2008 Dodge Grand Caravan Review

Dodge is swinging for the fences with its latest Grand Caravan. After unwillingly ceding an advantage to its Japanese rivals, Dodge wants to dominate the segment again, throwing all its engineering talent and resources at the all-new 2008 model. With new features like Swivel ‘n Go seating, LED lighting, and satellite TV for the kiddies, it’s certainly packed with stuff. Yet after a week with the new van, it’s clear that while the features are there, the execution isn’t. At a time when Dodge is desperate for a home run, the new Grand Caravan is desperately sliding into third.

by Keith Buglewicz Photo Credit: Oliver Bentley

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Our test car was a loaded Grand Caravan SXT. It starts off reasonably, with a base price of $27,535 including the $730 destination charge and. the usual power accessories and a decent audio system. However, our test van was loaded with nearly $12,000 in options. The $7,290 Customer Preferred package added Swivel ‘N’ Go seats, headed front and second row seats, three-zone air conditioning and the overhead video system, among many other features. It also had a $600 towing package, $1,130 leather interior, $1,300 navigation system, $630 4.0-liter V-6 engine and $595 power folding third row for a total of $39,305.

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Under the hood of our test car was the top-of-the-line 4.0-liter V-6 engine with 251 horsepower and 259lb.-ft. of torque. It’s mated to a six speed automatic transmission with manual shift control. It all sounds good on paper, but the drivetrain has two drawbacks. First, the engine is thirsty; we only averaged 14.4 mpg during the week we had the car. Second, the transmission is poorly sorted. The first three gears are snappy and provide good acceleration, but fourth through sixth are tall gears that make freeway passing sluggish and, apparently, don’t even help with fuel economy.

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The 2008 Dodge Caravan leans in corners, understeers at the very low limit, and is overall unsatisfying to drive quickly. No surprise, since nobody’s looking to minivans as the ultimate expression of high-performance driving. However, getting the ride right is important, and here the Caravan is still only so-so. The floaty, bouncy, wallowing ride is likely to make the kids seasick over the long haul, especially if you’re going up a mountain road. The steering effort is light, but the mechanism is vague and lifeless. The brakes feel strong enough for a good hard stop or two, but no more.

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The Caravan’s visibility is good, until you look toward the rear. Out front things are good; the low hood is nearly invisible, the windshield pillars are thin, the mirrors are large and well placed. Immediately to the side things are fine, too. Yet the thick rearmost pillars, intrusive headrests and thick C pillars all conspire to limit the rear view. If you have the screens down on the video system, you can kiss your rear visibility goodbye; we strongly recommend opting for the rear back up camera.

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A van doesn’t have to be fun to drive, but it shouldn’t be a chore either. The Grand Caravan is neither, striking an unremarkable middle ground between driving enthusiasm and excruciation. It would be more satisfying if the transmission were better paired with the engine, if the suspension were firmed up a bit, if the steering provided some measure of feedback, and if we could see out the back more easily. As it is, the Grand Caravan drives like, well, it drives like a minivan.

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This is one of Dodge’s more comfortable driver’s chairs. It’s well padded and supportive, with multiple power adjustments and a quick-acting heater, too. The steering wheel is meaty and falls readily to hand, although we do wish it telescoped in addition to tilting; the power pedals only alleviate the distance problem a little bit. The gear selector is mounted high on the dash next to the steering wheel. It looks ergonomic, but it’s actually something of a stretch to reach. It also has a fold-down armrest, and overall is a good chair in which to while away the miles.

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Our test car boasted the Grand Caravan’s new Swivel ‘n’ Go seating, an interesting option that allows you to turn the second row seats 180 degrees to face the rear. It wows on the showroom floor, but demands compromises. However, while the seat is comfortable, at 90 lb. per chair it’s extremely heavy, which makes removing it difficult when you need to maximize the Caravan’s cargo space. In addition, a warning sticker on the seat says that it shouldn’t be used with any child seat, which to us means boosters for the grade school age children who would probably enjoy it the most.

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The third row is also home to some seating innovations. The power split fold is handy, albeit a little slow, and the ability to independently power fold the seats  in different configurations is in our opinion far more significant than the headline-grabbing Swivel ‘n’ Go middle row. There’s even a tailgate party setting, which basically flips the whole bench backwards, making the seatback the bottom cushion and vice versa. Access through the center aisle is easy, but tall riders will find their legs cramped. Kids won’t notice, however, nor will they care about the low-mounted head restraint.

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Dodge says it worked hard to keep make the Grand Caravan quiet, and to us they succeeded. That it’s as silent inside as it is represents a significant feat, since the big empty box shape of vans inherently promotes booming road noise. Wind noise is kept to a minimum and engine noise is muted except at full-throttle acceleration. Even in back things are kept quiet, a boon for parents who don’t want to crank the volume on Spongebob just so the kids can hear it. A little road noise intrudes at highway speeds, but overall this is likely the quietest van out there.

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We like the power folding third row, but the Swivel ‘n’ Go seats must be removed to maximize the Caravan’s cargo capacity. At 90 pounds each, they’re likely not much lighter than many moms who try to remove them and wrestle them to the ground. Once you get them out there is plenty of space, and like any minivan the Grand Caravan excels at being a big empty box into which you can put just about anything. But if think you’ll frequently need to maximize the Caravan’s hauling space, we say get Stow ‘n’ Go seats instead.