I've been eyeing the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan from afar for quite some time. The styling hasn't really grabbed me, but a lot of the features I've heard about sound pretty good.
I finally had my first turn at the wheel. My impressions haven't fully gelled, but here is where my head is at so far:
Ride & handling: Decent steering effort, but on center feel is a bit "thick"--it isn't as precise as I'd like. The ride is pretty smooth, but the rear end bounds up and down way too much when traversing long amplitude waves in the road--the kind you get when crossing bridges, etc. The rear springs feel too soft and the damping too weak. (I used to tune suspensions for two other OEs for a living, including minivans, so I'm not making this up.) And this is empty, folks. It's liable to feel less settled with a load. Third row passengers might need airsickness bags on the roads I drive going to Oregon.
Engine & transmission: Good in-town and freeway acceleration from the 4.0-liter V6. The transmission upshifts are quick (!) and smooth. Not bad at all, but I still need to check it on a grade. The odd dash-mounted shifter and left-right manual mode make sense, in a way, because you can tap the manual shifter up or down without removing your hands from the wheel.
Interior features: Pretty impressive. I'll do more on this later, but my daughters were wowed by the swiveling seats, table and satellite TV where they could watch Disney's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" while underway on a screen in either of the two back rows. If my eldest were here, she'd say "OMG!" They can't wait to try their Nintendos in the input jacks. The power-folding third seat controls are a bit of a puzzle--it's easy for them to zig when you want them to zag. Make mine manual, please.
Interior quality: Too my hard plastics for my taste, and I could do without the strakes in the glove box cover. And that huge center stack has the same obsolete Dell tower computer look that GM finally got rid of when they redid the Cadillac CTS this year. The nav system is easy to use, but the screen isn't shaded much at all and the images washed out often on my commute home.
In the 2nd row, my daughter complained about the lack of a cup holder (only in the sliding door itself and the back of the front console, both out of her reach) and the cheesy hard plastic pockets for her use behind the front seats.
Exterior: I'm not crazy about the design and the huge all-chrome mirrors. But the thing that is really worrisome is that I randomly saw ANOTHER red one on the freeway just yesterday, and it had the same plastic step bulge that Josh noticed on ours a few days ago. Apparently this isn't a one-off issue.
There's some good stuff here. I'm sure my daughters won't be hard to convince if we decide to take this to Oregon this summer.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Automotive Testing @ 5,059 miles
texases says:
04:00 PM, 05/22/08
Each restyle since the 3rd gen ('98ish) version has been a disappointment.
roar02ram says:
04:13 PM, 05/22/08
Hey Dan - probably should shade the license plate
altimadude00 says:
07:15 PM, 05/22/08
I still think a through review of the Caravan's Swivel-n-Go seats will shoot another hole in a stellar vehicle.
firstwagon says:
07:33 PM, 05/22/08
"I still think a through review of the Caravan's Swivel-n-Go seats will shoot another hole in a stellar vehicle."
Don't like them, don't order them.
Options are good, they may suit someones need perfectly.
thebigal says:
08:13 PM, 05/22/08
overall, as i read more about this vehicle, it is what it is, and does what it does well. I don't see any major faults or shortcomings and it is feature-laden and probably for a better price point than a similarly equipped Odyssey (which seems to be the "benchmark").
I guess what I am trying to say is that for the majority of familys that need a hauler like this, this van will do it as good as them all without complaint. Sure the plastic is hard (but what mom cares about that?)
empowah says:
09:27 PM, 05/22/08
I look forward to seeing how the Routan will address these faults. The Routan, essentially a Grand Caravan that went through finishing school, has the ever so important European suspension tuning, styling, and interior material quality.
And interestingly, the VW's starting price will be lower than the equivalently-powered Dodge's.
actualsize says:
09:40 PM, 05/22/08
Ooops. Sorry for the lack of blur. I thought my photo was out of focus enough to prevent anyone from figuring out the state. All fixed now.
dougtheeng says:
05:50 AM, 05/23/08
Good post, very informative. Also, good catch seeing that plastic deformity on the other model. I have seen a number of these vans on the road, and they are growing on me (as far as vans go, anyways). If I were hauling a family around, I'd gladly drive this sort of vehicle. I loved travelling in my parents van.
blankfocus says:
06:23 AM, 05/23/08
i second empowah, look forward to seeing the new Routan and how it improves on the Dodge version.
