The ultimate practical family vehicle

Our family purchased a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT almost three weeks ago, and we’re very happy with the purchase. It’s roomy, comfortable, has a smooth and quiet highway ride, and lots of unique useful features.

Much ink has been spilled in automotive publications about the “anemic” base 3.3L engine, but it’s perfectly adequate for the type of normal driving done by minivan owners. There is enough power for safely merging with freeway traffic, and for hilly country roads. I don’t know how it would work in the mountains, but for Southern Ontario it’s just fine. Performance is not stunning, mind you, so if that’s important you should look at one of the optional engines. Fuel economy is reasonable for a large vehicle. I’m averaging about 10.5 L/100 km on my first two tanks of gas. The 3.3L is the base engine on all trim levels of the Grand Caravan in Canada, including the SXT.

The four-wheel anti-lock brakes are powerful, and include brake assist. Handling is very smooth, not sporty, and it’s quiet and comfortable on the highway. All-speed traction control and electronic stability program are standard. Side curtain airbags for all three rows, with rollover sensors, are a standard feature.

The real killer feature is the Stow’n’Go second-row seating. It’s so much better than removing seats. There’s no planning required. If there’s a great sale at the Home Depot on a backyard play centre that you can’t pass up, you can go ahead and fold all the seats down, or just as many as you need to make room, and fill her up. It’s often repeated in car reviews that the second row Stow’n’Go seats are too thin to be comfortable, but I think that’s just how they look, because in the real world on long trips our passengers have never complained. New for fifth-generation Grand Caravans are windows that retract down into the sliding doors.

The optional MyGig system is a cool feature, and not difficult to operate. It’s neat to be able to watch videos in the front seat when parked, and the backup camera included with the MyGig is a handy safety feature. The wide angle lens gives you a clear view of what’s behind the bumper – very nice for peace of mind when you have small children around, and handy when parking. Our van has the single rear-screen DVD system which has a good picture and the wireless headphones work well.

The flex-fuel capability to run on E85 is of limited utility in Canada where there are virtually no gas stations that carry E85.

I have no doubt that the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are better vehicles by some objective measure that weights handling, performance, build quality, and other factors in scientific way, but I’ve owned both Hondas and Toyotas and while they are better built, they aren’t always better built enough to justify the additional price. The fit and finish in our van (built in June 2008) is almost as good as our 2006 Honda Civic (built in February 2006), and that’s saying a lot. The panel gaps aren’t quite as tight as they could be, but there are no sharp edges and the interior still has a “finished” feel to it. The light-coloured grey used in much of the interior is a poor choice for a family vehicle and will show the dirt. There are no squeaks or rattles or any other annoying noises in our van. We haven’t owned it long enough to comment on the stain and odour-resistant YES-Essentials fabric.

The attention paid to aerodynamics by Chrysler designers seems to have paid off. Wind noise is almost non-existent when cruising on the highway.

So there are some negative points, but it’s a good vehicle with some unique features (like second-row Stow’n’Go). If you put a premium on innovative and useful features at a reasonable price to keep the family happy, the Grand Caravan is a good choice.

One of the other reviewers thought there was no trip meter. There is. There are two selection buttons on the premium instrument cluster and the trip meter (A or B) is selected and reset with the right button. To activate the fog lights (if equipped), just press the headlight button.