2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan is the best minivan for you if you don’t equate buying American with buying second-best.

• The 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan could get revised styling and an advanced V-6 engine – if Chrysler’s new parent company sticks to a loose timetable for updating this classic American nameplate. An update may be crucial if Grand Caravan is to keep pace with the rival 2011 Honda Odyssey and 2011 Toyota Sienna, both of which are poised to launch all-new, next-generation designs.   

• Should you wait for the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan or buy a 2010 Grand Caravan? Wait for the 2011 Grand Caravan if you want the latest look in grillework – and you believe advances under the hood are vital. Buy a 2010 Grand Caravan if your life-stage dictates a minivan purchase now. You’ll hardly be at a loss to satisfy any need for versatility, comfort, or mobile infotainment.        

2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan styling changes would be limited to a revised nose, maybe altered taillamps, and possibly some new cabin trim. This seven-seat minivan’s exterior and interior dimensions wouldn’t be altered and the body’s boxy shape would remain intact. Any 2011 updates could be classified as a mid-cycle freshening for a minivan design introduced in model-year 2008. Today’s Grand Caravan represents the fifth generation of the vehicle that compelled millions to replace the family station wagon in the 1980s and in turn was displaced on millions of driveways by trendier sport-utility vehicles in the 1990s. The Grand Caravan has evolved and endured, however. Its buyers recognize the usefulness of a motorized carton with big doors, low step-in height, decent fuel economy, and a cornucopia of convenience and connectivity features. But whether Grand Caravan can recapture the title of America’s best-selling minivan – now held by the Honda Odyssey – depends a lot on decisions made by Chrysler Group LLC’s leadership, an amalgam of Italian and American executives. They’re newly in control of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram truck brands thanks to Chrysler’s 2009 takeover by Fiat under U.S. government mandate. Styling revisions to the 2011 Grand Caravan and its 2011 Chrysler Town & Country cousin were in the works before the takeover. Following through would be one signal of the new company’s commitment to the viability of the last surviving domestic-nameplate minivans.

• Mechanical: The 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan will continue to share its basic body design and engineering with the Chrysler Town & Country. The Grand Caravan is marketed as the sportier, value-oriented minivan of the two. Its bolder grille is intended to make it look less conservative than the Town & Country. And Grand Caravan comes with a less lavish list of standard features – though it easily can be optioned to match the Chrysler. The major mechanical change for the 2011 Grand Caravan would be introduction of Chrysler’s next-generation V-6 engine. Variously known as the Pentastar or Phoenix V-6, this dual-overhead-cam, variable-valve-timing 3.6-liter is designed as the corporation’s next step in V-6 power and fuel efficiency. The version confirmed for the redesigned 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is rated at 280 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. By comparison, the top engine available in the 2010 Grand Caravan and Town & Country is a 4.0-liter V-6 with 251 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. If the new V-6 is made available in one or both of these minivans for 2011, it will likely mean a restructured engine lineup. Besides the 4.0-liter, that model-year 2010 lineup consists of a 175-horsepower 3.3-liter V- and a 197-horsepower 3.8-liter V-6. The 3.3-liter uses a four-speed automatic transmission; all the other V-6s, including the Pentastar, use a six-speed automatic. Grand Caravan has front-wheel drive, which is a key to its efficient packaging. Front-drive groups powertrain components in the nose, freeing the rest of the body to accommodate passengers and cargo. And by concentrating the weight of the engine over the wheels that propel the van, front-drive promotes good traction in snow. The 2011 Grand Caravan will continue with a laudable list of standard safety equipment, including traction control for better grip on takeoffs, antilock brakes for better control in emergency stops, and an antiskid system to combat sideways slides. Towing capacity is 3,800 pounds with the optional trailer package.   

• Features: A minivan’s job is to carry people and parcels efficiently. The 2011 Grand Caravan will continue stellar execution of that duty while making available a long list of comfort and infotainment features. Dodge would do well to retain Grand Caravan’s simple two-model lineup for 2011. That would return a base SE model complimented by a better-equipped SXT trim level. Both are available with power operation for their sliding side doors and rear hatchlid; the sliding doors have power windows. Standard seating is Chrysler’s Stow ’n Go system in which the second-row buckets fold neatly into the floor, eliminating need to remove them when you need more cargo space. You create a long, flat load surface by folding the three-passenger third-row bench seat into its own floor well – and power operation is available for that. About 30 percent of Grand Caravan buyers opt for the Swivel ’n Go seating alternative. This uses second-row buckets that don’t fold into the floor, but can be turned 180 degrees to face third-row passengers. It comes with a removable plastic table that sets up between the two rows. Merely watching the scenery roll by is so 20th century. Occupants of the 2011 Grand Caravan will have at their service a range of electronic alternatives, including Chrysler’s Uconnect system that bundles a 30-gigabyte music hard drive, USB iPod and Bluetooth interfaces, voice-activated navigation with real-time traffic, and Siruis TV satellite streaming video. Some equipment pairings may be juggled for the 2011 Grand Caravan, but expect Swivel ’n Go seating to again be available with a DVD entertainment system that includes 9-inch screens for the second- and third rows; it can play different media simultaneously. Mobile Web access is provided via a dealer-installed Wi-Fi modem that turns the minivan and its perimeter into an Internet hot spot. Driver reassurance is available via camera and sensing systems to detect and warn of vehicles in adjacent-lane blind spots and of unseen objects when backing from a parking spot. Remote engine start and integrated child booster seats also are available.

