2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT: Well, it is fast

A fast family van with horrible interior is like a slow sports car with woodtrim interior and that's...
 
WTF!!!

What about the 268 hp Sienna? I've heard that it's even quicker and even floatier than the 4-liter Grand Caravan.

Makes me wonder why Dodge choose not to even offer the 4.0 in the Caravan in Canada. All we get is a choice of the 3.3 or the 3.8.
 
Not sure if I would buy one anyhow but I'm still feeling shortchanged.

Or they could put a 2 liter diesel and a 6-speed manual in there and get 40 mpg. It is not good, it is stupid. Why does a family van have to be so fast?

That probably wasn't their goal.. they had to use whatever they could find in the parts bin to save money and overcharge as much as possible

"Or they could put a 2 liter diesel and a 6-speed manual in there and get 40 mpg. It is not good, it is stupid. Why does a family van have to be so fast?"
 
I drove a 2006 MY ~2L diesel Peugeot minivan with a 6-speed manual in Europe last year, and with 6 people and luggage on board that thing was dangerously slow getting on motorways. European traffic moves quickly and aggressively which made it frustrating trying to maneuver it through traffic circles and other tight situations. You just get run over by everyone. However, I did get phenominal fuel economy, relatively speaking. Even with all that flooring and yelling at the stupid thing.

The Toyota 3.5-liter is the king of acceleration.
The Sienna rockets from 0-60 in 7.2 seconds per Car and Driver. Puts most butch image SUVs to shame.
Best in class mpg too per Car and Driver.
Best in class mpg too per the EPA.
 
The Toyota 2GR-FE/2GR-FSE heads the classes, being the fastest and most fuel efficient in any car the engine is in.

Wow billt9, you just took every single word out of my mouth...

If I ever got one of these things, I would be satisfied w/ ok acceleration but great gas mileage. You don't buy minivan for stop light racing...
Do people really mat the gas pedal in their cars/trucks when they have their kids on board?

Yes well because the Toyota's V6 is ultra refined.. as is the five speed...
 
Who knows what C/D did to get those numbers, C/D always gets lower numbers than many other publications.

What? You're at a gas station and no gas price photo??

The Toyota is indeed fast but its suspension tuning and overall composure is almost scary. The Odyssey is STILL the king of the minivans!

Ha ha;
I agree with hondacura4.
And on a random note, has anyone ever noticed how "noisy" Scott's pictures are ?
The only reason I mention it is because I am interested in photography, and on these blogs, we always point out stuff.
=Þ

Sorry hondacura4,but the word KING and minivan does'nt go together.
there is nothing about a minivan that says king.queen maybe?
 
a friend of mine once test drove the Sienna ,Odyssey ,Pacifica and the accord.
he came away with the Accord.
first off, he said the Odyssey ride was very bumpy .Sienna was nice,especially the ride.Chrysler too expensive.

You know mommy wants some lowering springs for her Sienna. Get it for her next birthday.

"a friend of mine once test drove the Sienna ,Odyssey ,Pacifica and the accord.
he came away with the Accord"
 
Why didn't he buy a Fit?
 
Since interior space wasn't an issue it would have been a much better choice.
 
The Odyssey is 3 times the size of the Accord inside, who would cross shop the two?

"Why didn't he buy a Fit? "
 
Based on the cars he was looking at, I am sure that he was looking at and can afford cars that are more expensive than the Fit...

Ew, a fit? What? Why not?
 
Exterior design, safety, pickup, ride, interior, features, NVH, etc.

A fit would not FIT.it was realy his wife's car.he drives a Ram pickup and his wife was replacing her prelude.
 at the time they had two kids ,would you want the fit to be your family hauler?
and yes people do cross shop all different types of vehicles.

I also have 2 kids and can understand buying a minivan. I can also understand buying a Fit. I see no purpose in the Accord.
 
The minivan is incredibly useful for all aspects of life.
 
The Fit is affordable, fun to drive and gets great mileage and is just as good a family hauler as the Accord.
 
When I replace my Legacy, it will be one or the other.
 
The Accord doesn't offer much more space then the Fit, gets worse mileage, cost a lot more and isn't as much fun to drive.
 
If you're going to give up the usefulness of the minivan, you need to get something in return and that's what I see in the Fit.

"And on a random note, has anyone ever noticed how "noisy" Scott's pictures are ?
The only reason I mention it is because I am interested in photography, and on these blogs, we always point out stuff. "
 
Carfreak, usually noise like that is caused by a high ISO setting. You basically want to use the lowest setting possible given the lighting conditions. For a sunny day, it should be 50-200 (depending on camera capabilities) and at night you might bump it up to 800+. The higher the setting, the more noise, but also the higher light sensitivity. If you use a tripod in low light, you can leave the ISO lower and compensate with a longer shutter delay (otherwise would show camera shake without the tripod).

bimmerjay,
 
Yeah, I realized that. But even his daylight pictures you can see noise, and I was just pointing it out.
Thanks though.

The Fit is a perfectly serviceable little car, but I would not consider one for my next car. Without having driven one, my complaints are dorky looks and slow gutless engine.
 
The Caravan is fast? Bitchin!

"Sorry hondacura4,but the word KING and minivan does'nt go together.
there is nothing about a minivan that says king.queen maybe?"
 
I was speaking in terms of the overall package. The Honda Odyssey (not because I like Honda or own an Odyssey) in my eyes is the benchmark minivan.
 
The Toyota was actually nice...but Its just so...soft and isolated. Not my cup of tea. The Odyssey actually has a bit of personality for a minivan.

The Honda Odyssey is a luxury car.
The rest in the pack are regular cars with leather.
Very noticeable.

I really like the Odyssey, and it has some aggressive and sporty styling to it, especially with the sport rims or whatever they're called. They just give the van a lowered and more aggressive look. Of any of the mini vans, I'd have to go with the Odyssey.

Honda's a good car but I prefer Toyota. My aunt an uncle just leased an 08 Accord EX-L. After 1,102 miles they hate it. Not that it's unreliable but it is too noisy to them, rides a little rough, and it is gutless(my uncle says). They are now looking into a Camry Hybrid. They also own a GX 470 so they prefer a soft ride. I think the Sienna is the best minivan. Gets the best gas mileage and has the most power.

I have to agree with Hause and say the Sienna is the better minivan of the two. Coming from an 05 Odyssey I thought my new 07 Sienna was going to be isolated and handle real bad. Actually now with new Yokohama Avid TRZ tires on my Sienna it handles better. The Odyssey had a little more feedback but the Sienna leans less and grips the road better. My Odyssey got an average of 18 mpg and my 07 Sienna now at 27,400 miles averages 21 mpg. I drive the Sienna the same way and get better gas mileage and it has tons more power.