In a class of minivan designs that includes the Odyssey's new lightning-bolt sideview and the Sienna's tarted-up swagger—not to mention the Quest's overt Flex cues—the Grand Caravan suddenly seems more boxy than ever. Chrysler's hacked the list of available drivetrains down to one. Minivans are about utility—passengers and cargo—first and foremost, and the Grand Caravan is comfortable to the max. The fold-away second-row seats are a great idea. We've never heard a kid beef about the trade-off of skinny seat cushions, though admittedly the harder-to-remove business-class seats in the Sienna and Odyssey would be the preferred choice for touring adults.
Given the limited budget and even more limited time, the Grand Caravan’s sheetmetal didn’t change. Even compared to that in other minivans the seating position in the Grand Caravan is high and upright. At this price point the seat height isn’t adjustable, not even manually. Third-row comfort is more competitive, partly thanks to an aggressively angled seat cushion. There’s enough room for adults in all three rows, but the Sienna and especially the Odyssey are roomier.
The Grand Caravan has a clear advantage in cargo hauling versatility. Both the second and third rows stow completely beneath a low floor. In the Odyssey and Sienna the second-row seats must be removed to get a flat floor. When the Dodge’s seats aren’t stowed there’s a deep well behind the third row and two large covered storage compartments ahead of the second row. Up in the front seat there’s plenty of storage space in the bi-level removable center console, a pair of glove compartments, and the center stack. Both figures are the highest in the minivan class. If it’s not the quickest minivan ever, it’s close.
The six-speed automatic transmission is a placeholder until Chrysler starts receiving a new nine-speed from ZF. Unlike in other minivans you can manually select a specific gear. Manually downshifting a minivan—what’s the point? The revised minivan has precise, firm, perfectly weighted steering and tightly controlled body motions. In comparison, other minivans, including the Odyssey, feel soft, and even sloppy. As it is, despite (or perhaps because of?) its aggressively damped suspension tuning the 2011 Grand Caravan also rides extraordinarily well. Pockmarked roads that have bedeviled most of the cars I’ve tested failed to faze this minivan.
As mentioned earlier, the new Grand Caravan with key functional options lists for just under $30,000. Compare the Mainstreet with power doors to the Odyssey EX, and you’ll find that the Dodge lists for a substantial $3,825 less. The Honda does include some additional features, such as a power driver seat and automatic climate control. But adjust for these (easily done using TrueDelta’s car price comparison tool) and the Dodge’s price advantage remains over $3,000. Driving the revised minivan shifted my opinion of Chrysler all the way from “What’s the point of keeping them around?” to “Time to take the fork out.”
The Honda Odyssey took the minivan sales crown in 2008 and 2009, while the Town & Country triumphed last year. Honda would contend that's only because its rival sells so many minivans to fleets, while Chrysler might point out that if you add sales of its nearly identical Grand Caravan to the numbers, it's the minivan leader by a Reagan-esque landslide.
No matter which side of this argument you're inclined to believe, the fact remains that Chrysler no longer has a lock on minivan mindshare.
