So here’s the new D family hauler. We’ve had a few weeks to compare it back to back with our old van and here’s what we found:
To recap, my father in law works at a Ford dealership and when it’s new car time we ask him to look out for a good trade in, then wait. He’s had his eye out for a newish van for us since last November, no huge hurry but a good deal on a good van. There haven’t been many candidates, back in December we checked out a very smoky CVP Caravan which was rejected, and at the beginning of the summer he presented a bright white Town & Country but we felt it too blingy for our discerning minivan tastes. What we really wanted was an SXT trim level, and since our 2007 Caravan will still trucking along just fine we were prepared to wait.
So he emailed us in July, he was making a deal where the trade in was an SXT Premium Plus with just under 100,000 km (62,000 miles). Premium Plus even, and it wasn’t red!
Apparently it was owned by a lady who hated minivans. Her husband had persuaded her that it was best for transporting the family, and she hated it from the day she got it. After three years she told her husband to get stuffed and traded it in on a new Explorer. We have no such qualms about minivans, as I’ve mentioned before I compartmentalize transportation from interesting vehicles. My 1963 VW is interesting, a Caravan is transportation. Despite the previous owner’s hatred the van had been dealer maintained and was clean.
When you get first dibs you have to come and see the vehicle right away, so we went up after work that week. The dealership is over an hour from our place, and by the time we got there, met up with Dad and took a test drive it was past closing time. As we turned back in to the lot the staff was waiting for us so they could close the gate. I said to my wife “you realize if we don’t buy this van all these people are going to pound us in the parking lot?” We had already decided to buy the van, so did not have to take on the dealership staff.
We were on vacation the following week (last trailer camping trip with the old van), so Dad sourced some roofrack crossbars and a trailer hitch before we picked it up. Dad’s such a stickler, he had the hitch place redo the wiring because they didn’t put a plastic protector over it. Great guy to have in your corner.
When we picked it up I recreated my epic photo of my fathers 1981 Impala purchase. Like me, Mrs DougD really looks like her father.
There is a lot to like about this new van. The 3.6 litre Pentastar V6 has a lot more oomph than the old van’s 3.3. Unintentional tire squealing starts and effortless highway cruising are the new normal. It has all the minivan features we have so longed for since our Windstar days: Roof rack, non-fixed sliding door windows, stow and go seats. Oh joy!
The interior is delightful. Our old van was a base model value package and every surface was cheap, hard plastic. The SXT has soft door panels, leather/suede-like seats and dual air. It’s significantly quieter inside on the highway. The radio/DVD touch screen controls are easy to use, Mrs DougD was able to get her phone sync’d in about 5 minutes (unlike our 2013 Focus which was a multi-day blasphemous struggle, thanks Microsoft!)
Also fun is that unlike our old van this one immediately aquired a nickname:
It’s The Cracker Van! Because it’s a big box of Premium Plus. 😛
All these great features have already come in handy. The other week we picked up three kids from summer camp, my two plus a nephew. With the split rear seat we could fit them and all their camp junk easily, and the powerful A/C kept us cool as we did 120-130km/hr all the way home. It also kept smells moving toward the back of the van, a combined nine weeks of damp unwashed camp laundry is incredibly smelly.
Although this van is a vast improvement it is definately vast. It’s a lot bigger than the 2007 as you can see here. It feels a lot bigger on the road too, I feel slightly bad for our 15 year old daughter who will have to learn to drive in this. I bet she’ll quickly learn to drive a stick shift so she can use the Focus. Despite the big tires and brakes the handling feels clumsier than the old van. If the engine is fantastic the 6 speed transmission is a bit of a letdown: shift shift shift shift shift wherever you go. In stop and go driving I just hold it back in 4th or 5th.
There’s a few issues related to the rolling stock. Despite having brand new tires there is some vibration at 120km/hr, so something’s not balanced right. I need to buy winter tires anyway, once I have some I can change them one at a time to find the culprit. Some of the lug nuts are rusting under the stainless cover, so they swell up and you can’t get a socket on it. The solution is to remove the cover and use an 18mm socket. I bought a set of McGard locking nuts to replace the bad ones. The previous owners had locking nuts and apparently lost the key, all four rims have chisel marks on them from their removal. The brakes are fine in town but lumpy on the highway, I have a pair of OEM front brake rotors on order. Not covered by Mopar warranty, naturally.
