The Dodge Caravan (also known as the Dodge Grand Caravan) is a series of minivans produced by Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Marketed as the Dodge version of the Chrysler minivans, the Caravan is currently in its fifth generation of production. Introduced alongside the Plymouth Voyager, the Caravan was also sold by Chrysler as the Chrysler Town and Country until its 2017 replacement by the Chrysler Pacifica.
Largely marketed in the United States and Canada, the Dodge Caravan was marketed in Europe as the Chrysler Voyager. From 2009 to 2014, Volkswagen marketed the Volkswagen Routan, a rebadged version of the Dodge Grand Caravan.
Since its November 1983 introduction for the 1984 model year, the Dodge Caravan has been assembled at Windsor Assembly, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada; prior to 2010, Saint Louis Assembly (in Fenton, Missouri) was an additional source of production. Since their introduction in late 1983, over 14.6 million Chrysler minivans (including rebadged variants and export versions) have been sold worldwide..mw-parser-output .toclimit-2 .toclevel-1 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-3 .toclevel-2 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-4 .toclevel-3 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-5 .toclevel-4 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-6 .toclevel-5 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-7 .toclevel-6 uldisplay:none
Following the replacement of the Dodge A100 by the larger Dodge B-series van in 1971, Chrysler sought to develop a vehicle with additional passenger-friendly attributes, naming the concept a "garageable van". While trailing Ford and GM in station wagon sales, Chrysler held a 45% share of the full-size van market, seeking to develop a smaller variant as a functional alternative to station wagons.
Work on a prototype continued until about 1974 after construction of a clay model and seating mockup, Chrysler designers elected not to proceed further with the design, citing a potential cost of $100 million for tooling to bring the project to fruition.
At the end of 1977, Chrysler commenced development on what would become the Chrysler minivans. Alongside the ability to park within a standard-height garage, designers sought to develop a vehicle with a low floor and car-like NVH levels. While front-wheel drive was sought out for the design, rear-wheel drive was still considered an alternative for cost reasons. Following the move of both Hal Sperlich and Lee Iacocca from Ford to Chrysler in late 1978, the Chrysler minivan design (codenamed T-115 at the time) adopted front-wheel drive.
While not a derivative of the K-cars (using completely different frame designs), the Dodge Caravan would still share engines and transmissions with the K-cars.
Originally slated for introduction as a 1982 model, the Dodge Caravan was introduced alongside the Plymouth Voyager in November 1983 for the 1984 model year.
Interior trim, controls, and instrumentation were borrowed from the Chrysler K platform, and coupled with the lower floor enabled by the front-wheel-drive, the Caravan featured car-like ease of entry. There were three trim levels: base, SE, and LE. Notably, the Caravan, along with the Plymouth Voyager, are considered to be the first mass produced vehicles to have dedicated built in cup holders.
Base vans came equipped for five passengers in two rows of seating. The LE came with seven passengers standard in three rows of seating. The base van had two bucket seats with attached armrests and open floor space between them in the front, a three-person bench seat in the second row. The seven-passenger came with two bucket seats with attached armrests and open floor space between them in the front, a two-person bench seat in the second row, and a three-person bench seat in the back row. The two bench seats in the rear were independently removable, and the large three-person bench could also be installed in the second row location via a second set of attachment points on the van's floor, ordinarily hidden with snap-in plastic covers. This configuration allowed for conventional five person seating with a sizable cargo area in the rear. The latching mechanisms for the benches were easy to operate though removing and replacing the seats typically required two adults. A front low-back 60/40 split bench, accommodating a third front passenger in the middle, was offered in the SE trim level in 1985 only, allowing for a maximum of eight passengers. This configuration was subsequently dropped. Base model curb weight 2,910 lbs.
Safety features consisted of 3-point seat belts for the front two passengers, with simple lap belts for the rear five. Seats on base models and cloth-trimmed SEs had no headrests, which were not mandated due to the van's "light truck" legal status. However, the two front seats were equipped with non-adjustable headrests on the LE model and in conjunction with vinyl upholstery on the SE. Side-impact reinforcements were mandated, and were at all seating positions front and rear. Neither airbags nor anti-lock braking systems were available.
