2008 Dodge Caravan

New Chrysler minivans lead the competition in seating, both in fabrics and in easy adaptability

Nov 03, 2007

Special to the Star

"The report of my death was an exaggeration," Mark Twain once wrote, a quote that could easily be applied to the minivan.

It almost seemed on its way out, with many buyers going to SUVs and then crossovers, and some manufacturers, such as Ford, stopped selling them altogether.

But Chrysler says the minivan is alive and well – third in sales only to compact cars and pickup trucks. To that end, there are all-new versions of the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country for 2008.

If it seems counterproductive to offer both, it's mostly because of U.S. marketing. Dealerships generally sell one or the other there, and trim levels overlap.

In Canada, where you'll find all at one store, the Grand Caravan ranges from $26,495 to $30,495, while the Town & Country is the next step up, at $35,995 for my Touring tester, to $42,895 for the Limited.

Incentives announced this week have reduced those prices, depending on the package you choose.

The Grand Caravan's base engine is a 3.3 L V6, with four-speed automatic, and can be optioned to a 3.8 L V6 with a six-speed automatic in the SXT trim level.

The Town & Country Touring uses the 3.8 L exclusively, while the Limited steps up to a 4.0 L V6.

The nose-to-tail redesign comes in one length only. The short-wheelbase model, which made up half the company's Canadian sales – but only one-quarter of U.S. purchases – has been discontinued.

That's a decision made in Michigan, and time will tell if it will be detrimental here, especially since GM seemed poised to retire from the segment but has instead retained both short- and long-wheelbase versions of its Chevrolet Uplander and Pontiac Montana SV6 for 2008. It's the only company offering a short-wheelbase this year.

Chrysler's official answer is that customers bought the "shorty" for its price, not its length, and is making up for that by packing the entry-level Grand Caravan Canada Value Package with anti-lock brakes, electronic stability program, a/c, curtain airbags, power windows and keyless entry, at a base price that's $3,460 below the last-generation Grand Caravan's MSRP.

It's also the least-expensive of the long-wheelbase competitors, and $2,105 more than the short-wheelbase Chevrolet Uplander, which is similarly equipped but without curtain airbags.

When compared to the competition, Chrysler's engines come up short: the 175 hp 3.3 L and the 197 hp 3.8 L are the least powerful in the segment, against a low of 235 hp in the Nissan Quest, and a high of 266 horses in the Toyota Sienna.

But Chrysler's 3.8 L and 4.0 L engines are mated to a segment-exclusive six-speed automatic, and while you might want more grunt when taking seven passengers up a hill, the extra gears make for very smooth and pleasant performance overall.

Inside, both Caravan and T&C are considerably better than their predecessors, although there's still room for improvement: a trough where the centre stack meets the dash panel is going to collect dirt and be difficult to clean, and some of the plastics feel cheap, especially the hard silver stuff on my tester's steering wheel.

The cluster is straightforward in daylight, but at night, I found the green gauges hard to see, needing a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to them.

Chrysler has the competitive edge in seating, first with its exclusive YES Essentials fabric, on all but the Canada Value (where it's optional) and the leather-clad T&C Limited. It's stain- and odour-resistant, and as easy to clean as leather, without the cost or the too-hot, too-cold feeling I dislike about cowhide.

The other ace is Stow 'n Go, also exclusive, which lets you reconfigure the seating without removing the second row. The seats fold into bins in the floor. Tumble the third row, and you've got 244 cm of flat floor, enough to bring home eight-foot boards and shut the liftgate.

Every model has covered floor bins. They can be used for storage on the Canada Value, which has only removable second-row seats, and on vans equipped with Swivel 'n Go, the spinning chair system that I don't like since the swivel seats can't be folded into the floor.

I'd take the Chrysler model based on Stow 'n Go alone, since it can be instantly changed anywhere, allowing me to haul an unwieldy purchase or pick up extra passengers mid-trip, without wishing I'd either left or not left my second row at home. Be warned, though: the seats have thinner foam so they'll fold properly, and they get hard very fast.

My tester was equipped with a $2,400 entertainment group, which outfitted it better than my house: a hard-drive-based MyGIG stereo and twin rear-seat video screens capable of playing two separate movies or games simultaneously.

I have difficulty figuring out new electronic devices, and without the owner's manual, I found MyGIG was beyond me. But its touch screen is very simple, and I was able to download music and photos into it easily, from CDs and a USB memory stick.

When the van's in Park, the front screen will also play movies; the picture disappears in any other gear, but the sound continues. In Reverse, it's a backup camera.

Parents will appreciate the T&C's "halo" lighting, an attractive ceiling-mounted glow that's just bright enough for checking on sleeping passengers without waking them, and the myriad of cupholders and cubbies, including a huge double glovebox.

For all the ink that crossovers and SUVs get, there are still seven carmakers in the minivan market, and since they're not sold on sex appeal, it comes down to features and price, to the customer's benefit.

Honda and Toyota offer more powerful engines than Chrysler's two base powerplants; Toyota has the only all-wheel-drive version; and Kia, Hyundai and GM have longer warranties. Chrysler counters with value pricing and a superbly configured interior. Let the shopping begin.

Toronto Star