06scooby says:
06:30 AM, 05/23/08
I think for most mom's that have kids... hard plastic = durable interior so it might not be a bad thing. Especially on the sides of the rear seating area!
actualsize says:
07:01 AM, 05/23/08
thebigal said: "Sure the plastic is hard (but what mom cares about that?)"
06scooby said: I think for most mom's that have kids... hard plastic = durable interior...
Weeellll. Are you guys married? My wife Tracy took one look at the Caravan and refused to ride in it. She didn't even want to sit in it while I showed her some of the features. I read somewhere that style matters to women. I've even been told that there are entire magazines devoted to fashion--thick ones that are good for killing spiders in the bathroom (not that I'd know.)
To her, the hard plastic and overall interior and exterior styling screamed "Grandma pants" (her words.) She followed that up with a "Wal-Mart." We never got to a point in the conversation where the word "durable" could be introduced.
When I proposed taking the Caravan to Oregon this summer, the kids were all over it. They think it's the BEST car I've ever brought home. But my wife quickly and curtly said "Then I'll walk," with absolutely no hint of humor at all.
This from a woman who drives a minivan every day and loves it. Perhaps the Routan will be more to her liking.
skierx420 says:
07:22 AM, 05/23/08
The styling on the new Dodge is accectable. To me it looks identical to the Honda. I have a cup holder tip. You have the ginormous center console right? You can slide the cupholders all the way back to the 2nd row occupants. Also My wife likes the durable materials (she loves her PT Cruiser Convertable interior) but will not get into a minivan. She won't drive anything with more than 2 doors. She can get car seats in anything (her claim, not mine). I think my wife and Dan's wife are probably related.
cx7lover says:
08:03 AM, 05/23/08
The styling on this new Caravan looks more outdated than the last.
The only thing with the hard Chrysler plastics, they scratch EASY.
The Routan will one up the Caravan in every way possible, it's already won the interior quality award, along with styling.
hondacura4 says:
08:10 AM, 05/23/08
thebigal said: "Sure the plastic is hard (but what mom cares about that?)"
06scooby said: "I think for most mom's that have kids... hard plastic = durable interior..."
Given my wifes fine taste in fashion and antique furniture it means a big deal to her. She isnt a badge queen by any means but she does appreciate quality and craftsmanship when she sees it. We actually looked at a Caravan (last generation) before we bought the Odyssey and we didnt even get the chance to drive it. She opened the door and said "this isnt going to work". Keep in mind she was coming from a MINT 2000 Lexus GS400.
I have 5 children, indenticle twin boys (9), a single girl (6) and fraternal twins (4-boy/girl). Taking this into HEAVY consideration our 2005 Odyssey Touring takes quite a beating. We had the carpet "Scotch Guarded" right after purchase and of course it has leather so M&Ms and crayons arent an issue. It also gets detailed about every 2 weeks by me.
High quality materials go a LONG WAY in terms of dealing with small children and given what Ive seen of the Caravan, it just looks downright CHEAP by comparison. Hard platics are one thing but HIGH QUALITY hard plastics are another.
I think Chrysler got the mechanical package right but the low rent materials and inconsistent build quality arent acceptable at any price point.
mercedesfan says:
03:43 PM, 05/23/08
It is funny how subjective styling and percieved quality are. Before my wife and I bought our Grand Caravan we looked at the Honda Odyssey Touring as well. My wife (whose previous daily driver was a 2004 SL600) simply hated it inside and out. She complained it was slow, it wasn't practical enough (we got Stow 'n' Go), and the interior looked like "crap" (her words not mine). I knew the Odyssey was better built, but liked the Dodge as well so we settled on that. After 6000 miles and lots of child-induced trauma, it is still tight as a drum. I feel like we made the right decision.
carswapper says:
01:48 PM, 06/ 3/08
for the center seat cup holders....the center console slides all the way back for the passengers to use. front seats then have cupholders that come out from below the climate controls