Dodge Caravan

Dodge Caravan Models

There are six Dodge Caravan models. Grand Caravan models add a useful six inches of length between the wheels. Caravans come with the standard wheelbase.

The Dodge Caravan SE comes standard with a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, and hand-crank windows. But also standard are air conditioning, variable intermittent wipers, and an AM/FM stereo cassette audio system.

Sport models are next on the features ladder, available in either standard or extended wheelbase. All Sport models come with a standard Flex-Fuel 3.3-liter V6 engine. The Sport gets fancier seats with upgraded cloth and standard rear defroster, anti-lock brakes, power door locks, speed control and other features.

Snowbelt residents will appreciate the traction action of the Grand Caravan Sport AWD.

Grand Caravan ES is the top-of-the-line Dodge minivan, offered only in an extended wheelbase version, but with a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive. ES adds an overhead trip computer, the option of leather and heated seats, the option of 17-inch wheels (fwd only), and an optional Auto-Stick transmission.

Also available is the Grand Caravan EX, which is positioned between the Sport and the ES. EX comes with the popular features found on the ES added, but with only one option available.

Driving the Dodge Caravan

On the Grand Caravan, all sorts of things reduce wind noise, from additional underhood padding to gaskets between the outside mirrors and the body and around outside and inside door handles. Roof rack crossbows were reshaped in wind tunnel tests to reduce wind noise. It's paid off. Road noise and wind noise are minimal in the Grand Caravan, making it a veritable chat room on wheels.

Handling for most minivan owners is how well the vehicle maneuvers in a parking lot and tracks down the highway rather than how fast it can slalom through a series of cones. So we tested it in parking lots and discovered that it had a small enough turning radius to get into parking spaces easily, though with the front corners of the van blocked by the cowl, it wasn't always easy to tell where the front really was. It was easy to tell where the rear was, on the other hand, but the height of the windows blocked the view of cars or other low objects. This is typical of most minivans, however, and something that one must learn to live with.

With the Grand Caravan, one won't be tempted go racing. Even with the extra horsepower, it's two tons the 3.3-liter V-6 has to pull about. Still, the 3.3-liter has enough power to climb hills without breathing hard, and merging onto the freeway doesn't give you visions of your life insurance salesman.

Highway ride, considering the rather basic nature of its underpinnings, is supple and well controlled. The rack-and-pinion steering was improved this year and winding roads show dividends in the precision of the steering and the feedback through the wheel. The Grand Caravan also tracks true on the interstate. It may not have sports car-like cornering limits and the bias is toward understeer, but within its performance envelope, it's super.

The Grand Caravan Sport combines the slightly higher seating position that enables even short drivers to see over traffic ahead without the nosebleed climbs of some more truck-like minivans or sport utilities. Nature didn't cooperate by giving us a snowstorm to drive in, but the windshield wiper deicer that comes with the Sport trim level, heating elements on the glass where the wipers park, are an excellent addition for anyone who must drive in wintry precipitation.