2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN PRICES

• Dodge won’t release 2011 Grand Caravan prices until shortly before the new model goes on sale. But it must again count on this minivan to attract a wide audience, from budget-conscious buyers to families splurging on the equivalent of a rolling rumpus room.

• That suggests the entry-level 2011 Grand Caravan would continue with a starting price around $25,000. It would again include a basic engine – the 3.3-liter or its 2011 equivalent -- plus Stow ’n Go seating, individual climate controls for all three rows, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, heated power mirrors, and remote keyless entry. (Estimated prices in this review include the manufacturer’s destination fee; Dodge’s fee was $820 on 2010 models.)

• About 50 percent of Grand Caravan buyers have been choosing the uplevel SXT model. The 2011 Grand Caravan equivalent should be priced from around $29,000 and build on the entry-level model with standard features such as a larger engine, alloy wheels, rear-seat climate controls, and power-adjustable driver’s seat. Traditionally, the most interesting options, such as the most-powerful V-6, Swivel ’n Go, heated first- and second-row seats, navigation system, sunroof, and Uconnect, have been limited to the uplevel Grand Caravan model. Fully equipped, a 2011 Grand Caravan will sticker for more than $35,000.  

2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN FUEL ECONOMY

• EPA fuel-economy estimates for 2011 models were not released in time for this review. But introduction of the Pentastar V-6 to the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan lineup would aim to improve what already were among the best mileage ratings in the minivan class.

• To do that, the next-generation V-6 would have to be more frugal than the 4.0-liter V-6, which has been Grand Caravan’s most fuel-efficient engine. Its 2010 EPA ratings were 17/25 mpg (city/highway).

• Grand Caravan’s 2010 EPA estimates were 17/24 mpg with the 3.3-liter V-6 and 16/23 with the 3.8-liter V-6.

2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN RELEASE DATE

• Release date for the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan will be sometime during 2010. The precise timing depends on a variety of conditions. Dodge may deviate from the customary fall new-car launch if it determines an earlier release would steal some thunder from the highly anticipated introductions of the 2011 Honda Odyssey and 2011 Toyota Sienna.

WHAT”S NEXT FOR THE DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

• The good news is that the new ownership group is probably wise enough to realize there’s nothing in Fiat’s portfolio to replace the Grand Caravan. The minivan is a core product for the company, and that should insure its future. Past Grand Caravan life-cycles would suggest model-year 2013 or 2014 for the next full redesign.  But with so much in flux, exactly when an all-new, next-generation model would be released is uncertain.

• The bad news could be directed at the Chrysler Town & Country. Will the new corporate overseers determine it’s redundant?  And some reports suggest Fiat may seek to reposition Chrysler dramatically upmarket in the coming years. Would a minivan fit this new brand identity?

• What’s certain is that any future Grand Caravan design isn’t apt to stray from a successful recipe of space efficiency, industry-leading seating, and tech-gadget innovation. There is opportunity to make the styling less stodgy, the handling sportier, and the powertrains more fuel-efficient. And discontinuation of the Town & Country could compel Dodge to stretch Grand Caravan lineup to reach minivan loyalists who bought the Chrysler for its luxury frills and nameplate status.  

2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN COMPETITION

• Honda Odyssey: The leader in minivan performance and style is redesigned with new styling and a revamped cabin promising more room. Honda will seek to sustain Odyssey as the best-handling minivan, and will aim to improve on its V-6’s 250 horsepower and 17/25-mpg fuel-economy ratings.

• Toyota Sienna: Nipping at Grand Caravan’s heels for third place in the minivan sales race, Sienna will also be all new for model-year 2011. A new body with more third-row-seat room is on tap. And a gas-electric hybrid version could be added for model-year 2012 or so. Toyota may also continue to offer Sienna with class-exclusive all-wheel drive as an alternative to the  standard front-wheel drive.

• Kia Sedona: Its Entourage corporate cousin from parent-company Hyundai died due to slow sales, but Sedona hangs on as a recession-time value. It’s solid and roomy. And while its driving manners are uninspired, it offers most of the features available on the competition at transaction prices thousands lower. If you’re shopping for a modestly optioned Grand Caravan, you may find a Sedona with more equipment costs less.