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2011 Dodge Grand Caravan

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An important model for Chrysler.
The Dodge Minivan has always been one of their best sellers.

And for 2011, it gets what most other Chrysler/Dodge models are getting: New front, rear, new interior and the new 3.6 Liter V6.
Nothing all new.
But the interior, like in all these “new” 2011 Chryslers, is a huge improvement.
Unfortunately, the shifter is still in the weirdest of places, top right from the steering wheel.
Maybe it’s OK for Minivan drivers, who knows…

This is more good news from Chrysler.

Conversation 12 comments

  3. The only area Caravan was not #1 buy a mile in has just been corrected–the interior. (The 3.6 Pentastar is 100HP more than the old 4.0 and gets as good or better gas mileage–but the 4.0 already was the gas mileage leader in minivans and power was either best or close to it– so I guess they just stay #1 in engine technology. Ditto on the bullet-proof 6-speed tranny.

    Gotta love those LED tailights!

  4. I do like the size and exterior design of the Chrysler minivan. It's a sensible looking vehicle, practical and not overly styled. And isn't it the only minivan in which the 2nd row seats fold flat into the floor?

    Is the tranny really that reliable, though? I heard Chrysler was infamous for trannies that failed prematurely.

    Vince, I kind of like the shifter being on the dash. On an automatic car you can go several hours without needing to shift. You might as well use the center space for other things you might use more frequently, like cupholders or cubbyholes.
    If they're going for practicality, though, they might as well get rid of the tachometer. Nobody is looking at the engine revs on a car like this.

    I can't speak for the new design, but the old interior was full of cheap, hard plastics. It wasn't a pleasant place to be.

  5. the firs t one is still the best and the other one s just wil have to catch up which theu y cant

  6. the firs t one is still the best and the other one s just wil have to catch up which theu y cant

  7. Seriously Douche….what's up with your typing?

    I honestly can't understand why someone would by a Toyota / Honda over a Chrysler anyway for a minivan…

    On THAT car – who cares about hard plastics?! It's a utility vehicle. Kids will trash it. Factor in the price difference between this and the competition….

    My buddy bought one for $18K brand new – all the options that he could ever want / need. It works fine.

    As a 'whole category' – I think ALL companies should work on improving REAL WORLD fuel economy though…seriously, these things are no better then a Durango / Suburban / etc

  8. This looks to be a huge interior improvement. However, the build quality has to be there to match the looks. We had a 2010 GC for a rental (when our 2002 Odyssey was in shop for accident). My wife, who drove the GC for 3 weeks, commented that she could not believe how cheaply the GS was constructed. The plastics were major cheap, and we could not believe how much it rattled with only 4K miles on it. It is no wonder they went into bankruptcy with these products.

  9. This looks to be a huge interior improvement. However, the build quality has to be there to match the looks. We had a 2010 GC for a rental (when our 2002 Odyssey was in shop for accident). My wife, who drove the GC for 3 weeks, commented that she could not believe how cheaply the GS was constructed. The plastics were major cheap, and we could not believe how much it rattled with only 4K miles on it. It is no wonder they went into bankruptcy with these products.

    Lot of things here that don't add up.

    1- A HONDA dealer gives you an "almost new" competitors product to drive around FREE for THREE WEEKS? -I smell a rat.

    Where'd he get it? Bought a wreck and fixed it up for a loaner? Sounds like your HONDA Dealer is not to good at fixing/maintaining cars period!

    The "hard plastic" on Oddesy sliding doors is the same stuff on the (older previous generation) doors (and some dashes) of Four Runner, Cherokee (base) , Silverado(base model) Venza (rear doors–all trim levels) and about a million others built between 2008-2010 — including several Honda/Acuras.

    Chrysler seem to the the first to unilaterally abandon that material across the board (as of 2011). I think the latest Sienna & Oddity have also abandonded them in 2011.

    So you're saying your wife would rather drive around in a minivan than a Grand Cherokee SUV. Not everybody's choice, but O:K, some like apples and some like oranges. That doesn't make apples "better" than oranges–just different.

    Personally I'd take ANY of the Caravan/Town&Country/Routan over any Oddessy- And a 2011 JGC over ANY minivan. But that's just me.

  10. Is the tranny really that reliable, though? I heard Chrysler was infamous for trannies that failed prematurely.

    Many many years ago the first true "4-speed" trannys were designed by Chrysler. And yes, Chrysler was replacing them at "no charge" all too often the first 2-3 years. Flash foward to 2008. Chrysler leads again with the worlds first minivans having 6-speeds. But this time they were rock-solid reliable right out of the box. And givin that 1)Honda & Toyota are only now offering their first ("gueinna-pig") 6-speed minivans in 2011; (2) Toyota is the king of recalls–and by an unherard-of huge margin; (3) Their are whole web sites dedicated to consumer dissappointments with Honda Quality. (4) The Chrysler 6-speeds have stood the test of time since 2007 (MY '08) with no "first-year" glitches and none even showing up in the 2nd or 3rd years. (5) Too early yet to see if Toyota has solved THEIR problems (which are even worse today than during the "Previa Death Trap" years. (6) Honda only now has their first 6-speed minivan–so the jury is still out.

