Original T-115 Minivans:
1984-91 Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler Town & Country
Forums • 2017 • Test Drives • Eurovans • CNG • Electrics
History • 1984-90 • 1991-95 • 1996-2000 • 2001-07 • 2008-10 • 2011-16https://www.allpar.com/model/m/first.htmlhttps://www.allpar.com/model/m/minivan-repairs.html
Repairs / performance • Engines • Firsts • Minivans being built
Chrysler and Ford each started working on minivans in the 1970s, but neither company made much progress until the right combination of leaders and technology appeared.
The first Chrysler minivans were built with rear wheel drive basis, but planners rejected the idea due to cost and the fact that neither GM nor Ford had one. Once the Omni and Horizon were under way in the late 1970s, Hal Sperlich led a new design effort, Lee Iacocca gave it the green light, and Glenn Gardner led the effort to turn it into a reality; it soon moved to using the basic architecture of the still-under-development Reliant, which was larger.
Lawrence Monkhouse, Chrysler Canada photographer, wrote about the 1983 production launch: "Lee Iacocca made a grand entrance through a garage door. When the executives tried to exit the rear seat they couldn't, because one of them had clicked the child lock switch."
When Chrysler finally came out with their Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan in 1984, they were slow, somewhat clumsy, noisy at high speeds, and not especially thrifty with fuel. They were also a stunning success.
The market had been waiting for this kind of car. With a minivan, you could fit seven people into your van when you needed to, or a lot of cargo when you didn't. The seats came out if you needed to carry sheets of plywood or furniture; and they were reasonably easy to get back in. You could get up and walk through the van, from the front to the back.
Compared with regular full size vans, the minivans did not punish their owners with horrid gas consumption, and fit into most garages and parking spaces; they were fairly easy to drive, with a "command of the road" position that was not too high; and they were easy to get into and out of. The huge rear hatch and sliding door made access far easier than with a traditional wagon. No wonder they were a hit.
The vans were amazing to many buyers - hence the term "Magic Wagon" used in advertising and by some journalists. While a normal station wagon rode on an extended wheelbase, the minivan was not much different on the outside from the Reliant; it had a full foot of wheelbase to its advantage, but it was not as long as the wagon, and almost exactly as long as the Reliant sedan. Chrysler had pushed the wheels to the corners, achieving its first "cab forward" design a decade before the release of the LH.
Inside, due to front wheel drive, there was no need for a driveshaft hump; the wheelhouses took up much less space, and the extra usable length and height really made a difference both in actual capacity and in "feel."
Voyager and Caravan were clearly based on the Reliant (though they did not share a platform), and shared a surprising number of parts, including interior trim pieces, the instrument panel, and engines. The architecture and suspension were similar, with a solid axle in back and a MacPherson strut front suspension, with rack and pinion steering. Brakes were power assisted, disc in front, self adjusting drum in back, with dual master cylinders and a body height-sensing valve for balance.
Yet, Car & Driver enthused about the upscale gauges and trim; what's more, they praised the performance of the van, which, in fairness, beat the Peugeot 505S wagon and Tercel SR5 4WD, and nearly matched the Town & Country K-wagon (the name had not yet moved to minivans).
In 0-60 (14.0 seconds) and quarter mile (19.5 @ 71) times, that is - braking was poor, with 256 feet needed to stop from 70 mph. Their observed gas mileage was 20 mpg, lower than EPA's 20 city/27 highway; the interior was quieter than the Tercel or Peugeot. (C&D drove the 2.6 liter version, with automatic. The five-speed manual would likely have been much quicker.)
1984-91 Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler Town & Country
Forums • 2017 • Test Drives • Eurovans • CNG • Electrics
History • 1984-90 • 1991-95 • 1996-2000 • 2001-07 • 2008-10 • 2011-16https://www.allpar.com/model/m/first.htmlhttps://www.allpar.com/model/m/minivan-repairs.html
Repairs / performance • Engines • Firsts • Minivans being built
Chrysler and Ford each started working on minivans in the 1970s, but neither company made much progress until the right combination of leaders and technology appeared.
The first Chrysler minivans were built with rear wheel drive basis, but planners rejected the idea due to cost and the fact that neither GM nor Ford had one. Once the Omni and Horizon were under way in the late 1970s, Hal Sperlich led a new design effort, Lee Iacocca gave it the green light, and Glenn Gardner led the effort to turn it into a reality; it soon moved to using the basic architecture of the still-under-development Reliant, which was larger.
Lawrence Monkhouse, Chrysler Canada photographer, wrote about the 1983 production launch: "Lee Iacocca made a grand entrance through a garage door. When the executives tried to exit the rear seat they couldn't, because one of them had clicked the child lock switch."
When Chrysler finally came out with their Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan in 1984, they were slow, somewhat clumsy, noisy at high speeds, and not especially thrifty with fuel. They were also a stunning success.
The market had been waiting for this kind of car. With a minivan, you could fit seven people into your van when you needed to, or a lot of cargo when you didn't. The seats came out if you needed to carry sheets of plywood or furniture; and they were reasonably easy to get back in. You could get up and walk through the van, from the front to the back.
Compared with regular full size vans, the minivans did not punish their owners with horrid gas consumption, and fit into most garages and parking spaces; they were fairly easy to drive, with a "command of the road" position that was not too high; and they were easy to get into and out of. The huge rear hatch and sliding door made access far easier than with a traditional wagon. No wonder they were a hit.
The vans were amazing to many buyers - hence the term "Magic Wagon" used in advertising and by some journalists. While a normal station wagon rode on an extended wheelbase, the minivan was not much different on the outside from the Reliant; it had a full foot of wheelbase to its advantage, but it was not as long as the wagon, and almost exactly as long as the Reliant sedan. Chrysler had pushed the wheels to the corners, achieving its first "cab forward" design a decade before the release of the LH.
Inside, due to front wheel drive, there was no need for a driveshaft hump; the wheelhouses took up much less space, and the extra usable length and height really made a difference both in actual capacity and in "feel."
Voyager and Caravan were clearly based on the Reliant (though they did not share a platform), and shared a surprising number of parts, including interior trim pieces, the instrument panel, and engines. The architecture and suspension were similar, with a solid axle in back and a MacPherson strut front suspension, with rack and pinion steering. Brakes were power assisted, disc in front, self adjusting drum in back, with dual master cylinders and a body height-sensing valve for balance.
Yet, Car & Driver enthused about the upscale gauges and trim; what's more, they praised the performance of the van, which, in fairness, beat the Peugeot 505S wagon and Tercel SR5 4WD, and nearly matched the Town & Country K-wagon (the name had not yet moved to minivans).
In 0-60 (14.0 seconds) and quarter mile (19.5 @ 71) times, that is - braking was poor, with 256 feet needed to stop from 70 mph. Their observed gas mileage was 20 mpg, lower than EPA's 20 city/27 highway; the interior was quieter than the Tercel or Peugeot. (C&D drove the 2.6 liter version, with automatic. The five-speed manual would likely have been much quicker.)
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