As the most recognizable minivan on the market at all, the Dodge Grand Caravan has had a run that now spans across four decades. As one of the first of the modern minivans, the Grand Caravan is still the most popular choice of families who need a minivan to take care of all their needs. In competition with the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna the Grand Caravan still stands heads and shoulders above them with the most powerful V6 engine in the class, a nicely upgraded and modern interior, Stow ‘n Go seating and some great high-tech gadgetry for the whole family to stay connected. Because Dodge has kept the overall scheme of the van very simple, the Grand Caravan is a great value even when fully loaded.
For 2015 the Grand Caravan looks to help save shoppers even more money while still giving a great value by offering two new Plus Packages that bundle many popular features at a discounted rate. This helps to keep the ideal that the Grand Caravan is one of the best vans to look at purchasing when not wanting to overspend just to gain a more interesting look.
Driving the Grand Caravan offers a comfortable and smooth ride which is achieved by the improved suspension and the very responsive and weighted steering system. The Grand Caravan boasts an engine that can handle hauling some freight along with having power enough to carry up to seven passengers. The towing capacity of this van when fitted with a towing package comes in at 3,600 pounds allowing some great toys and gear to make it to the weekend destination or to haul a weekend work project home from the home improvement store.
Another feature that helps keep the overall price of this van down lower than some others is the offering of only one engine for this van. This one engine is certainly the top of the minivan class coming in as a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine which offers up 283 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. This excellent engine is mated to a very smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission which helps to deliver a fuel efficiency of 17 city/25 hwy mpg when fueled with regular gasoline or 12 city/18 hwy mpg when fueled with E85 ethanol.
With a clean and enjoyable interior the inside of the Grand Caravan offer a lot of deceptive storage opportunities made possible from the Stow ‘n Go seating. This seating allows the second row to quickly fold into the floor to maximize the cargo space of the van. When the seats are up and in use, these cavernous spaces under the floor can be used to carry additional items that might now be needed right away upon arrival at the destination. For the driver, the control features and instrument panel offer a ton of information to ensure the driver is able to enjoy the ride and be well-informed. The Grand Caravan offers two rear video screens available for the entertainment of the rear occupants of the vehicle.
From the outside of the vehicle, the Grand Caravan is very recognizable and has proven over the years to be the form of minivan that many families have enjoyed and even owned more than one. Offering two sliding doors for access to the vehicle from either side this van makes it much easier for parents of very small children to be able to enjoy access to them easily. The size of this van makes it easy to park in a crowded lot and offers a great deal of space behind the third row of seating for cargo. Additional cargo space can be had on top of the van by using the swiveling roof rack system that can be brought out to carry a roof cargo box and then stored away in the side rails to keep as sleek a look as possible.
Starting out with the base model, the standard equipment can be considered very generous. The Grand Caravan AVP includes 17-inch wheels, remote keyless entry, air conditioning for the front and rear, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel, steering-wheel-mounted controls for the audio system, in floor hidden storage bins in front of the second row, electronic traction control, stability control, anti-lock brakes and airbags. Even at the base model the Grand Caravan has a lot of great features to enjoy and is certainly a great place to start adding features and equipment to make it an even more attractive and enjoyable vehicle.
The Grand Caravan offers a great deal of optional equipment to choose from. Moving up to the SE model will add the Stow ‘n Go seating, tinted glass and tri-zone automatic climate control. The SE Plus package adds black leather trim, second-row power windows, the Uconnect Voice Command with Bluetooth, and other audio streaming function to turn the van into a great place to listen to music along the ride. The SXT model adds the power sliding doors as standard fare along with a power lift gate. The R/T model receives a monochrome exterior and improved interior equipment to make this version of the Grand Caravan as close to a luxury vehicle as possible. Some stand-alone features that can be added to really sweeten this ride include parking sensors, blind spot monitoring with cross-path detection, the dual DVD screens and a towing package that allows some added gear to be brought along for the ride.
For the base Grand Caravan AVP model that price comes in just under $22,000 which is a great price with the features that are included. The SE adds about $3,000 to the price and the SXT comes in around $28,000 which is the best blend of price and features for many to take advantage of. The R/T starts its pricing around $31,000 but can reach as high as $38,000 with all the features added to the vehicle. At any price the Grand Caravan continues to be the most popular minivan on the market today.