But these are either teething problems or things we will just get used to. We are adjusting well to not having any red vehicles for the first time in over twenty years.
With any luck the Cracker Van will get us through many years of commuting, moving kids between home, camp & college dorm, carrying canoes and towing trailers. It really is a vast improvement.
Nice buy. We looked at one of these a few years back. Super practical vehicles and certainly loads of power compared to the reliable but slow 3.3L. My wife is one of those who isn’t a fan of minivans though.
There’s a reason Marchionne (RIP) kept these in production when the Pacifica replaced the Town & Country. Yeah, Canada wanting to keep the plant open was a big part of it, but these, even in their aged state, just keep selling. With the steep discounts, from a basic practicality standpoint, they are are terrific values. IIRC, I think it’s still possible to get a brand-new, non-tinted window, non-Stow ‘n Go version for under $20k. For a young, growing family, that’s a great choice.
Chrysler Pacifica vans are also built at same Windsor plant, by the way.
This is still the best selling minivan in the US thus far in 2018.
I would assume it takes a huge share of the fleet market for minivans.
Plus it is the most budget-friendly of all of them. Even as a nicely equipped SXT these don’t get out of the very low $30s.
Nice
I like those vans. It is a return square and boxy look at the original version of the Dodge mini van. I was not a fan of the oval vans
As for the roof rack, I hate them and that is the only thing I hate about my van. It is a pain in the ass for snow cleaning
Enjoy your van
I, too, think that the modern boxy vans are more aesthetically pleasing than the oval one, though I don’t actively dislike the oval ones.
The factory roof rack on the Gen 5 stows the cross bars fore-and-aft on the rails when not in use – barely noticeable and no wind noise.
Congratulations, Doug (& Mrs.) D! Having ridden in your ’07, I can confirm the substantial upgrade you’ve made. Although it’s perhaps a shame that Chrysler didn’t take a page from the Mitsubishi marketing book, and call this trim level, “Premium Plus Super Exceed.”
Totally agree on the transmission – it ruins what would otherwise be a really well-sorted driving experience (for a minivan). The thing is always two gears away from where it needs to be. The Pentastar has been great, however. Ours has a bit over 100K miles (160K km) and other than normal fluid and filter changes, has been flawless. We can easily touch 30mpg on the highway.
The pic shows our last three (only the Routan with us now), and they’d plot like a sine wave: Gen 3 was definitely the best, Gen 4 was a real letdown, and Gen 5 is pretty good, but not to the level Gen 3 was.
I know y’all will enjoy it!
Comparing three minivans to a sine wave – outstanding!!!
Boy do I miss my 2005 Town & Country Touring but when the insurance co totaled it after the fire they issued me a 2018 Dodge Caravan GT as a loaner. 13 years makes a big difference. More power, quieter but with the same features. Equipped like the “Man Van” with black leather/ red stitched seats, black metallic paint and alloys it was sharp. Stickered at $32,000 it was a bit pricey for my taste and the fuel economy wasn’t much better than the 05. Felt very solid and was better trimmed than the 2009 I drove occasionally when it was new
I’d be interested in a middle-row passenger’s review of the stow-n-go seats after the first long-distance road trip. I’ve ridden in a couple of 3rd gen T&C’s, one with the non stow-n-go captain’s chairs in the center row and one with. In my experience the old school seats were 150% more comfortable that the disappearing ones. I know there’s always a price to be paid for convenience, but in my estimation the comfort deficit was pretty extreme.
Our son would usually opt for the back row in the Gen 4. The Gen 5 Routan never got SnG so it has captain’s chairs, which are reasonably comfortable. Not so good when you want to haul something big, though, as they only tilt forward.
MTN, I think you and I must’ve been writing our comments at the same time — about the same subject… I guess there’s a lot of curiosity out there about the Stow-n-Go seats!
I did not find them uncomfortable in the 2015 I rode in. The middle seats felt just the same as the back seats in that van.
