seats