Hi Everyone! Hope you're all safe and well. I know the Grand Caravan isn't the sexist vehicle out there...but there's still a lot of good things to talk about. I especially love the stow and go seats (I wish I had them on my minivan). Anyway, I hope you enjoy the review. And let me know what you think of the new transitions and sound effects. I've been working on my video editing skills lately so I'd love from constructive feedback. Thanks!
Only reason? What about the incredibly spacious interior, slick body design, and a good, strong gas mileage motor? The Dodge/Chrysler minivans are fantastic all the way around.
@@StrictlyService905 YES! That's the most underrated part about these vans...who needs to get 2 or 3 of those cardboard cup holders for large orders when you got 11 of them built into your car?!
The Honda and Toyota minivans are going for a lot more now, its super hard to get your hands on them to, every time we are interested its sold before we can even look at it.
Fantastic review! When buying these vans, I recommend going with the trim level just above the SXT...the Crew. While the RT is the cream of the crop, it does come with a pretty big price tag compared to the SXT. The Crew comes with a few nice upgrades from the SXT, and they're not really all that much more expensive! Also, on the MPG, it's all in what you feed the van. Yes, it's "flex" fuel. However, I only put in 89 octane fuel in my van. I've been getting 20/21mpg town, and 28mpg on the highway. 18gal tank, and I'm able to go 400 miles on the highway without needing to refuel! The spacious interior is perfect for a family, and it's honestly one of the smoothest riding cars I've ever driven. I should note that this is for a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew. Bought it in 2014 with 50k miles on it. It now has 106k miles, and shows no signs of slowing down. Only had to replace some speed and tire pressure sensors! But watching this review, I don't see many differences!
Nice minivan I am single and can use it on a long road trip to haul and sleep in the van. It drives like a limo compared to my 18 year old Pontiac Montana with only 62000 miles. I am happy.
We bought a used rental 2019 GT model. It has some extra toys over the SXT. Love the fold into floor seats. I can get several 4x8 plywood sheets into it and still close the rear hatch. The middle row buckets do side back for more comfortable amount of leg room as well as fully recline if you need a nap. We took out the rear bench seats for an enormous amount of extra baggage space where the seats would've folded into the floor. The middle row seat in floor wells are also great as out of sight storage bins. MPG is really good if you keep your foot out of hard acceleration. I keep the front tires 2 lb above pressure. Consistently getting 29+ MPG hwy and 22+ city. The Pentastar V6 is a Mercedes-Benz design. My other car is a 2012 Mercedes C350 and the engines are very similar. I don't use the ECO mode button. It makes the transmission shift up at lower RPM which really makes it a slow dog off the line in city driving. On the highway ECO mode slows downshifting when you want to pass so I really never use it. I really like this van. it's so much better than their earlier generations. Too bad they stopped making them as they are the perfect family wagon and a more efficient van for trades people than a pickup. One hint, change oil and filter before recommended interval and have the transmission fluid and filter done every two years.
We have a 2018 we bought from Hertz for $21k with 24k miles. 80k miles on it now. All good. Hauls 5 grandchildren then a stack of 4x8' plywood sheets then does a 3-day road trip. Gets 29 mpg highway and 20 around town. The 3.6 vvt has more than enough power. Comfortable. Only maintenance item was failed right side passenger door lock actuator. Engine and transmission have not great reputations, but ours is fine...knock on wood. Loses zero oil, zero coolant. Original tires, brakes.
My 2017 grand Caravan GT now has 60,000kms, only issues I've encountered was the front HVAC blower failing, replaced under warranty and took 30mins, and now my left rear brake calliper is starting to stick, resulting in light premature wear. Best fuel economy I've gotten on the highway was 7.5L/100km (about 31mpg, on a road trip/@110kmh). My two kids love the DVD player, built in window shades and their own heated seats. I've hauled big bulky items inside with the seat down such as; a storage shed from Costco, pallets, a whole couch and a crazy amount of lumber and even a 12ft roll of linoleum flooring(from windshield to tailgate) all with being able to close the tailgate. Cabin noise seems to be better when the van comes with the Michelin tires, as opposed to the shitty Yokohama's that comes with the lower trims (I've had a 2015 SXT premium but unfortunately got into a wreck). The power sliding doors can occasionally be stuck during our harsh winters in northern Canada but you just have to let the car warm up to operating temperature and it will be fine, it is to be expected with any van when we have 11-12ft of accumulated snow and -48C temperatures lol, the Caravan will start up fine when it's that cold. Also, the heated steering wheel and heated front seats is a life saver.
