2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Test Drive

Brilliant seating, wonderful to drive, but will it last as long as a Toyota?

I must admit that when I first heard of the new "Stow 'n Go" seating featured in the Dodge Grand Caravan, I figured it was a desperate attempt to fend off competition from the redesigned Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey. Now that I've had a chance to use it, both on a long trip and around town, I'm convinced that this may be one of the best ideas yet. I also really liked the $27,360 Dodge Grand Caravan those seats were wrapped in. Warranty: 3 yr/36,000 mi; 7 yr/70,000 mi powertrain.

First Glance

The Minivan War is one of the most exciting conflicts in the auto world. Every year, the automakers try to one-up each other with new convenience features: Power doors and liftgates, hookups for video game consoles, and, of course, more cupholders. And then there are the seats. Minivans are all about flexibility, and that means swapping seating for cargo room. Used to be you'd have to remove the seats and store them, a real pain in the rear (and the back). Then Honda came up with a rear seat that folds into the floor. Toyota one-upped them by making the seat split into two sections. Then along comes Chrysler (Dodge's parent), with rear AND middle seats that fold into the floor. Whoa! With the seats up, you have two covered underfloor storage wells. Cool! On a long trip, the extra space really comes in handy, especially for things like slushy snow-boots that you don't want dripping on the carpets. I loved Stow 'n Go, but fiancée Robin wasn't so impressed; she pointed out that you have to move the front seats all the way forward in order to access the bins or fold the seats down. Once that's done, you really can go from seven seats to two in less than a minute. Minivans don't get a whole lot more flexible than that.

In the Driver's Seat

From the driver's perspective, the Grand Caravan is a mixed bag. Sightlines are excellent; the big windshield gives a panoramic view of the road and the side view mirrors are well-placed. Vans can be tricky to park, but the Dodge has the best back-up warning I've ever seen. There are two sets of amber LEDs just above the rear window (perfectly positioned to be visible in the rear-view mirror). The LEDs illuminate progressively as you back closer to an object. When you get too close, red LEDs illuminate and a beeper sounds. If you have the stereo turned up, it will mute the volume so you can hear the audible warning. It's much more handy (and much less annoying) than the beeper-only system used in Ford and Toyota vans. If only the rest of the interior were that well thought out! The layout and ergonomics are good, but the dashboard is made of cheap-looking plastic that screams "Made in Taiwan". A simple change to higher quality materials would do wonders, but chintzy-looking interior bits, unfortunately, have become something of a Chrysler hallmark.

On the Road

The joy of driving the Grand Caravan starts as soon as you put the transmission in gear, and I mean that literally. Chrysler minivans have the nicest automatic transmission shifter of any car I've driven. The smooth, rounded handle fits any hand perfectly. There's just enough weight as you pull the lever forward, and it drops nicely into gear. Call me crazy ("Crazy!"), but I found myself shifting into Park at stoplights just for the pure joy of it. The just-right action of the shifter is echoed in the steering feel and even the accelerator pedal. The ride is smooth, comfortable, and quiet; in fact I can't think of a vehicle that is more relaxing to drive. If you have kids (and chances are if you buy one of these, you do) you'll find the relaxing feel of the drive almost therapeutic. Not that the Grand Caravan will lull you into inattentiveness--far from it. With no annoying distractions, I found it much easier to pay attention to the road. And if you think the Grand Caravan sacrifices handling for a comfortable ride, try an abrupt swerve. You'll find that the Grand Caravan is surprisingly agile, responsive and nimble when it comes to sudden accident-avoidance maneuvers.

Journey's End

It's hard not to like the Grand Caravan. Prices start under $23,000 for the SE; the SXT I drove costs less than the cheapest Honda Odyssey, and while it costs more than the mid-level Toyota Sienna LE it comes with more standard equipment. (Dodge usually offers aggressive discounts which drive the price even lower.) The big problem is long-term quality; Dodge has a less-than-stellar reputation. When it comes to safety, the Caravan's design (introduced in 2002) is starting to show its age. Side-curtain airbags are optional and no doubt contributed to a perfect five-star rating in the US Government's side-impact tests. But the Dodge scored four stars in the Guv's frontal barrier crash test, and Acceptable (the second-highest rating) in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's more realistic offset-barrier crash. That said, I don't know that I'd let those ratings sway my decision, as minivans are, statistically speaking, the safest vehicles on the road. No, the issue is quality. The Honda and the Toyota will probably last forever, but the Grand Caravan is the more enjoyable van to drive, and there's nothing quite like that Stow 'n Go seating. What to do? You think about it. I'm going to go drive this Grand Caravan some more.