Jeremy Clarkson reviews Dodge Grand Caravan.

[Kowalski]

He loves Canada and kayaking.




As for the car:

I don’t want to be stupid and say it was powered by something you might find in a cement mixer, but that’s how it felt. Really. It had no power at all, and if you dared to floor it to, say, get up a small hill, the gearbox would swap cogs with a force capable of beheading everyone inside.

[thedguy]

Own up, was this thread created in this section just for a certain Boy of Mopar?

[nist7]

Originally Posted by Kowalski

He loves Canada and kayaking.

Is it just me or does Clarkson appear scary/mentally retarded...excuse me cognitively impaired, when he smiles like that?

edit: oh and about the "review." ummmm, wtf? It's a minivan rental from a company called Thrifty. What did he expect? I reckon he would've provided for some more entertainment had he driven a Ford Shelby GT-H.

[American TG Man]

Originally Posted by What I suspect Mopar Man will type

zOMGclarksonobviouslywaswrongdodgeisthegreatestcarperiodtheonlyreason
theydon'tgofasteristonotembarasstheeuropeancarsiftheydidn'ttheywouldblowtheir
doorsofflolamericaftw

LeMans GTR was right, Mopar Man-typing is fun!

[No Boss]

I can tell already... this is going to be a

[Wizegui]

Well, it's heavier than the old one and it still uses the same under-powered engine. What did you expect? I'm glad Clarkson likes Canada

[Dsemaj]

Yeah, I think they put the wrong picture of the car. That's ze olde one.

[RUU-CHAMA]

I've driven the 2006 basic version with the 3.3 and I liked it. It had a soft suspension that soaked up bumps and a steering wheel that you could turn by blowing on it. The engine was alright until you floored it, then the vibration that came through the pedals was like getting shocked. Taking curves are fine as long as I go under 30mph and hang on to the armrest of the passenger chair to keep level. The Dodge Caravan would be the perfect stereotypical American vehicle if it only had 350hp under the hood and drums at the front to complement those at the back.



It's not the 2007, but still...

[flyingfridge]

Heheh, brilliant! Nothing like spoiling serenity with a Speedboat

(dad only loved one thing more than serenity and that was a 2 stroke motor at full throttle )

[sephiroth99]

hehe I had a great read, very funny!

It's Clarkson at its best!

[Viper007Bond]

Haha, great article.

However, in it's defense, it's minivan, not a Ferrari. It's driven by soccer mom's carrying 40 kids who couldn't care less about hitting the apex or steering feel. They just want something comfy to ride in. And to be frank, it does a pretty decent job at it.

I'd still never buy one though, heh.

[Vette Boss]

These people carriers are as bad as he says they are. I had to hire one when I got into a bit of a scrape with an idiot in an SUV, while my Altima was being mended. It was by far and away the worst driving experience I'd ever had, the brakes would bite and jolt you forward, the steering was more woolly than a bison, the ride was bouncy and jarring.. I could go on all day about it.

Why anyone would ever want one of them is beyond me. They must be the sort of people why want a charisma bypass.

[Ilpav]

So what he drove this one?



I have access to my mom's '01 Grand Caravan (3.3 L) and all I can say is that the low-end torque is pretty good, and the ride is pretty comfortable, and it looks pretty good.



Maybe Chrysler made it worse (much uglier, that's for sure).

[BlaRo]

Two questions:

1. Why is Jeremy bothering to drive a boring people carrier, and an American one at that?

2. People know who Jeremy is. He loves fast cars and can tell you about SLRs and Murcielagos all day long. So who the fuck is going to trust his advice if they're looking for something to move their kids in? They obviously know he's going to show as much enthusiasm for them as a fat kid at a hunger strike, so it's like asking Lindsay Lohan for computer advice. What's the point?

And trust me, the Dodge Grand Caravan is pretty good at hauling people/things, including vintage Honda motorcycles. It's slightly difficult and the gas fumes may be quite headache-inducing, but it's possible to blast across Pennsylvania in less than 8 hours.

[skr]

That describes pretty much how every Chrysler rental feels, I strongly believe the most crappy ones go to the rental companies

[skr]

Originally Posted by BlaRo

Two questions:

1. Why is Jeremy bothering to drive a boring people carrier, and an American one at that?

2. People know who Jeremy is. He loves fast cars and can tell you about SLRs and Murcielagos all day long. So who the fuck is going to trust his advice if they're looking for something to move their kids in? They obviously know he's going to show as much enthusiasm for them as a fat kid at a hunger strike, so it's like asking Lindsay Lohan for computer advice. What's the point?