I do like how the back seat folds down into its own hole and when the seat is up then the trunk space is deeper for more stuff.
On my Trans Sport, I have to remove the seats out of the van if I need to carry something large. To remove those seats are a pain in the butt. Luckily I have a pickup truck with a cap so i can take that instead.
Having ridden enough miles in a Stow-N-Go seat, they are decent. It is a 2013 or 2014 Caravan in the motor pool at work.
The level of the cushion is a wee bit low, but not horrible. The angle of the seat is great. The overall comfort is on the firm side. It’s a seat you don’t dread sitting in but you don’t mind getting out when stopped.
As one who has also ridden quite a few miles in fifteen passenger Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge vans, these are far and away superior.
Damning with faint praise? Perhaps so.
No complaints from the kids on the 4 hour drive home from camp. My son is 6′ and 200 lbs and he seemed to be OK.
However they were coming from a place with hard wood benches with no backs, so it wouldn’t take much to be an improvement 🙂
That’s the important part of the equation. You’ve been successful.
I’ve sat in all three iterations of the stow-n-go seats. The first one, in the 4th generation vans, was thin, hard, and somewhat uncomfortable, plus they had no room for the 3rd row passengers to put their feet under the seats, sapping legroom. The next version, in the current Grand Caravan and the last T&C, was a big improvement, still not as comfortable as the regular seats available in some versions (and in the Routan), The stow-n-go in the new Pacifica is the best yet, almost as comfortable as non-folding seats though still not up to the Sienna’s (or probably Odyssey’s) level.
This is a very good review of Stow-n-Go. Simply put, they just keep getting better with every new generation. I’m still not convinced that, for adults, they’re as good as standard, removable seats. Ironically, the most comfortable version for adults is the second row bench which is only found in the most basic, strippo American Value Package (AVP) Grand Caravan. But for kids (which would surely be the bulk of those using them), Stow-n-Go seems to be just fine.
And there’s no denying the convenience. Given the choice between Stow-n-Go and removable seats (especially that comfortable, but big, bench seat), it’s simply no contest. That convenience goes a very long way to forgiving any discomfort.
If you want a more comfortable non-Stow-n-Go 2nd row seat in your Pacifica, you can get the plug-in hybrid version which has a battery where the stow-n-go underfloor compartment would have been. Since they don’t need to fold into the floor, Chrysler took the opportunity to make the padding thicker and more comfortable, as well as adding height-adjustable headrests and fore/aft adjustments the stow-n-go seats don’t have. The seats can be removed from the van if you need cargo space.
I recall Chrysler offered non-folding “comfort seats” on some versions of the 5th-generation T&C and Grand Caravan that also had extra padding; all VW Routans had these as well. I haven’t checked to see if the current Grand Caravan still offers them. Early 5th generation vans also offered swiveling 2nd row seats that don’t fold into the floor (with foldaway table); I don’t know how their comfort compares to the standard or stow-n-go seats.
Indeed, the Pacifica Hybrid’s non-folding second row seats could be viewed as a hidden benefit for going electric. Otherwise, to get more comfortable second row seating, you have to get a bottom-feeder Pacifica L (and then the second row is an unwieldy bench).
I’m still a bit puzzled as to why neither Toyota, nor Honda, have stepped up to the Stow-n-Go plate. When the Odyssey went full-on minivan in 1999 with the enormously popular third row ‘magic seat’, it didn’t take long for other minivan manufacturers to follow suit. Hell, even the lowly Mazda MPV (which I still regard as ‘just right’) got the magic seat the very next year. I might even go so far as to say that the two manufacturers who passed on the fold-into-the-floor third row seat, GM and Nissan, paid for it dearly in low sales.
OTOH, maybe Stow-n-Go has some sort of patent or license that Honda never was able to acquire with their disappearing third row.
It’s good to read this review, since we’ll be starting on our once-per-decade search for a new minivan this winter, to replace our 2010 Odyssey. There’s 5 minivans on the market right now, and so far we’ve only eliminated one: the new Odyssey, which is too hideous-looking for either my wife or I to lay eyes upon. Everything else is fair game.
