The Mommy Pans: 08 Dodge Grand Caravan Minivan

First, thanks to Matchstick for the opportunity to drive Dodge's 08 Grand Caravan for a week. It was a unique and fun experience.

As mentioned in previous posts, I have a true love for cars in general. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. And I've had more than my fair share of them. Just for fun, here's the list: '90 Honda CRX, '92 Ford Probe, '96 VW Jetta, '98 VW Cabrio, '99 Dodge Durango, '98 Volvo X70,'00 VW New Beetle, '99 BMW 528i, '00 BMW X5, '00 Lincoln Navigator, '01 BMW 525i wagon, '04 Nissan Quest (currently driving), '03 Mercedes E500 (Jim currently driving).

Unfortunately, the all new Dodge Grand Caravan was disappointing at best. In fact, it made me appreciate my '04 Nissan Quest all the more. While the Caravan has every technological bell and whistle, the vehicle itself really misses the mark. Both Jim and I found the interior cramped compared to what we're used to. The seats are substantially smaller than those found in the Quest. When Jim was driving, McKenna's feet touched the back of the driver's seat--and she's only two years old in a car seat! Interior styling hearkens back to the oh-so-regrettable "K-Car" days of the 1970's. Plastic-y with lots of hard lines and angles. For lack of a better term, it just seemed "cheapy".

While the minivan touts a 4.0 V-6 engine, it felt lacking in power. When accelerating , one could noticeably detect the gears shifting. The word "clunky" comes to mind. To use car lover lingo, it just had no "guts". Honestly, I felt like I was driving an economy, sub-compact. Think Geo, Colt, Escort and the like.

As mentioned, the minivan has all the current technology but the accessibility associated with it is very, very confusing. Some important commands are so deeply embedded within the navigation screen's menuing system that it is nearly impossible to find them. How is it that Dodge doesn't understand that moms do not have time for this stuff? When the kids are screaming and you're running late to one of the 12 places you need to go to that day, you shouldn't have to pull out a manual in order to determine how to make satellite TV appear on one screen and a DVD appear on the other. I have a more-than-decent comfort level with technology and I WAS UTTERLY BAFFLED by the Grand Cravan's audio/video/navigation controls. A bit of advice to the '08 Grand Caravan engineers...start over. Think user friendly this time.




OK...it's not all bad...Props for the rear view camera, auto stow-and-go 3rd row seat, and the best feature of all--sliding door windows that actually open. I could really use these features on my Quest!

Bottom line: The fully loaded model approaches $40K. For that price point, one expects a far more comfortable, better designed vehicle. Folks I know will spend another $10K and get into the entry level Lexus, BMW world. And when you place the '08 Grand Caravan alongside that class of vehicle, the comparison becomes absurd. The Grand Caravan cannot even begin to compete.

This mommy never wants to be mean. Just honest.

08 Dodge Grand Caravan - Driving It This Week

It's got every single bell and whistle. Navigation with voice recognition, 2 video screens for DVD and/or satellite TV, satellite radio, leather seat surfaces, 2nd row swivels to face third row, power third row control, power side doors and trunk, remote start, rear reverse camera. There's more I'm sure. Anyway, I've got it until next Tuesday. The kids are in love with it. Mommy and Daddy--not so much. We're loaning it to two different families this weekend. We'll see what they have to say.

It's been fun trying something new when we've' been driving the same minivan for nearly four years. New, however, does not necessarily mean better.

More later.

You Too Can Drive the Grand Caravan For A Week

Lot's of folks are asking. Click below to find out if any of you mommies qualify:

08 Dodge Caravan Test Drive

Mom Trades In Her Minivan

...and gets another one! At least for a week anyway.

I was contacted through this blog by Matchsitck, a marketing agency involved in the launch of the 08 Dodge Caravan minivan. Apparently I am a walking, breathing poster child for their target customer base: I'm a mommy, I take my children here, there, and everywhere. My kids are involved in lots of activities and I talk to lots of other mommies. I'm a frequent blogger. And I'm a short distance from one of their test markets--Chicago. So, they asked me if I want to drive their new mini van for a week. I only have to commit to providing Matchstick with feedback about the experience. You can be sure you'll see my opinion here as well.

Anyone who's affiliated with the mommy knows that this is right up my alley. I love cars. Always have. I'm usually up on the latest and greatest in every class of vehicle. New car technology excites me to no end. Jim views cars in terms of the point A to point B thing. I, on the other hand, relish the the whole car experience. I have had more than my fair share of cars and I don't regret owning a single one. But, when we bought the 04 Quest, I committed to keeping it for five years. The good news for me is that we technically bought the Nissan in 03--so I don't have that much longer to wait.

And yes--I have a roving eye. I don't think I was ever intended for a monogamous car relationship.

Another post on the 08 Dodge Caravan is sure to follow in the near future.