I have the 2014 SXT (20th Anniversary trim?), and you are right about the calipers! My left hand side one quit at about 60,000kms, and I had to have both rear ones replaced. It took the dealer 1 week for some reason. I picked the car up, drove straight to the store, and the vehicle wouldn't start. I had the car towed back and had to get a ride after waiting with family at minus 14 Celsius! The dealer insisted that the accompanying "no fuse" message meant the battery needed replacement....The factory issue Yokohama tires are fairly quiet and smooth but shockingly dangerous in even the lightest snow. The set I had was rated "all season", but that was grossly misleading. They are to be replaced at the earliest opportunity. We are meticulous in maintenance/care, but the seat adjustment controls panel repeatedly came off and broke off eventually! Meantime, the driver's side leatherette seat and hand rest ripped prematurely (2 years), but was replaced on warranty..I REALLY want to love this vehicle because it is great conceptually and feels very secure especially at highway speeds. The quality worries me all the time though!
Yeah the Dodge Caravan is an older design and will be discontinued but I think one of it's best features is the stow and go seating. Some of the newer minivans don't have this feature even. I think a couple of them, you can't even remove all the rear seats. I had an old 1985 Plymouth Voyager. The seats didn't stow, but they could be removed to give an entirely flat floor. I had the seven seat option and that rear 3 passenger seat was heavy to remove. Like 80 lbs. I used to just leave it out unless I needed it. I wouldn't but a new minivan if ALL of the rear seats couldn't be folded flat or at least removed. Kind of kills the utility and defeats the purpose of getting a van over an SUV IMO.
My SXT has a lot more on it. LCD on the climate control, 110v behind the driver's seat, DVD with screens for middle and rear seat. I've turned it into a road trip machine. Full luggage rack, all terrain tires, tow pkg equipment.
We drove around in Canada with this thing. It was really weird how much space there was in the trunk. We didn't need to pack our bags vertically and the music sounded like it came from far away. It really made me fall in love with big cars and this one specifically. Always weird when I see one in Europe (here they're called Lancia Voyager) because I associate them with the easy and wide roads of North America.
you forgot that the mirror has mic's on it for the phone system and auto-dimms when the dash light sensor thinks it is dark or night so that hi-beams in the rear don't blind you. both are great features.
Really like this van for its space. I would recommend to change the oil every 6 months and change the transition oil too. Hopefully these cars could last a little bit longer if you do so. My dad had one of these older models but it broke down because of a design flaw in the oil pump
@@threat645 is the oil lamp on? Old oil filter? if not then it could be a clogged oil intake or the oil pump has problems. First thing i would do change oil filter and check if oil lamp still on. if oil lamp still on the second thing i would do is to remove the oil pan and check if the oil intake is clogged up, if so just clean it and check for metal shavings because that is something you don't want to see. if that does not help it could be the pump. I had a toyota with a clogged oil intake. i cleaned it and there was no oil lamp or problems after that.
Love the reviews but I want to address the elephant in the room. There's snow outside in August? 😂 I know it's old footage just picking, hope all is well up in your area and can't wait for another review!
School districts where I live buy these to transport students from areas that have tight roads that make getting full size buses around to difficult. They run up up crazy high miles on them, sometimes close to 300,000 miles on them and the guys who maintain them for the school district say they give good service and they must because they have been using them for years. Of course they really maintain them.
The best way to get these vans is rental fleet GT or SXT with 30-45k miles. They sell regularly in the 16k-20K range. Tack on a warranty to 100K miles for about 2k if you have any misgivings, and for about 18-19k total you can have a low mile van with lots of options and the awesome stow-n-go convenience along with a warranty, or roll the dice and get one for 16-18k without a warranty. Move fast though, the fleet vehicles are drying up and they don't make these anymore. The Pacifica is a lot more expensive and has lower ground clearance, and the Sedona besides not having stow-n-go is being redesigned and the base models will be north of 30K.