I’m curious, though: How have you (or your kids) found the Stow & Go seats, as far as comfort? I’ve heard a few people mention that while the seats are a convenient feature as far as flexibility, they tend to be uncomfortable, and oddly angled.
Anyway, good luck with your new van — wishing you many happy trails!
Stay tuned, Eric – I am in the midst of some rotating minivan rentals and have a couple of reviews in the pipeline.
Great timing! There seems to be no perfect choice for us this time around, so I’ll anxiously read your reviews.
I’ve been very happy with my Sienna, now a few years old but much like the current model. Reliable, good on the highway, and holds all the stuff and people a minivan should. Plus there’s the AWD option if that’s important to you.
Good to know. As of now, the Sienna is #1 on our list, followed by the Sedona, Grand Caravan and Pacifica, but all that can easily change.
Eric, we have Caravans and Siennas in our work fleet. The Siennas are great vans and definitely my favourite. The Toyota 3.5L V5 is a real gem, lots of power and great fuel mileage. The 6 speed was a great transmission. At first the 8 speed in the newer Siennas seemed like a dud. However since it was reprogrammed by the dealer it work much better. These are great long distance haulers.
You mentioned seats and the captain chairs in the Sienna are great, much more comfortable than the stow and go Dodge seats IMO. However removal is obviously not the easiest in comparison to the Dodge folding up. The only complaint I have is the suspension is on the soft side it’s a little mushy in the corners. But driven like a family vehicle this is a non-issue IMO.
Friends of ours just bought a 2019 Honda Odyssey touring van. It is a very nice family vehicle. Although you may not like the styling it may still be worth a look. After all you spend more time looking at the inside than the outside.
We’re on our third Sienna.. 1st we sold at 175,000 miles… still bulletproof and rattle free. Second… oops. Totaled. Third, a 2011 is now up to 130,000 miles and VERY good. A little more rattle-y but we drive it hard- like heavy duty pickup hard. Everything works as new with the only tiniest repairs along the way (like, a door trim piece came loose at 95,000 -snapped back in -actually, that’s about it!). Ours is a loaded Limited and even the power folding side mirrors still work every time. They are incredibly well made. I crave Stow-n-Go since I have to store our seats 9/10ths of the time but otherwise, it’s a flawless vehicle.
Congratulations! I know *exactly* what you are talking about since I just spent a weekend in a rented GC SXT. It is a story that will be told soon, but your experiences largely mirror mine.
Isn’t that 3.6 a honey? As for a name, I have always thought of these as shaped more like toasters than as cracker boxes. Although I am not one to name my cars, “The Brave Little Toaster” would be in the running if I were ever to get one of these. 🙂
Sorry, JP – Paul’s xB has already claimed the ‘toaster’ title!
Great review- and van. During my summers with Hertz we put 10’s of thousands of miles on this Generation van. Even though we had Toyotas, Nissans, and KIA’s in the fleet, a Chrysler/Dodge was always the shuttle of choice.
We owned a ’01 Grand Caravan that was a decent driver… as long as it wasn’t after sunset. For some reason, that van had the worst headlights of any vehicle we’ve ever owned. Turned it into an Expedition two years later.
Congratulations! That engine IS a peach, my Jeep has the same one. Wonderful in pretty much every application where they use it. I think the trans is a 6spd, not 7 though. The last time I drove one of these vans it was through the mountains out here and while the engine was happy, the trans wasn’t, it could never decide what to do and the spreads were curiously enormous when it bounced back and forth between 3rd and 4th (or 2nd and 3rd?). But on the flats it’d likely be good.
That’s a good color too, very similar to our old Mercedes. It hides dirt well. I hope the new van takes good care of you all!
I don’t know if you tried this, but if the green “eco” button is pushed in, the transmission will perpetually hunt for the right gear… and slowly at that. It’s in the center stack right below the climate control switches.
