Plenty has been blogged about our Grand Caravan's cargo versatility
and capacity
. This weekend during a moving expedition, I found what our beloved (or reviled) DGC can or cannot carry, as well as what does and does not work as we get ready to part ways with this long-termer.
The Grand Caravan cannot fit a Queen size mattress/box spring inside, but with some tie-downs, it's fairly easy and safe to haul them on top of the roof rack. The maximum length of a flat-packed furniture box to fit inside while still having the door shut is about 95 inches. In this case my passenger had to ride with her seat nearly in the glovebox, but we were both happier to haul this on the highway protected from the elements and also have the ability to park without worrying about having our new wardrobe frame pilfered.
The automatic doors make moving as convenient as I could imagine. Unfortunately, after the first day of driving the Caravan this weekend, the satellite radio stopped working. Perhaps it simply couldn't stand my taste in music (it stopped after Eddie Grant's Electric Avenue started)? But no, the subscription simply ran out. It also seems that the passenger seat warmer no longer gets really warm as well. Fortunately, the mercury rarely dips below 40-degrees here.
Mark Takahashi, edmunds.com Associate Editor @ 25,495 miles
zoomzoom22 says:
02:21 PM, 02/ 9/09
The dash display should tell you when the Sat radio is expired so you aren't left guessing. It seems like all the problems and quibbles with this car aren't worth its cargo capacity, etc. Get an Odyssey if you need to carry stuff.
BTW, Electric Avenue is a great song. Anyone seen Pineapple Express?
altimadude00 says:
04:13 PM, 02/ 9/09
Isn't there a release for the center seat belt so that it retracts out of the way when you fold the rear seat down? Usually, you use your key into the buckle to release the shoulder belt. Or was it not necessary to do that for this cargo haul?
Personally, having the belt obstruct the opening would irritate me.
carswapper says:
02:33 PM, 02/14/09
the radio does tell you the subscription is out - it shows up on the screen