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2007 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Road Trip

Typically, spring break, or more formally, “Reading Week” for university students,is a big deal. Situated smack dab between winter holidays and final exams, it's a week – sometimes two, if you're lucky – of spare time. Because February tends to be a rather bleak and miserable time of year in so many areas across the nation, spring break tends to involve some sort of getaway. For those that don't mind cold, and provided that the snow hasn't all melted away, it's a chance to dust off the skis or snowboards. If you don't like winter, spring break becomes an opportune chance to escape to somewhere warm, like Florida or Mexico. And if you don't mind the cold, but have no sense of imagination, or are a keener and actually read during reading week, you stay home. After years and years of not doing anything, not going anywhere or having any fond memories of spring break and being a (ugh) keener, a change was in order. The plan was simple: gather as many friends up as possible and head for a change of scenery. It was decided that the change of scenery would be the Canadian island city of Montreal, generally regarded

Not exactly what I had in mind, but the Grand Caravan was a perfect match for the journey. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

as an acceptably cool place to let loose. What we needed was a vehicle to get us there as a group.

The first thing that popped into my mind was theDodge Sprinter. On the surface an irrational choice mainly for its absurdity, but beyond that there were plenty of logical reasons for it being the main candidate. As a people carrier, it has plenty of seats (10, or more depending on its configuration) and plenty of space, which is a commodity highly regarded by lanky teenagers with long legs and limber torsos. The next is for its fuel efficiency; it may be shaped like a brick with a planed nose, but this high-roofed hauler's Mercedes-Benz inline-five turbodiesel engine and five-speed automatic transmission make it more efficient than any conventional

Van proved to be popular with all over the trip, surprising given its connotations. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

minivan on the market. Oh, and of course we couldn't forget the shock factor; a large number of rowdy young adults piled into a minibus is sure to implant itself in the long term memory of many locals.

But the basis of my newly crafted planfell apart at the seams. During the planning phase, getting hold of a new Sprinter was next to impossible; they're more than tough to come across because they're not only in high demand (presumably for reasons similar to my own), but because the new generation, complete with high-performance gasoline 3.5-liter Mercedes-Benz V6, a further refined version of the turbodiesel and other critical enhancements was making its international debut in Toronto a few days prior. The latest batch of Sprinters for Chrysler Group's fleet were also on a boat heading from Germany, and wouldn't have arrived

That's only half the luggage we brought there and back. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

in time for the trip. Graciously, my PR rep's best efforts landed me a Dodge Grand Caravan SXT in its place, which I gladly accepted as it still had room for myself and six others, plus luggage. It ended up being just enough as six others in addition to myself would be attending. An eighth opted in favor of a train.

I hate to say it, but if you're looking into the usefulness of the Caravan'spièce de résistance and the primary feature of what sets it apart from the other vans on the market, namely the Stow ‘n Go seating system, look elsewhere. They didn't get touched, except on the final day when the urge to play with the folding seats got the best of me. I didn't take advantage of the clearly labeled pull strings that offer a Rubik's cube's worth of seating options, and the ability to configure the layout within a matter of seconds using just one hand. We did, on the other hand, make use of the extra

Since all seven seats were occupied, Stow 'n Go was not used. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

storage space within the built-in wells that hide the second-row seats. With the luggage of seven to be carried on board, concerns arose that there wouldn't be enough room in the cargo bay, so a friend generously offered a Mopar hard-case luggage carrier from their own Caravan. It turns out that it wasn't needed, and would've caused trouble, which I'll get into later. Suffice to say that the under-floor bins are well designed to stow gear; it's simply amazing the sheer volume of stuff that can be brought on board. Second row passengers stowed snacks, drinks and reading material in the seats, though, access wasn't as handy as they would've like it to be, being that the folding false floor is a bit hard to open and close while sitting down.

To drive a Caravan alone for a week wouldn't do the vehicle justice. I've doneit with other vans before, and the results were typically underwhelming given that the paces I put most test vehicles through do not include moving large numbers of people, or shifting great

In this sort of vehicle, you care more about the parking sensors than its ability to pull Gs in the bends. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

amounts of stuff (or both). As a driving enthusiast, my criterion are skewed towards driving characteristics, which wouldn't be fair as a van is neither nimble and agile like a city dweller, nor does it possess the brute force of a performance machine. In fact, my weekly duties wouldn't even begin to show the areas in which the Caravan shines - namely, how it performs under load. That said, having turned twenty not two months ago, there's no better contraceptive than the thought of having to drive around in one of these for the rest of my life, even if it is tremendously skilled at what it does. Not by choice at least.

It may seem left of center to say so, but the Caravan is actually adecent high-speed cruiser. City streets and highway miles are just eaten up, but what's surprising is the confidence it imbues at 80-90 mph. It takes some time for the 3.8-liter pushrod six to work its way up to that speed, mind you, especially with what we reckon was about 900 or so pounds worth of extra weight, perhaps more after a night of excessive gorging at Au Pied de Cochon,

Not bad as a cruiser. Body roll an unfortunate byproduct from seven poutine-stuffed teens. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

whose house specialty is fois gras-topped poutine (French fries, topped with gravy and cheese curds, a proud, Quebecois creation).