No, at altitude the first button to be switched off is anything labeled ECO or that looks even vaguely green 🙂
I’m specifically referencing I-70 at anything over 7000 feet up to the Eisenhower Tunnel summit, the grades are steep and with 5 people and their stuff it was struggling, it would either head for redline and try to maintain speed and then upshift and fall off a cliff into the 3000 or so rpm range and the speed would plummet until keeping your foot in it would prompt another downshift and another climb to the redline. But backing your foot off at all to try to maintain a given speed would prompt an upshift as well. Note that it was a rental so I didn’t have a lot of mechanical sympathy for it and was trying to beat an incoming snow storm.
In all fairness we have gotten spoiled with the power of modern vehicles, it wasn’t that long ago that barely anything could power up that at the speed limit. Now it’s commonplace. I specifically recall an EcoBoost Ford Flex pulling out and passing me like I was standing still, it was equally loaded up if not more so the way the back was squatting.
It’s THAT kind of power that’ll destroy the transmission & who knows what else, let alone when it’s clear the vehicle is already near or AT full capacity with the rear end lower than the front. Whoever drove that Flex better be prepared for some serious repair bills soon. With GREAT power comes GREAT responsibility!
After some empirical testing on a couple road trips, we determined the eco button offered no economy, and significant frustration enhancements. It’s been off for years now.
“7 speed transmission” Are you counting reverse too? 🙂
Or does it just feel like it has more gears than it actually does?
I see there’s not much love for this transmission, but I really can’t complain about how it works in my king-size T&C (ProMaster). Maybe the combination of lower gearing and having to pull a bigger box keeps it in the right gear more often. It does have to downshift from 6th to 5th on pretty much every modest grade, especially with the cruise control on, or when there’s a strong headwind, but then it’s having to push a pretty big box through the air, as well as a pretty heavy one.
No complaints about the Pentastar from me either; more than enough power. But the torque curve is definitely different than the 360 V8 in the Chinook, and it does need to shift down and rev more. A turbo four like that new GM truck engine would be interesting, as the torque could build on demand without it necessarily having to shift down a gear or two.
Yup, I guess I have to count reverse to get 7. When you do the manual shift thing the first number that comes up is 6, so I assumed it was already pulling it down from 7.
It is a lot of shifting though, coming up the escarpment on the way home tonight it was hunting between 5 & 6 so I just put it in 5th…
Congratulations!
I wonder: will this one get the Krown rust protection too?
By the way, I removed all the covers of my Vibe’s lug nuts as well.
For sure. It has already been done with a wax based product but Krown is way messier and therefore superior.
Glad to hear from someone who truly can appreciate a minivan for its intended purpose. Kudos to you Doug for not hopping aboard the CUV bandwagon. Happy to hear both you and your family like the newer model.
I despise those covered lugnuts, I don’t know what they were trying to accomplish that a set of conventional chrome closed end lugs won’t do, trouble free, forever.
I bought a used 109K miles ’09 SXT in July ’15, I’ve been delighted all around with it ever since. Comfortable to drive hour after hour, great chair-height seating position and visibility. With all the windows down and the flipper windows open, it ventilates beautifully to the point of not needing A/C except in hot humid or rainy weather. The dual A/C is highly affective as is the heating system. Its a six speed transmission with the 3.6L, watching the tachometer its in the ideal ratio whatever the situation, returning 22-23mpg consistently. I’d recommend a well-kept used one to anyone for their daily transportation. I’ve used it as a camper at Hershey, plenty of room with the seat stowed. Anyone who bad-mouths them is no one I’d listen to. Dodge Grand Caravan SXT: “What’s not to like?” Thanks to the late Mr. Marchionne for keeping these ‘old’ style Grand Caravans in production. I plan on using a string of them for my personal transportation for the rest of my days.
It’s actually just a 6-speed, on the Grand Caravan. And I think it might have an Eco mode (which you can disable) that’s making it upshift so quickly.
And I agree. The 3.6-liter Pentastar is a peach. I have it in my Grand Cherokee, although it has an 8-speed and is RWD. I’m averaging 22 MPG in mixed driving and on regular E10 fuel.