I own an SXT, 20th anniversary edition and have had it for 6 years. I do TRULY want to like this vehicle because it has lots going for it conceptually with the stow n go, driver comfort, uconnect, and general layout and "assertive, understated design stance. It also makes a very secure, relaxed highway cruiser (more nimble with 3/4 to half filled tank for weight balance). However, the build quality worries me: Leatherette driver's seat and hand rest ripped/cracked unprovoked within 2 years (we are very careful), seat adjustment controls panel broke off within 4. Also, although the standard issue Yokohama tires provide a fairly smooth, acceptably quiet ride, the all season rating is dangerously misleading. I live in Vancouver, BC, and we get little snow at the lower elevations on most years. These tires are genuinely dangerous, and a potential liability to Chrysler! They will skid dangerously in colder temperatures and in the lightest snow, beyond a few kilometers. My rear left caliper froze at about 60,000kms requiring me to replace both. My discs were warped at about 85,000kms.....The price may be attractive, but sometimes I wonder if it is worth the compromises made...
Drove one as a rental all the way back from tallahassee, FL to Louisville, KY. Im only in college and driving it made me want to fast forward to the minivan stage of life. I want one bad
My wife makes fun of me because I genuinely want one of these and we only have one kid. I have a Hyundai Elantra and before that I had a Ford F-150 Lariat. I love having a vehicle that has tons of space for passengers. I also like being able to have a lot of room to stow stuff for home improvement trips. But I love my mpg of my car over my old truck. I feel like a minivan is a great upgrade for future road-trips and when people visit/stay with us.
Overall I appreciate your review. As a prospective buyer and renter I will point out some things you missed in my order of importance. #1. The price of the sxt trim is closer to about $33,700. Your 28k price was likely the most basic model with cloth seats, not sure about the other lesser features but I will guess also manual rear lift gate, smaller entertainment with no hard drive and bench second row. #2. The second row seats do move forward and back. This is unclear if adjusted for your 3rd row commentary on legroom. #3. Pull up sunshades on the rear doors. I actually remembered a couple other things. Vehicle is flexfuel so you can run e85. Lastly rear camera you touched on how low tech it is. Doesn't beep when you're close to an object or anything, literally just a camera with no added safety features. Cheers
I mean i have a 2016 dodge grand caravan and its not sxt or gt or anything like that but mine is great so i love the dodge grand caravan!🚐 and sir you reviewed the minivan great good job!👏
I bought the Dodge Caravan SXT, 2019 from a rental inventory. Actually a very pleasant ride. What I wasn't told by the dealer was that there was no replacement tire installed. So I'm looking if something can still be installed afterward.
We have a 2019 GC, and I did some research, and ordered all of the parts to install the factory tire kit, took about an hour to install, and final cost buying the parts online, and then ordering the compact spare tire itself from Discount Tire, was pretty close to $1000.00. My wife was not going for me throwing the spare and it's tools into the space behind the rear seat. The price does include all of the factory tire changing tools as well, all new from Chrysler.
Loved my 2017 Kia Sedona. If I ever do the uber gig, or needed a mobile office then a mini van is king. Now driving a Nissan Titan but could see a Dodge or Kia in my future. Hondas odyssey are nice on retaining value, so buy used to help with depreciation. The flip a coin.
a/c knob is also button to turn ON the a/c, and the fan knob is also a button to turn on fresh/recirc functions. leave the traction control on at all times as the thing is powerful enough that on wet pave the front will slip under even slight acceleration. i agree...4 stars. i plan to drive mine for another 4 years and then upgrade to a pacifica if they are making them good enough.
It was a good minivan for it's time but my problem with the Grand Caravan and T&C is the high road noise, harsh ride on rough pavement, and for a 6 Speed auto is the worst one I've dealt with. I would recommend anyone to get the Pacifica it's a much better minivan from FCA and thankfully my grandmother is replacing her 14 T&C S for a Pacifica Limited.
