Minivan; Built in Canada, USA |
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Good condition price range: $5,100 – $22,600* |
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Front
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Profile
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Rear
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Interior
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With four-cylinder and short-wheelbase models gone, Dodge focused its attention on the heart of the minivan market. Grand Caravan is tailor-made for families with a need for space and a desire for comfort. Along with Town & Country from sister division Chrysler, these minivans hit the bull’s eye. Even though the Honda Odyssey may be sportier and the interior of the Toyota Sienna more refined, neither matches the Caravan or T&C’s blend of room and functionality.
Overview
Redesigned for 2008, Dodge’s Grand Caravan minivan featured fresh styling, a new top-line engine, and new seating features. Grand Caravan was built from the same front-wheel-drive design as Chrysler’s Town & Country. The 2008 model was 2 inches longer in wheelbase and overall length, than the 2007 versions. This time, it came in a single-length Grand Caravan model in SE and SXT trim levels. The shorter-wheelbase Caravan model was discontinued, as was the four-cylinder engine. Dodge competed against the Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, and Toyota Sienna.
All Caravans now had V6 power. The 3.3-liter and 3.8-liter engines carried over from 2007. New for 2008 was an optional 251-horsepower 4.0-liter V6. Standard in the SE model, the 3.3-liter V6 teamed with a four-speed automatic transmission. The 3.8- and 4.0-liter engines used a six-speed automatic.
Standard safety features included curtain side airbags that covered all seating rows, antilock braking, traction control, and an antiskid system. All Caravans seated up to seven. Standard was a 60/40 split third-row bench seat that folded into the floor. A power-folding third-row seat was available. The second row was available as a removable bench with integrated child seats, or with bucket seats that could fold as part of Dodge’s Stow ‘n Go system. With the seats raised, the floorwells provided storage space. Newly available was Dodge’s Swivel ‘n Go, which allowed the second-row buckets to turn 180 degrees and face backward. This seating arrangement included a removable table that mounted between the second and third rows. The swiveling seats could be removed but not folded into the cargo floor. Other available features included a navigation system, 20-gigabyte hard drive for storing digital music files, and dual-screen DVD entertainment.
Yearly Updates
2009 Grand Caravan Several new features became available for 2009, including a blind-spot alert system and what Chrysler called “Rear Cross Path.” Activating when the transmission was in reverse, that latter system could detect any traffic moving toward the vehicle. Chrysler’s uconnect multimedia suite also became available, including a navigation system, wireless cell-phone link, and 30-gigabyte hard drive for storing digital music and picture files. SXT models equipped with the 4.0-liter V6 gained a revised sport suspension this year. An optional Flexible Seating Group included Swivel ‘n Go seating with the removable table. |
2010 Grand Caravan The 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan lineup gained some new entertainment options including FLO TV, which allows pre-recorded and live TV broadcasts via terrestrial airwaves to play on the DVD screens. |
2011 Grand Caravan The 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan model lineup was revised, and all versions got a new powertrain. Previous SE and SXT trim levels were replaced by Express, Mainstreet, Crew, and R/T. All have a 283-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 3.3-, 3.8-, and 4.0-liter V6 engines were discontinued. |
2012 Grand Caravan Trim levels of the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan were changed to American Value Package, SE, and SXT. The available power-folding third-row seat was dropped. |
2013 Grand Caravan Not much changed with the 2013 edition of the Grand Caravan. The entry-level American Value Package and SE models cost less than their 2012 counterparts, but had less standard equipment. Top-line models were newly available with a high-definition Blu-ray entertainment system. |
2014 Grand Caravan Dodge celebrated the 30th anniversary of the minivan with a special edition package for the Grand Caravan. Otherwise, little was changed for 2014. |