I rented one of these right after they were released in 2008. I used it to haul supplies and elderly relatives to and from the church where we held our eldest daughter’s high school graduation. I want to say it had the 4.0L and it could haul and haul…
Several friends of mine have some variation of this van, here in Rust Country ®, these are the anti-Odyssey, anti-Sienna choice. I loooove the 3.6, it makes jaunts to Chicago (3 hours from here) super easy. It’s my own opinion, but I think the T&C’s are quieter and ride smoother. If another deer runs in front of my Olds minivan, I’ll most likely be hunting down a T&C as a replacement.
A couple of notes: I know the older “toasters” had issues with their brakes. I also know that there were some updates done to the toasters about 2013 or so. It’s really a matter of opinion, but I would go with the good NAPA brake parts and rotors, rather than going back to the factory versions.
Also, those freakin’ covered lug nuts have been a pain for over 30 years now. I thought I heard that there was a class-action lawsuit over them, but that might only apply in the states. It sounds like you have it handled anyway.
Good luck with your new toaster, I bet it will give years of good service!
Yup, those damn things are exactly as you describe: a pain in the (lug) nuts for decades, now. I am fairly sure solid-metal ones are reasonably easily available. Google-google-google…yup, here they are in the correct 12mm × 1.50 size.
These are terrific vans, having put a decent number of miles on a 2013 or 2014 at work. It’s even the same color as yours. I’ve never experienced the transmission challenges others have mentioned, so while I’ve pulled some dandy hills in it, they aren’t quite what Jim Klein has had.
I will warn you the 3.6 will pull the van to the right at about 5,500 rpm. Just so you know.
A word of warning – check information about the airbags in the head rest. A coworker has a similar aged T&C and the airbag blew out while he was jaunting down the road at 70 mph; he said it was like being punched in the back of the head. He said he found some information online about a recall or some other TSB. Hopefully yours isn’t one of them.
Mrs. Jason’s oldest brother has an early version of one of these – I want to say it’s a 3.0 liter, but I wouldn’t swear to it. It has about a bazillion miles hauling four unruly kids.
It seems the 3.6 is now the most common engine amongst the CC Contributors – Paul, Ed, Jim, and now you. Eric will end up getting one, so that’ll be five.
Drive it in good health! I, too, am not onside with the ginned-up hatred of minivans.
One thing you might give some thought to:
Odds are they’ll soon be as lumpy as the present rotors; that’s apparently a thing with the OE rotors, not only on Chrysler products but on a variety of brands lately. The permanent fix—as permanent as brake rotors can be, anyhow—is a set of premium aftermarket rotors made of high-grade iron and cryo-treated (read about that here). Assuming your Cracker Wagon has the bigger brakes (ø230mm front and ø228mm rear, rather than the smaller ø305mm front and ø302mm rear), the good ones are front, rear. A set of these surely seems to have put an enduring stop (zing!) to the pedal pulsations for me.
Agreed about the brakes. I have learned over time that the right aftermarket pads can make a big difference in brake feel and operation. My vehicles appear to have had adequate rotors, but I as I research other vehicles I find that certain ones are known for having original equipment rotors that quickly “warp” (as I understand it, they overheat and develop hot spots that then forge into something harder, which then wears at a different rate-rotors don’t really “warp” into the wobbly things we picture), and the only solution is a better aftermarket brand. Lots of good and bad advice on the internet, but whatever is the fan site for your chosen vehicle usually has a few posters who know what they are talking about. Brakes and tires and shocks, I continue to be impressed by what a difference the right ones can make on any vehicle.
I also like the look of this iteration of Chrysler minivan, if for no other reason than it better mimics the look of the second, “Beat the Mazda” generation. I continue to harbor this curious notion that a box is the best shape for carrying stuff. Hope your transmission adapts!
I rented one of these a couple years ago. I’ve also rented late model Toyota Siennas. I’d rather have the Dodge. It just drove better, and I could “feel” the corners of it where I just couldn’t in the Toyota.
