The Plymouth Caravelle
The Plymouth Caravelle was originally a rebadged Dodge Diplomat for the Canadian market — a car which, in the United States, was called the Plymouth Gran Fury. The main difference between the Canadian Diplomat and Caravelle was the front clip (grille and related parts).
The K-based E bodies, brought out in 1983, provided the basis for a new, front wheel drive Caravelle two years later. These were the first of the "EEK" cars, extended K cars, taking advantage of the generous width of the Reliant/Aries by stretching its middle around ten inches and changing the front clip, rear deck lid, quarter panels, and glass to come up with a spacious yet economical sedan. Cars based on this pattern were the new Plymouth Caravelle — a name used only in the United States, since there was still a Canadian Caravelle — and the Chrysler E-Class and Dodge 600.
There was only one 1985 Plymouth Caravelle, the SE. It had many popular options as standard equipment, including as delay wipers, cloth split bench seats, AM/FM Stereo, sruise control, automatic transmission and power windows/locks. Engines available were the 2.2 TBI, 2.2 Turbo, and the 2.6 (the Mitsubishi 3.0 V6 showed up later). This model featured the same front end as the 400/600 in Canada, but the slats were replaced by an egg-crate grille in America. The dashboard was originally taken from the K (not unlike the first-generation minivan) but in 1986 was replaced by a more upscale version.
In 1986, the interior and exterior were freshened, with a curvier body. A lower-end base model was brought out, and the Mitsubishi 2.6, with its troublesome carburetor, was dropped in favor of a new fuel-injected 2.5 engine. The SE got a nameplate, exterior left remote and right manual mirror (black), bright wheel opening and sill moldings, upper body stripes, remote trunk release, special wheel covers, standard AM/FM stereo, and split cloth front seats with dual armrests and storage pockets on the seatbacks (base models got a cloth bench seat with vinyl trim).
The Caravelle, which was only available with an automatic, got 24 city, 27 highway with the base 2.2 - nearly the same as the Reliant - with the turbo dropping around 4 mpg, and the 2.5 dropping around 2 mpg. The three-speed automatic transmission was the main culprit of the relatively poor mileage; owners of stick-shift turbos (and standard engines) got substantially better numbers. Unfortunately, only Dodge and Chrysler owners were able to get a turbocharged engine with a five-speed.
Caravelle had an available precision-feel rack-and-pinion power-assisted steering with a quick ratio of 14 to 1 in place of the standard 18 to 1 ratio. It includes a high-flow rate power steering pump. This combination provides quick steering response and precise steering control. The quick ratio steering was included with the optional Sport Handling Suspension on Caravelle models.
| 1986 Caravelle engines | Compression |
Horsepower | Torque | Mpg, Stick | Mpg, Auto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2 liter, TBI | 9.5 | 97@5,200 | 122@3,200 | 24/27 | |
| 2.2 liter, turbocharged (Dodge/Chrysler only) |
8.1 | 146@5200 | 170@3600 | 20/24 | |
| 2.5 liter, TBI | 9.0 | 100@4800 | 136@2800 | 23/25 |
The Caravelle was replaced in 1988 by the Plymouth Acclaim, another extended K-car with an optional Mitsubishi V6.
| 1986 dimensions | Reliant 4-door | Caravelle | Gran Fury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 100.3 | 103.3 | 112.6 |
| Length | 178.6 | 187.2 | 204.6 |
| Width | 68.0 | 68.0 | 72.4 |
| Height | 52.9 | 53.1 | 55.1 |
| Track (max) | 57.6 | 57.6 | 60.5 |
| Turning diameter |
35.2’ | 36.2’ | 40.7’ |
| Headroom, F/R | 38.6 / 37.8 | 38.6 / 37.4 | 39.3 / 37.7 |
| Legroom, F/R | 42.2 / 35.4 | 42.2 / 36.7 | 42.5 / 36.6 |
| Hiproom, F/R | 55.6 / 56.2 | 52.9 / 53.5 | 53.5 / 53.2 |
| Cargo, cubic feet |
15.0 | 17.1 | 15.6 |
Sean Cuthill wrote:
I have had a Plymouth Caravelle for ten years. I recently passed 200,000 kilometres (about 120,000 miles) and am looking forward to many more. It served as a daily driver and pizza delivery car when I got it; it ran well and never failed to start, even in the cold Winnipeg winters. It helped to use the 'headlights on first' trick to get some juice on those REALLY cold days.
Overall, I am pleased with my Caravelle. I would recommend this type of vehicle for basic transportation. It provides good comfort and enough ammenities to make the drive to and from work bearable.
Over the years, I have had the pleasure to experience a variety of repairs with this vehicle. I removed the chrome trim from around the wheel wells and took off the side bump stripes when I had the car repainted. I wanted it done to match the factory PA1 silver but the shop put on a grey colour which ended up being okay because some lesser-knowing people think it’s a Mercedes or BMW from a distance.