2011 Dodge Grand Caravan review

The latest and heavily revised Dodge Grand Caravan is riding the wave of heavily updated products coming out of the post-bankruptcy Chrysler - and should prove to be a strong contender in a segment packed with fresh content.

Hiding behind that new corporate crosshair grille is dramatically different powertrain approach – gone are the three V6 engines (3.3-liter, 3.8-liter, and 4.0-liter) – in is a single, efficient, powerful 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine in their stead.

To help achieve the best fuel economy the new Grand Caravan has a selectable mode, called "Fuel Economizer Mode," which adjusts shifting to help maximize fuel efficiency.
Dodge also says this new Pentastar V6 makes the Grand Caravan the most powerful minivan on the market, challenging the Toyota Sienna SE and Honda Odyssey for the "sportiest minivan" title.

The Dodge Grand Caravan is available in four configurations: the Dodge Grand Caravan Express, Grand Caravan Mainstreet, Grand Caravan Crew and arriving the ultimate “Man Van,” the Dodge Grand Caravan R/T.

For 2011, Chrysler has rehabbed the Dodge Grand Caravan with a mini-facelift.
In a class of minivan designs that includes the Odyssey's new lightning-bolt sideview and the Sienna's tarted-up swagger—not to mention the Quest's overt Flex cues—the Grand Caravan suddenly seems more boxy than ever. It's a little fuzzy, a little vintage-80s Korean—and leather's only an option on the top two trim packages.

Chrysler's hacked the list of available drivetrains down to one. Each and every Grand Caravan powers along the road to middle school with a 283-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6, reined in by a six-speed automatic transmission. Minivans are about utility—passengers and cargo—first and foremost, and the Grand Caravan is comfortable to the max. The fold-away second-row seats are a great idea. We've never heard a kid beef about the trade-off of skinny seat cushions, though admittedly the harder-to-remove business-class seats in the Sienna and Odyssey would be the preferred choice for touring adults.

Nearly every model receives at least a face lift and considerable chassis revisions, and the Chrysler 300, the Dodge Charger, and the Dodge Durango get bumper-to-bumper redesigns.

As Chrysler considers itself the creator of the modern minivan, the company spent some time on the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country models as well. Since driving minivans is seldom an adrenaline-inducing experience—at least not in a good way—we entered the 2011 Grand Caravan with meager expectations. The responsiveness of the Dodge’s chassis is impressive (for a minivan), although the level of road noise is a bit high. We also took some time to appreciate the Grand Caravan’s thoroughly refreshed interior that features a new soft-touch dash and a sporty, tunneled gauge cluster. Although those three Japanese minivans have more, um, adventurous styling than the American mainstays, the continued success of the Chrysler/Dodge twins suggests that perhaps the minivan market isn’t the place to explore styling concepts.

Prices start at $25,830 for the base Grand Caravan Express, which includes keyless entry, Stow ’n Go second-row captain’s chairs, and a multifunction steering wheel. For a grand more, the Mainstreet trim level has body-color exterior trim and power rear windows.