If I had to choose ANY minivan right now as my next vehicle, it would have to be either a Grand Caravan or a LWB Transit Connect Wagon, both in their current generation and as a used car; I would also consider the SWB Transit Custom if it was ever brought to the United States as a passenger vehicle (c’mon, Ford!). One crucial factor in this decision is that if any of them need to be worked on, there is a Chrysler dealership (Saluda Motor Sales) AND a Ford dealership (Cromley’s) in the county that I live in. If you have a Toyota, Honda, Nissan, or Kia, you’ll have to go all the way towards Columbia just for routine service; of course if you already live in THAT area then that’s no longer a problem. Stow-N-Go is undoubtedly convenient for busy families, but does anybody here know how Chrysler was able to get both rear rows of seating to fold completely flat? Research led to the discovery that the spare tire had to be relocated to almost right underneath the area between the front & middle row seats. To someone who is used to finding the spare tire underneath the rear of the vehicle & simply lowering it by putting the jack handle into a hole under the tailgate, this location is VERY unconventional & possibly even dangerous when you try to retrieve it. And a full-size spare won’t fit under there, either; if you want one you’ll have to store it INSIDE the vehicle where it’ll take up potential cargo space. What I like about the Transit Connect is that not only is its spare in a conventional location, it also comes standard as a full-size one! On the flip side, while the seats will still fold down to accommodate generous cargo room, the 2 rear seats in the LWB model won’t fold all the way unless the middle seats are folded as well, and even then they can’t fold completely flat like in the Grand Caravan/Town & Country & new Pacifica. Hence the reason I would REMOVE those seats with a Torx bolt wrench when I didn’t have extra passengers along. The SWB Connect looks a little TOO short for my needs, although the flat floor issue is solved b/c there’s no 3rd row & the 2nd row seats CAN be removed without tools! I found out a lot of this information from YouTube videos.
Yes, the spare tire was one of the things I was curious about after picking the van up. I figured out how to lower the spare, there are a number of drawers & pieces that need to be removed from the console to get at the nut. They give you a three piece tool to turn the nut, which is also the hook for dragging the spare out from under the van so you don’t have to crawl underneath.
Despite the plastic cover over the spare I figured after three years it would be loaded with road grit, and low on air. I was correct on both counts.
Here what I’d do for the under body spare on my truck. Every fall before I have it Krown sprayed I lower the tire, clean it, air it up and leave it off so the Krown guys can spray area above the spare. It’s a little work but ensures the tire is in good shape and properly aired up in case you ever need it.
I think that Chrysler has used the mid-vehicle location for the spare since the first iteration of Stow N Go. I helped a buddy of mine hunt for a replacement for his aged Montana. We looked at LOT of Grand Caravans and I wasn’t aware until then that the spare was in the middle of the van. Compared to the GM U-body vans that I know more about, I like the idea that the spare and the winch is somewhat more protected, even if the plastic cover is something of a snow shovel.
The spare tires on the U bodies are set up like a pickup truck, simply winched under the rear load floor. However, the winches tend to break after a few years of inactivity (typical GM cost cutting, the winch gears are plastic and strip easily) and then you have a permanent ballast weight. I make sure to keep my tires in good shape, but, if I have a catastrophic blowout I’m waiting for the tow truck…
This is correct, and here’s why: the floor pan of all Chrysler minivans is exactly the same, whether it has Stow-n-Go or not. So, they all get the mid-location spare.
In actual practice, it’s not so bad, and certainly better than a can of Fix-a-Flat that seems to be all the rage these days. Yeah, you have to get down on your knees to hook the rod on the cover to drag it out after it’s been lowered but, other than that, it’s no worse than a typically located spare.
I am not a big fan of the spare tire being under any part of a vehicle.
I have a Chevy Colorado and a 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport. Both have fullsize tires under the back of the vehicle. Both tires are original to the vehicles and both look nasty due to all the crap that was splashed upwards during the rain or snow
I have left them there to use as extra weight for traction. The van has a almost brand new tire under a cover from a 1980’s blazer in the cargo area and the pickup truck has a fullsize spare under a Jeep cover in the truck bed(which has a bed cover on it)
Both don’t really take up space in the cargo holds and both are now protected from the elements.
I rented and drove one of these on a volunteer trip in late 2008 (IIRC the first or second year of this model) from Chicago to Indy and was shocked on how drivable and smooth such a large vehicle could be. Too big for my garage or lifestyle now, but a darn good vehicle and one that would be near the top of my list if I needed a large van.