We in Iraq are fans of this car. I hope you will continue to make these interesting videos and that the translation into Arabic is clear as well as slow so that we can understand the report you are preparing well. I wish you success
I have the 2009 dodge grand caravan sxt and I love it. Lol it fancy enough but either way maybe one day I can upgrade to the new one. Only thing is I don't have the center console or the backup camera. But that's ok for now. Thanks for showing the 2019 it's wow 😲
At 3:00 you mention that accelerating quickly from a 40mph coast is the weak point. I agree, I have a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.6V6, but my SXT has manual mode, accessible through the gear shifter. By shifting into Drive and then pulling the gear shifter left you enter manual mode, where you set the maximum gear the car can shift into by pulling it to the left and right for lower and higher gears, respectively. Very helpful if you're cruising in 6th gear and would like to quickly get access to all that torque you have in 4th gear. In automatic, going from 40 to 60 feels sluggish, but in manual mode I'm often going faster than I meant to be in a shorter amount of time than I thought it would take, probably surprising traffic. Especially those big pick up trucks that are still trying to get up to speed! All that and I can fit a 4x8 sheet flat with the trunk closed. 🤠 Try hauling a couple 10 ft sticks of PVC and some full sheets of drywall home in the rain in your F150 😝
283hp not 383. Have one and really enjoy it. Very versatile, Good power, nice ride, decent mileage and very comfortable. Sounds like he's to lazy to vacuum his vehicle. Have black carpet in mine and have no problem keeping it clean.
I have a 2013. The darned thing is fast. You have to be careful with it or you will burn up your expensive tires. I absolutely love my Dodge Grand Caravan. I have not had any issues at all with it. None. So reliable.
Fun fact about these is the 2020 model year can not be registered in about 20 states like CA do to these being so outdated because they don’t meet emissions regulations in those 20 states.
So would you consider these over other competitors? I know these dont have the same fit and finish as others but the prices are pretty enticing. I've seen 18 and 19 models for under 20K and for a "new" van that seems pretty enticing. I'm not big on the tech stuff because it probably will get swapped out later down the road, I just need a good people hauler for my new addition to my family.
@@MiggyCR Yup. Although it's also worth mentioning that Chrysler will use the name on lower trim levels of the Pacifica in Canada (that's right: the Chrysler Grand Caravan). Here it's called the Voyager.
@@jeepguy95 I know honestly it's degrading the Grand Caravan name but if I were to get one I would probably Swap all the Chrysler logos out with Dodge logos and probably swap steering wheel to with a charger one and I'm from Canada when I heard that I was so upset the reason they're keeping the Grand Caravan name is because the Grand Caravan in the Dodge Journey or one of the best sellers in Canada but there on the number one charts too bad the journeys discontinued to it's literally my dream car for some reason
*283 Horse power.I don't think the van is all that loud on hwy I have a 2016. I think they should of put a USB port in the compartment in front of cupholders on console. The very rear seats are intended for kids mostly. My 2016 retailed for $32,700 and has soft cloth seats and love them better than the leather seats.
Well brother one thing I disagree with you on is I’ve owned these Dodge and Chrysler products for 20 years on my fifth one , and one thing I was always impressed with from the 3.3 and up they are peppie that gas pedal don’t play around they get up to speed quickly to me when you try to pass cars on the highway
I'm not surprised. Enterprise owns a TON of Grand Caravans. I think it's a good rental, but after a few times it's not very exciting. I've started to politely decline and ask for something else when they offer it to me. Unless, of course, it's the newest model. :)
@@100RentalCars at least it’s free whenever i do recall work on my grand Cherokee my service advisor gives me a coupon for a free rental car but hey it’s a free rental car I’m saving the coupons for the free rental for when i need a major repair
Wow I like it, I own this same Year Model and same Color, This is the same exact Van I have. Great, but only use more fuel than my Ford Fusion 2016 I just traded in for this van. I needed this Van because my Three Children are growing and need more space as we drive to Northern California a lot and on to Roseburg, Oregon on a regular basis to visit Family from the Bay Area where we live in the Silicon Valley. I'm glad that I bought this Van, The Toyotas was also great, but lack the Sto-en-go Seating in the floor.