And trust me, the Dodge Grand Caravan is pretty good at hauling people/things, including vintage Honda motorcycles. It's slightly difficult and the gas fumes may be quite headache-inducing, but it's possible to blast across Pennsylvania in less than 8 hours.

Because he compares....and compared to a Ford Galaxy/S-Max a Grand Caravan feels like sth dating back at least 25 years. Unfortunately those minivans aren't offered on the North American marked and you have to stick with the Chrysler becaus they leave you no choice

[teeb]

Originally Posted by BlaRo

Two questions:

1. Why is Jeremy bothering to drive a boring people carrier, and an American one at that?

Because he needed a hire car whilst in Canada and the hire company had nothing else available.

That is what the article says, anywho :/


edit - having said that, Clarkson is correct in stating that tubing on a Canadian lake is awesome. Easily some of the most fun you can have.

[Kowalski]

Originally Posted by Dsemaj

Yeah, I think they put the wrong picture of the car. That's ze olde one.

Originally Posted by Ilpav

So what he drove this one?



I have access to my mom's '01 Grand Caravan (3.3 L) and all I can say is that the low-end torque is pretty good, and the ride is pretty comfortable, and it looks pretty good.



Maybe Chrysler made it worse (much uglier, that's for sure).

This is from his article:

What it did have was a nasty scrape along its flanks and a steering wheel that was not on straight. I think. It’s hard to be sure, because where I pointed it seemed to have little or no bearing on my direction of travel. Small wonder that the Caravan’s sister car, the Chrysler Grand Voyager, did so badly in the Euro NCAP safety tests.

I think he reviewed the old one. Unless Chrysler cocked-up again with the new one.

[Kowalski]

Originally Posted by BlaRo

Two questions:

1. Why is Jeremy bothering to drive a boring people carrier, and an American one at that?

2. People know who Jeremy is. He loves fast cars and can tell you about SLRs and Murcielagos all day long. So who the fuck is going to trust his advice if they're looking for something to move their kids in? They obviously know he's going to show as much enthusiasm for them as a fat kid at a hunger strike, so it's like asking Lindsay Lohan for computer advice. What's the point?

And trust me, the Dodge Grand Caravan is pretty good at hauling people/things, including vintage Honda motorcycles. It's slightly difficult and the gas fumes may be quite headache-inducing, but it's possible to blast across Pennsylvania in less than 8 hours.

It's also pretty good if you have a death wish.

This is from the EuroNCAP.

Comments:

The Voyager did so badly in the frontal impact that it earned no points, making it the worst of the group by some margin. The body structure became unstable and the steering column was driven back into the driver's chest and head. The Voyager acquitted itself better in the side-impact test, but there was still a fair risk of the driver injuring his abdomen. Chrysler chose the child restraints used in the tests, but the company makes no set recommendations to buyers. Euro NCAP believes it is the manufacturer's responsibility to provide proper restraint for every occupant and is surprised that Chrysler do not recommend a child seat for the Voyager.

Front impact:

The steering wheel and air bag were forced upwards and into the driver's face, hitting his head hard and putting strain on his neck. The driver's chest also hit the steering wheel, increasing risk of injury. His knees were poorly protected too, and the chances of him injuring his left thigh were very high. The footwell spilt open and his lower legs and feet were poorly protected. The passenger also ran a considerable risk of chest injury.

As bad as the BullShit 6 Chinese thingy.

[otispunkmeyer]

well, the kit list on the top model sounds absolutely excellent... sirrius satelite TV? and a 500watt infinity sound system? sounds good.

we rent these all the time when we go to the states, (though typically its the chrysler town and country) i have no idea what specs you get given but they seem ok. yeah the engines are gutless, but at least the seats upfront are super comfy

tan wouldnt be my choice of interior either, but the tan carpet hides alot of dirt. i wouldnt buy one, i mean the dash felt like it was made from melted down mcdonalds soft drink lids and then attacthed with only a handfull of nails. but for a holiday vehicle its a comfy choice, quiet...when your not stabbing the throttle, and it feels like your floating. and MPG doesnt matter because by comparison your petrol is still dirt cheap.

of course, there was the issue of safety, i dunno what the new ones are like, but when they came over to the uk for the 1st time i remember they scored 0% in the euroNCAP frontal impact, and 18% on the side.