Access to the rear rows of seating was by a large passenger-side sliding door enabling easy access in confined situations, e.g., parking. Because only one sliding door was offered, the smaller 2nd row bench seat was shifted to the driver's side of the van, facilitating passenger access to the 3rd row seat. To facilitate variable cargo storage behind the rear seat, the seat could be adjusted forward in two increments, the first of which removed roughly 6 inches (150 mm) of legroom from the back row passengers, and the second of which would push the bench all the way to the back of the 2nd row, making the seats unusable. The seat back of the rear bench could also be folded forward, providing a flat cargo shelf. The smaller 2nd row bench was not adjustable, nor foldable; it could only be removed entirely.
Cargo access to the rear was via a hatchback, similar to the one on the K platform station wagons. The hatch was hinged at the top and held open by gas struts.
A long wheelbase variant, marketed as the Grand Caravan, was introduced in May 1987. It allowed more cargo space behind the rear seat.
A cargo version of the Caravan, called the Mini Ram Van, was also introduced for 1984, with a flat floored cargo space four feet tall and with four feet between the wheel wells. The load capacity was 1,700 lb (770 kg). It was renamed the Caravan C/V for 1989 and was then discontinued after 1995. It was initially available with the short wheelbase; a long-wheelbase variant was introduced alongside the Grand Caravan. Unique to the Caravan C/V was the option of either having the traditional hatch door in the back or the optional swing-out bi-parting doors (with or without windows), similar to those of more traditional cargo vans. These doors were made of fiberglass and required the C/V vans to be "drop shipped", as these doors were custom installed by another vendor. Also based on the Mini Ram and C/V were aftermarket conversion vans sold through official Chrysler dealers and from the conversion companies themselves.
Both a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission and a five-speed manual were available with all inline-four engines, including the turbocharged 2.5-liter (this was a rare combination). The Plymouth Voyager, which was a rebadged version of the Caravan, was also available with a manual transmission. The Chrysler Town and Country, released in 1990, which was a more luxurious repackaged version of the Caravan, had no manual transmission option. Manual transmissions were not available on V6 models of the passenger Caravan, but were an option on the Mini Ram Van and Caravan C/V's long wheelbase models with a 3.0 L V6.
The V6 engines were only offered with the venerable fully hydraulically operated TorqueFlite, until the computer controlled Ultradrive four-speed automatic became available in 1989. The Ultradrive offered much better fuel economy and responsiveness, particularly when paired with the inline-four engine. However, it suffered from reliability problems, usually stemming from what is known as "gear hunt" or "shift busyness", resulting in premature wear of the internal clutches. It also required an uncommon type of automatic transmission fluid and is not clearly labeled as such, leading many owners to use the more common Dexron II rather than the specified "Mopar ATF+3", resulting in transmission damage and eventual failure.
The Ultradrive received numerous design changes in subsequent model years to improve reliability,[original research?] and many early model transmissions would eventually be retrofitted or replaced with the updated versions by dealers, under warranty. These efforts were mostly successful, and most first-generation Caravans eventually got an updated transmission.[original research?]
For the first three years of production, two engines were offered in the Caravan – both inline-4 engines with 2 barrel carburetors. The base 2.2 L was borrowed from the Chrysler K-cars, and produced 96 hp (72 kW) horsepower. The higher performance fuel-injected version of the 2.2 L engine later offered in the K-cars was never offered in the Caravan, and the 2-bbl version would remain the base power plant until mid-1987. Alongside the 2.2 L, an optional Mitsubishi 2.6 L engine was available, producing 104 hp (78 kW) horsepower.
In mid-1987, the base 2.2 L I4 was replaced with a fuel-injected 2.5 L I4, which produced 100 hp (75 kW), while the Mitsubishi G54B I4 was replaced with the new fuel-injected 3.0 L Mitsubishi V6 producing 136 hp (101 kW) in March of that year.
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