When did the once proud and practical 'minivan' suddenly become the official pace car of 'Nerdville?' Never could quite comprehend how such a versatile and spacious means of transport inherited such an unflattering reputation.
Colleagues have tried to explain a largely generational divide. For Baby Boomers coming of age with growing families in the mid 1980's when the Lee Iacocca-led Chrysler Corp. popularized the front-drive segment; minivans were the new-wave alternative to the stogy station wagon. However, as their Gen X and Y offspring matured into adulthood with their own grand schemes for matrimonial mayhem, suddenly the minivan took on the role (in their eyes at least) of the dreaded Lucifer; or the uncool, old-school transport.
That's one reason for the growing popularity of flexible five and seven passenger crossover vehicles, which have not been stigmatized with 'soccer mom' type slights...yet. Who knows, the cycle may turn full circle with low-slung wagons someday out dueling crossovers. For now, however, minivans continue delivering solid cases for themselves.
In 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan, with sales of 141,648, ended as the best-selling minivan in the U.S. by a country mile. Sales increased 28 percent from the previous year. Together, Grand Caravan and its stable mate, the seven-passenger Chrysler Town & Country, accounted for almost half of all minivan sales in the U.S. After thirty years, Chrysler minivans remain the ones to beat. With attention to interior details, competitive pricing, oodles of safety features and user-friendly designs appreciated by frantic families, these two champs continue at the top of their game.
While just about every minivan provides extra high seating positions contributing to superior front visibility, Grand Caravan includes thoughtful nuances including easy-fold third row headrests improving rear-view perception when the back row is passenger-less. The rear region positions the inside power button at eye level near a left-side pillar (rather than on the door itself) for ease of use (power lift gates come standard in top three trims). Up front, a ceiling-located rectangular beveled mirror clicks down so drivers may keep tab on the back forty, when clicked down a notch further, the design doubles as a holder for sunglasses.
Standard in most Grand Caravan trims and a Chrysler Group innovation is versatile, second-row stow 'n go seating. The jack-in-the-box design allows for the two buckets to collapse out of sight into the floor creating a cavernous hall when the third-row 60/40-split bench folds flat as well. When prone, second row seats have extra below-floor storage in the cavern where the seats compact down into. The art of 'seat collapsing' is relatively easy. The front captain's chairs need to be slid forward, after which a tri-folding floor plate in front of second-row chairs must be lifted forward. After folding down the seat back, the entire unit pushes relatively effortlessly into the floor, then the foldable floor plate sections back into home position.
Third row split bench seating is just as well thought out. When positioned in back with the rear hatch open, numbered pull straps (1,2,3,4) guide the folding process each step of the way, with the aforementioned folding headrest starting the ball rolling. Third row seating recesses into a scooped region behind the third row.
Grand Caravan and Town & Country have carved out their own 2013 marketing niches. Dodge targets entry-type shoppers with Grand Caravan while Chrysler concentrates on up-market clientele with Town & Country. Grand Caravan's starting price (one of the industry's lowest) checks in a biscuit under twenty grand at $19,995 while the Chrysler twin starts more than $10,000 higher at $30,395, one of the priciest base models. Little changes for Grand Caravan in 2013 save for an available Blu Ray ceiling-mounted entertainment system in upper trims.
One extended wheelbase length is offered. Throughout most of the 1990s and early 2000s, two wheelbases (short and extended) were available. Grand Caravan sports front wheel drive and a 3.6-liter V-6 generating a segment high 283 horsepower mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Regular 87-octane fuel fills the 20 gallon tank. Expect 17 miles per gallon city and 25 mpg highway, on par with other V-6 segment powertrains. This engine also accommodates corn-enhanced E-85 (85 percent ethanol) fuel, but expect lower fuel economy returns with this blend.
Grand Caravan comes in five trims (AVP, SE, SXT, Crew and sports-tuned R/T). Our Crew trim sported a starting price of $28,595. Options include a power lift gage and remote start system ($895), side blind spot and cross path detection with rear park assist ($1,300) and Garman navigation feed through the in-dash rear camera display ($696) for a bottom line of $32,480 including $995 destination charge. All trims include a one year subscription to satellite radio.
By contrast Toyota's Sienna minivan starts at $26,585 with a 266 horsepower V-6 and available with one of the segments few all-wheel-drive underpinnings. Honda's 248 horsepower Odyssey V-6 checks in at $28,675.
Inside, the automatic transmission shift handle resides on the dashboard right of the instrument panel. One welcome addition would be an illuminated circle surrounding the key fob ignition slot just right of the manually tilt-and-telescope, three-spoke steering wheel. Currently, it's difficult to mate up with during night flights. The glove box design incorporates two separate doors and holding areas. Between front captain's chairs resides a permanent floor caddie elevated to knee height with two side-by-side beverage holders and coverable storage areas front and back. One houses two 12-volt outlets for portable electronics. Cloth seating comes standard in all but the top-level R/T which features leatherette trimmed style. Both AVP and SE incorporate manually-sliding second-row doors while SXT, Crew and R/T incorporate power moves. Entry AVP trims include second-row bench seating in place of stow 'n go designed seats.
The relatively flat instrument panel includes two circular analog gauges each with a small circular insert along the bottom with fuel (right side) and temperature (left circle). As with many Chrysler and now Fiat transports, the sound system volume and station pre-set buttons are located behind the steering wheel, where finger tips easily hunt and peck for volume and station preferences. It also opens the face of the wheel for cruise control operations and toggle buttons through the IP message center.
The grille incorporates the Dodge family seal with quad-sectioned crosshairs and honeycomb backdrop. One nice slight-of-hand architectural nuance is rear door slide tracks smartly hidden under back-end window frames, creating a smooth, uninterrupted canvas. An old-school mast antenna jets up from the passenger side front fender.
Rivals from Asia, including the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey remain competitive by incorporate smoother handling characteristics. That competitive edge may not get weighted heavily in a segment designed to ferry pint and half-pint cargo. Dodge Grand Caravan is a large, long vehicle, so extra care must be taken when switching lanes or pulling out of parking stalls. Available options including cross traffic alerts and blind spot detectors are tailor made and highly recommended for this segment. The ride remains surprisingly smooth in city and highway travel with light-touch steering, but road and tire noises are present.
But what do I know. I still park a stogy station wagon in the driveway.
At A Glance
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan
Price as tested: $43,435
Length: 202.8 inches
Width: 78.7 inches
Wheelbase: 121.2 inches
Engine: 3.7-liter V-6
Horsepower: 283
Curb weight: 4,652 pounds
Powertrain warranty: Five years/100,000 miles
City/Highway economy: 17/25
Assembly: Windsor Ontario, Canada
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