On the highway the engine is quiet, but around town it shows its age. From standstill, especially when cold, the pushrod six is rough around the edges, lacking the refinement of the engines in more modern Asian minivans with their variable valve timing and dual overhead camshafts. The steering might be a little light for my tastes under high-speed circumstances, but the front wheels are free of the mischievous sensitivity that the light steering would otherwise promise. Equipped with the Touring suspension package, the Caravan provides a good balance in comfort and noise suppression which gets even better when loaded with humans and luggage. Loaded, the Caravan easily gobbles up bumps in one felling, but well-dampened swoop, where as empty over the same surfaces it is a touch bouncy accompanied by the odd, audible shudder, as proven during various shuttle runs back and forth from the hotel to various restaurants. The SXT also includes 16-inch alloy wheels, wrapped in quiet Bridgestone Turanza tires.

The interior,

You could drive for days on end with seats this comfortable. Equipment levels are generous, but look is far from cutting edge. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

much like the powertrain, the exterior design – heck, the rest of thevan for that matter – is verging on dated. Chrysler spent much of its budget $700 million budgeted for the 2005 redesign, on accommodating the Stow ‘n Go seats, rather than to do a complete overhaul. Simple aqua-colored LCD displays are featured on the upright console, accented with the worst replication of carbon fiber possibly in existence. The old Chrysler corporate climate control and stereo system featured here haven't changed since, oh, I'd guess 2001, and neither for that matter has any of the switchgear. Instead, what you get is familiarity and ease of operation, even if this is the first time behind the wheel. At this end of the market, customers just want functionality, and in that respect the Caravan is difficult to fault. Indeed, some of the buttons could be larger and better labeled, but what more can you expect from a vehicle whose replacement is pending?

Both there and back the miles passed quickly, as Super Troopers,the Boondock Saints, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and other DVDs were intently watched. The entertainment system, complete with overhead screen, also includes a pair of wireless headphones, useful

Would Jules Winnfield approve of the Caravan? (Photo: Universal)

for when passengers insist on listening to Justin Timberlake's latest disc ad nauseam. On the other hand, the six-disc DVD changer, found at the bottom of the center stack, can also feed directly to the premium Infinity speakers, which is great for those who like to recite Pulp Fiction scenes line by line, a great way of passing time while sitting in rush hour traffic on the 20. Sound quality is a touch bass heavy, so adjustments are required. Additional treble was needed in order to hear Samuel L. Jackson clearly during the Ezekiel 25:17 scene (mmm, this is a tasty burger!).

As I was the assigned driver for the trip,all the time I spent in the van was spent in the driver's seat, which, for its purpose as a family hauler was not at all a bad experience. Trimmed in leather, power-operated and with a powerful heat source, the front captain's chairs offered the visibility of an SUV, and didn't fatigue any back muscles excessively. As Ebert and Ropert would say, "two thumbs up". Judging by the fact that passengers in the second and third rows didn't have any complaints, I'd reckon that they were pretty comfortable too. The seats may look a touch thin on padding, but their cushions are made from high-density foam engineered by NASA to give astronauts a more intergalactic ride, so they say. All seven seats have head restraints and

They might look flat and uncomfortable, but not a peep was heard from those in rows two and three. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

three-point seatbelts, not to mention inflatable knee airbags for the driver. Not so cool is the conflict of options on the Caravan where Dodge makes you choose between creature comforts and safety. One such example is that you can't have side curtain airbags if you have a sunroof. As to why this is the case is beyond me, as most cars, SUVs and pickups manage to accommodate both a sunroof and the airbag. No doubt, this will be rectified in the ensuing replacement.

As expected, pretty well everything on thisparticular van was power operated (most press vehicles come well equipped so that we have something interesting to talk about), from both the sliding doors, which were valuable when making those coat-less dashes to and from the van, and the power rear liftgate. The latter I have a slight issue with. Much of the parking done in Montreal was underground, whether at the hotel or at the mall. In many of these garages, the Caravan and its roof racks just cleared the maximum height (the cargo carrier would've been sheered off), but the tailgate opens higher than the roof, which lead to a couple of heart-pounding moments. The power tailgate can be operated on the key fob, or on the overhead console, and it's sensitive to pressure to prevent any injuries. My main issue is that while it's pressure sensitive to closing (no guillotine demonstrations available), the tailgate will swing up and possibly

Fold it flat and there's lots of space. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

smack some low, overhead pipes or worse yet, the ceiling, and won't close. And because there's no button that only lowers the roof, you will need to drive out to an area where the door can be fully extended, then lowered, which is more than a mild inconvenience. As experienced, it can cause frustration with even the best natured people.

It may have taken a few days' worth of traveling and 800 miles to bring out the best of the Caravan, but indeed it was worth it; it was a trip that I'll remember for many years to come (as I will the van). Just as the adventure itself was one big surprise after another, so was the Caravan, but the biggest shock for me were the opinions of my friends. In truth, they thought the black family hauler was actually cool. Maybe my friends and I are odd for thinking so, but the Caravan deserves deep respect. It is far from being the newest minivan, but with decades of experience under its belt, it's one of the most accomplished vehicles in its class, not to mention one of the most affordable. If you skip out on all the goodies my tester came with, and buy closer to base, the Caravan is still good value, and as for our toy-laden cruiser? Similarly equipped, you'd be spending thousands more on an Odyssey, Sienna or Entourage. I actually can't wait to see what Chrysler Group has in store for the new generation vans, which look to fill in the gaps of the current generation. I think I know what I'll be doing around this time next year… road trip!!

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