You dufous! You state you've driven every Grand Caravan since 2016, so with that amount of experience, one would think that you would have learned that the rear view mirror is auto dimming and does not require a switch to flip to deflect headlight glare from behind or sun glare!
I expected GPS navigation in our 2019 but have bought a GARMIN 55 GPS and many people have said that GARMIN is actually a better choice than most built-in GPS .
Maybe I got a weird one, but when I tap into my 2016, it comes unsnatched now. I don’t abuse it as I worry it may not last. Not what I would have expected from a bitty-bus. My biggest gripe is they didn’t do something about the seat hooks on the floor. Would be nice if they were recessed.
@@louisangel5868 not as reliable as Toyota but there are so many of them out there that the parts are cheap to get when something does break. The middle seats can be stowed inside the floor. It is not possible in Toyota
Swore you called the 2 power ports in the front console "cup holders" and you missed the largest storage area in that center storage which pulls out from the back. Also an additional 12V power port back for the second row seats. Had a 2003 and just replaced it with a 2019. Agree with your assessments for the most part. Only wish it had the 380 HP you stated.
I wish they had 383hp. Still, the 283hp it comes with gets the job done. Have driven mine all over the country and the front brakes have been the only minor issue I have had.
Sxt was supposed to be the best model, but the American value model is comfortable seating And the best by far is the anniversary model. Alot have brake problems, brakes were too small for vehicle so a1. Auto parts made a custom one just for this car. The fuses can get damp causing mysterious events and transmission has one plastic piece inside habitually dislodging.
The minivan is far from perfect, but we kept buying it since the earlier model Caravans because it has a lot of utility. The latest model we have is a 2012 model and it was a day/night improvement from the 2006. Still far from perfect, we found the stow-n-go uber useful. We do a lot of full cargo one leg and full people on the return leg all the time, so I'm really left with no other minivan option with specifications we _NEED_. I'm willing to try other brands, but the Caravan hits a bit too many sweet spots for me at the moment even with its problems.
I bought my 1999 Grand Caravan over 10 years ago and I still have it. Although I'm looking into something else as it's just too far gone and not worth putting any more money into, but it will either be a much newer Grand Caravan or a Yukon XL Denali for the added power, space, and modern features and technology.
I have a 2019 Grand Caravan sxt. It doesn't have 2nd row fold and go seats. It just has one bench seat. There's a metal bar blocking where they are supposed to go down into the floor. Why is that metal bar there? Makes no sense???
Yes, I think two adults could sleep in the back. It wouldn't be roomy, but they'd fit. But not the plywood, the Grand Caravan isn't big enough for that.
Would you know if Honda has finally fixed their horrible automatic transmission track record? I’ve had two odyssey’s... the first retuned it the next day. The second after two transmission swaps ran it to the ground and sold it. And yes, nothing beats the versatility of the Stow-n-Go seats in Chrysler minivans ... I just don’t understand why other manufacturers don’t design their own version. Lugging those heady middle row seats out for he Odyssey was a back breaking torture every time. Although nothing beats the Vtec feel of the Honda engine. So reliable so predictable never hesitant. I wish I could trust Chrysler but their engines are no Honda or Toyota. Siennas are just too bland, ugly and unimaginative in my opinion but the best by a long shot. Anyway, I thought I’d contribute with my limited but very interested point of view on the topic of your video. I believe the GT version of the Caravan will have all those blacked out buttons on your tester.
Too bad that FCA stopped the distribution of the Fiat Freemont (Dodge Journey) and the Lancia Voyager (Dodge Grand Caravan) in Europe about five years ago... And i like it when the lower trim levels instead of the higher ones are presented. Not every one can or want to spend 50.000 dollars/euros for a car.
I'd go Toyota Sienna. I prefer the look and feel of the Sienna over the Grand Caravan. Although, the Grand Caravan is much more fun to drive. Personally, my favorite minivan right now is the Kia Sedona. I think it has the best balance between style, functionality, and drivability. But that's just me. If you hate having a slow vehicle, then go with the Caravan. But if you want a "fresh" looking vehicle, try the Sienna or the Sedona. And good luck with your purchase. I hope this helps!