    I guess, given the new interior of T&C and Caravan; I'd get one. Don't expect the big discounts Toyota has been giving on everything to show up at Chrysler. Chrysler had fewer discounts in '09 than ever before (Just when Toy & Honda had the most ever) and Chrysler sales are now up 61% over a year ago. Some dealers have more used Japanese cars than they do new Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep products–so if your really stuck on an import–visit your Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer (for used Siennas & Oddessys). So it's not a buyer's market at Chryser; and probably won't be for some time. But there's a good reason for that!

  11. 1- A HONDA dealer gives you an "almost new" competitors product to drive around FREE for THREE WEEKS? -I smell a rat.

    Where'd he get it? Bought a wreck and fixed it up for a loaner? Sounds like your HONDA Dealer is not to good at fixing/maintaining cars period!

    The "hard plastic" on Oddesy sliding doors is the same stuff on the (older previous generation) doors (and some dashes) of Four Runner, Cherokee (base) , Silverado(base model) Venza (rear doors–all trim levels) and about a million others built between 2008-2010 — including several Honda/Acuras.

    Chrysler seem to the the first to unilaterally abandon that material across the board (as of 2011). I think the latest Sienna & Oddity have also abandonded them in 2011.

    So you're saying your wife would rather drive around in a minivan than a Grand Cherokee SUV. Not everybody's choice, but O:K, some like apples and some like oranges. That doesn't make apples "better" than oranges–just different.

    Personally I'd take ANY of the Caravan/Town&Country/Routan over any Oddessy- And a 2011 JGC over ANY minivan. But that's just me.

    OK, Where do I start:

    1) You may smell at rat, but you do not know the details: We had a GC as a loaner at the Honda dealer because the insurance company for the person that hit and damaged our Odyssey and caused the accident only dealt with Enterprise Rental. Enterprise provided us with the GC. They only had GC's. This car was available to us at the dealer who did the repair work. Enterprise made it easy for us to get the loaner van. Also, this dealer's body repair shop is located on the same combined property as their Honda/Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge dealership.

    2) YES! My wife prefers driving a minivan. She is a short & small lady. When we got the Odyssey 8.5 years ago, we looked at several SUV's, and she thought they were all to big and too tall. We need the carrying capacity for 6, and the only cars that comfortably handled that many folks (in 2002) were a minivan, or a Chevy Suburban/Ford Expedition. She wanted the higher ride height and space for the kids, but did not want to have to climb up into an SUV.

    I am on my third SUV. She hated my old Lexus LX (too high), disliked my Audi Q7 because it was hard to park, and likes my current RX400.

    3) As for the hard plastics, I agree that the sliding door panels in the Honda are the hard stuff. However, the dash and front doors of our 2002 Ody are of much better quality than the 2010 GC. The 2010 GC shifter moved around in every gear, and continually rattled the cheap plastic housing. Further, most bumps elicited multiple rattles from the dash of this minivan.

    My real question is: Why did it take Chrysler until 2011 to provide customers quality dash material, when Honda and Toyota did it back in 2000?

    4) As for taking the Chrysler triplets over the Honda and Toyota products, that is your preference. However, we prefer reliable and long lasting cars, and chose the Japanese products. When we were van shopping nearly 9 years ago, we had multiple friends who had Chrysler products advise us NOT to buy the GC or T&C. All had had transmission problems and would not buy Chrysler again. Further, most of the car guys (like our host Vince) recommended the Odyssey. We are happy with the purchase, and are going strong with the Odyssey at 140K miles.

  12. "we had multiple friends who had Chrysler products advise us NOT to buy the GC or T&C."

    Time to get smarter friends.

    I've had 5 minivans; 1-Plynouth, 2-Dodges; 2-Chryslers. All lasted over 100k (some to 170k B4 I got bored & traded) and never a single transmission problem. As far as plastice / Styling; that's a personal thing. To my eyes, the Oddessy's interiors are always just a bit, well, ODD.

    Chrysler just seems to know minivan design better than anyone else. They're always a step ahead of everyone else. And always a leader in safety, MPG, & innovation (eg Stow-N-Go). In fact, (Chrysler) does so many little (and big) things so well–It's almost like they invented the concept.

    You're living in the past if you think Honda still has such great quality. Just like the fool who still thinks Toyota's are safer than Hyundais. You do know it's almost 2011 don't you?

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