More confidence in the Dodge Caravan

Today, I gained a lot more confidence in the Dodge Caravan.

The occasion was a press event, where Chrysler rented out part of Central Park to introduce local journalists to the new minivans, Dakota, and Liberty. The four shone in the hot sun, amidst the kiddy rides, all looking far better than I expected - particularly the Dakota, which has a new “face,” in this case (Laramie) all chrome. According to the trucks platform PR manager, they want to move the Dakota from the “baby Ram” concept to being a lifestyle vehicle, and have been discussing different features, size, and other aspects of the Dakota with customers. Expect lots of changes to the Dakota in the future - but for now, we have new styling that looks far more at home on the mid-to-large pickups.

The two minivans were there, side by side, and differences began to appear as I studied them. The Dodge instrument panel had three huge pods, with a ribbed plastic glove compartment; the Chrysler (a Limited version) had light wood trim, including large pieces on the dash and instrument panel, and dull silver accents, with a flatter set of four gauges surrounded by dull silver trim rings. The grade of leather looked better on the Chrysler, as did the fabric on the back of the middle seats. There were similar “small but important” differences on the outside, with the Chrysler having more chrome accents and chrome door handles, and the Dodge having subtly different sheet metal to make it look more sporty. (Yes, I said sporty.) The Chrysler hood was not ribbed; they were striving for a 300 look, and apparently the ribs didn’t work out.

What made me confident was the level of testing these vehicles went through. We were told that they had been through more wind-tunnel testing than any Chrysler-brand vehicle sold before, and I believe it. Dave Smith, who rose up from electrical engineering to platform management, discussed with authority the changes they made to the headlamps, A-pillars, mirrors, sills, and roof-rack; the metal crease in the rear is a “flick” for better wind flow. When questioned, Dave Smith was enthusiastic, almost eager to describe what they had done and discovered (and, yes, they do wind tunnel testing with both front and rear license plates). They also used 20% thicker glass on side windows to reduce noise. One result of this is that the gas mileage, using tougher 2008 standards, is 17 city, 24 highway on the 3.3 liter model (with a four speed automatic), and 16 city, 23 highway on the 3.8 and 4.0 liter models (with six speed automatics).

Dave told me that the chassis was completely new on this van, with a suspension they have not used before - MacPherson strut up front, with a twist-beam in the rear. He also told me that the Chrysler people were given autonomy over these decisions, and were not ordered to use any particular configuration by the Daimler or Mercedes people (which is probably why it doesn’t have a multilink rear suspension). He said that they spent a huge amount of time tuning the suspension, striving to reach a balance between Honda’s sport tuning and Toyota’s comfort tuning. The structure and use of stronger steel minimizes body roll, making it feel safer in aggressive twisting; and towing uses special shocks that pump up with a liquid so that the ride doesn’t degrade.

Also important was what Dave Smith said about the test drives. They took these vans through a variety of places, and discovered that strong sunlight could cause problems; owners of pretty much any cab-forward car can describe some of those. As a result, they worked hard on issues of reflectivity (seeing the dashboard in the windshield, etc), visibility (the LED bulbs could get washed out in sunlight), and other issues. They did clinics with customers and employees and suppliers and their families; and engineers watched through the one-way glass or actually had conversations with the people to get more in-depth knowledge. These may be the most well tested vehicles Chrysler has produced, and that is one reason I am optimistic. Another is that Dave Smith seems to be genuinely enthusiastic in a way I have not seen for a while, and I can see him arousing the enthusiasm of others along the way.

Oh, and that wonderful windshield-wiper defroster element put into place with the second generation minivans, and dropped with the last generation before the 2008s? Dave said that instead of having a heating element, they optimized the front defroster so that it would achieve the same goal, namely melting ice on the wiper blade. That was partly a side effect of the better airflow, but it was also intentional, a way to solve the problem of wiper-blade icing.

That’s not even to mention all the wonders of the new minivan feature lists - the switch-operated seats that fold into the floor quickly and easily, the swivel seats with tables, the video systems, the stability control and rollover protections, the in-floor storage, the mesh pockets and overhead storage rail system, the integrated child and/or booster seats, the heated front and rear seats, the sunshades, flashlight, removeable seat, umbrella holder, premium sliding center console, dishwasher safe removeable cupholders, LED lighting, and illuminated map pockets on the doors.

As added bonuses, the new minivans are cheaper than the ones they replace - and have more features - and get slightly better gas mileage, or so we’re told. And according to Chrysler, the target markets for these vans - a certain type of family and empty-nesters - will be increasing quite a bit over the next five years, so perhaps, despite declining market shares (and I really don’t expect that to change now that Toyota and Honda both have minivans that, depending on your values, are in the same league), production may actually increase. That would be great news for all the workers in the two minivan plants, because under the new rulers, even a minor decline in sales could result in a decision to cut minivan production, raise prices, and close a plant. But I’m pretty confident that, unless the reviewers really are wearing the same blinders they wear with mid-sized cars, the new minivans will sell like hotcakes - and that the people who buy them will come back for more, just like in the good ol’ days.