Congrats on the new van Doug! I am sure it will serve your family well for many years. We have a few of these Caravans in our work fleet and they are decent vehicles. The Pentastar V6 has decent pep and is a big improvement over previous powertrains.
Those capped nuts are the worst, especially in salty Ontario. I have invested in McGard wheel lugs for the last few cars we bought. They seem to hold up the best in our winters.
I give the capped nuts a little squirt of Krown goo at the very bottom just before putting them on when changing to winter tires. It creeps under the stainless and keeps the rust away.
Never had trouble with our 2001 Focus or 2007 Caravan once I started doing that.
As is typical on CC, some great comments on the GC, and minivans, in general. Minivans have truly been refined since the original 1984 version, and it’s just not possible to make a bad choice among today’s remaining group. The Grand Caravan wins for someone on a budget but wants the same cargo capacity as the others. The Sienna has the worst driving dynamics (it drives like a tank) but, as is typical with Toyota, has the best reliability reputation. The Honda wins on driving dynamics but has some mechanical concerns. The Pacifica is the most modern and, like the Grand Caravan, Stow-n-Go is hard to beat for versatility but, again, there’s that FCA reputation. The Sorento really isn’t exceptional in any area but is more modern than the Grand Caravan and, likewise, for a price lower than the Toyota or Honda, is okay.
Then there’s the Transit Connect or Promaster City wagon versions. They’re only two-row, one-side door minivans which makes them the true heirs to the original, short wheelbase minivan. The Promaster City (essentially a rebadged Fiat Doblo) gets bad reviews due to the horrible transmission but the Transit Connect seems okay for someone who doesn’t need or want the space or size of a full-size minivan.
Kia’s minivan is the Sedona; the Sorento is their mainstream SUV. And the Sedona actually won in a minivan test Motor Trend did a few years ago. I’d still stick with the Grand Caravan or Transit Connect though.
If you ever buy a car that has McGard locks and the person loses the key don’t chisel them off. Major dealerships have a universal key and if you ask they will help you out. They may charge you a small fee but it’s a whole lot cheaper than new wheels.
Our family had a 2000’s Caravan and the interior was beyond Spartan. As a people mover it could use some help. As a light construction\handyman vehicle it’s flippin’ amazing. Being able to load and unload from the side and the back makes organizing tools and equipment so much easier. The van keeps everything dry too. Not having to deal with wet tools, wet drop cloths, or wet bags of concrete is soooo wonderful. The van still ran well at 180k so no complaints there either.
This week’s NY Times has an article titled “You Don’t Drive a Minivan? You Should”. We’ve never owned one, other than our Vanagon Westfalia (does that count?) but they do appeal. The article stated that they’re more popular with men than women, and when I’ve raised the topic my wife always shot it down. I did own a vehicle once with those chrome lugnut covers. Perhaps my Ford Ranger – it feels like a domestic idea. Anyway, it took a minute to realize that once the cover has broken off, the factory lug wrench is too big.
I’ve noticed that too amongst my friends – the women don’t want to drive minivans and make derisive comments about soccer moms, but the guys love them. Seems to be the reverse of what it was 20 years ago.
I wonder what those same women would think if GM brought back the Chevy Astro/GMC Safari & built it on the same or a similar frame as the current Colorado/Canyon pickup to compete against the mid-size Mercedes-Benz Metris, currently the only RWD van sold here that ISN’T a full-size model. As much as I loved my Ford Aerostar (maybe TOO much), the Astro was just as good a van in its own right & NOTHING about it screams “soccer mom” to me. We can all dream, can’t we?
World is small… or repeats itself… I have a 2004 Caravan. Base model, bench seats. Red.
I just bought a 2011 blue Town and country LX with stow and go and the 3.6 and I love it.
Problem is, I don’t want to get rid of the old one, so now my driveway has two vans (or buses, as my son call them… its the blue bus and the red bus. He greatly prefers the blue one though…)
I think the 2011 is a Touring , 2010 was the last year for it. I think it went Touring, Touring L and Limited.
Last tank I got 10.74 l/100km which works out to 21.9 mpg (US) with mixed driving.
Taking kids back up to camp next weekend, one of the good days to have a minivan!