2 – 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew PLUS (76.1%)
When we booked our minivans for this particular comparison drive, we all kind of chuckled and said we could write it before we even took the vans on the road. Well, it’s a good thing we didn’t (proper journalistic ethics and all that…).
You’re all probably thinking we rigged the results at this point to add a bit of shock and awe to the whole thing, but trust us, we didn’t. Here’s the deal: Not only are we a group of new parents who know the need for space and amenities, we’re also drivers and enthusiasts who don’t want to be punished for buying a minivan.
Let’s start with the good: The 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan is the minivan to buy. There’s no doubt about that. There’s a reason over 50,000 of them sold in 2012 alone (by comparison, just under 9,000 Odysseys rolled off dealer lots in 12 months), and why it’s the minivan of choice amongst Auto123.com employees. Chrysler has been pumping out Grand Caravans (and by association, Town & County vans) for decades now. They know what people are looking for. They give parents and families what they want and they give it to them at a price that’s almost unbeatable in the segment.
The fact that a $37,995 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew PLUS comes with two DVD screens, heated seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, Bluetooth, power everything (including pop-out rear windows for added ventilation), and the renowned Stow ‘N Go seats is reason enough to see why it’s so prevalent on the streets.
Add to that the fact that the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan boasts the most muscle (283 horses/260 lb-ft of torque) and largest engine (3.6L V6 DOHC), and you’ve got a pretty attractive package, on paper. Especially since that muscle can be had across the Grand Caravan lineup (that starts at just $27,995). However, in real life, the Grand Caravan is anything but attractive.
That’s where the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan lost the most points: styling and fit and finish. Chrysler realize they needn’t bother with exterior updates/looks and instead focused on being able to offer the most to their clients for the best possible price. Here’s where the value of a minivan really comes into play: the quality of the interior of the Dodge was less than stellar (think LEGO with some fabric) but that’s fine because it does what it’s supposed to do. It’s a practical, easy-to-use, amenity-loaded minivan. Done.
The 2nd row seats in the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan CREW feel as if they were made of hard plastic, and that’s mostly to do with the fact that they need to be thin enough to fit into the Stow ‘N Go slots in the floor. The third row is so severely angled, that our shortest tester (Miranda) found her feet fully off the floor when she sat properly.
Ingress and egress were the best in the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan CREW thanks, in no small part, to the Stow ‘N Go seats; and installing baby seats was a breeze.
With the worst gas mileage of the group (at 13.55L/100km on our drive), the Dodge Grand Caravan only missed the top spot due to our tester’s discerning needs for interior quality. We all thought the Caravan’s drive to be “good enough” and had no complaints about the onboard computer or HVAC system (all of which were a breeze to use).
When we booked our minivans for this particular comparison drive, we all kind of chuckled and said we could write it before we even took the vans on the road. Well, it’s a good thing we didn’t (proper journalistic ethics and all that…).
You’re all probably thinking we rigged the results at this point to add a bit of shock and awe to the whole thing, but trust us, we didn’t. Here’s the deal: Not only are we a group of new parents who know the need for space and amenities, we’re also drivers and enthusiasts who don’t want to be punished for buying a minivan.
Let’s start with the good: The 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan is the minivan to buy. There’s no doubt about that. There’s a reason over 50,000 of them sold in 2012 alone (by comparison, just under 9,000 Odysseys rolled off dealer lots in 12 months), and why it’s the minivan of choice amongst Auto123.com employees. Chrysler has been pumping out Grand Caravans (and by association, Town & County vans) for decades now. They know what people are looking for. They give parents and families what they want and they give it to them at a price that’s almost unbeatable in the segment.
 |
| Chrysler has been pumping out Grand Caravans (and by association, Town & County vans) for decades now. They know what people are looking for. They give parents and families what they want and they give it to them at a price that’s almost unbeatable in the segment. (Photo: Olivier Delorme) |
The fact that a $37,995 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew PLUS comes with two DVD screens, heated seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, Bluetooth, power everything (including pop-out rear windows for added ventilation), and the renowned Stow ‘N Go seats is reason enough to see why it’s so prevalent on the streets.
Add to that the fact that the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan boasts the most muscle (283 horses/260 lb-ft of torque) and largest engine (3.6L V6 DOHC), and you’ve got a pretty attractive package, on paper. Especially since that muscle can be had across the Grand Caravan lineup (that starts at just $27,995). However, in real life, the Grand Caravan is anything but attractive.
That’s where the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan lost the most points: styling and fit and finish. Chrysler realize they needn’t bother with exterior updates/looks and instead focused on being able to offer the most to their clients for the best possible price. Here’s where the value of a minivan really comes into play: the quality of the interior of the Dodge was less than stellar (think LEGO with some fabric) but that’s fine because it does what it’s supposed to do. It’s a practical, easy-to-use, amenity-loaded minivan. Done.
The 2nd row seats in the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan CREW feel as if they were made of hard plastic, and that’s mostly to do with the fact that they need to be thin enough to fit into the Stow ‘N Go slots in the floor. The third row is so severely angled, that our shortest tester (Miranda) found her feet fully off the floor when she sat properly.
Ingress and egress were the best in the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan CREW thanks, in no small part, to the Stow ‘N Go seats; and installing baby seats was a breeze.
With the worst gas mileage of the group (at 13.55L/100km on our drive), the Dodge Grand Caravan only missed the top spot due to our tester’s discerning needs for interior quality. We all thought the Caravan’s drive to be “good enough” and had no complaints about the onboard computer or HVAC system (all of which were a breeze to use).
 |
| 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew PLUS comes with two DVD screens, heated seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, Bluetooth, power everything (including pop-out rear windows for added ventilation), and the renowned Stow ‘N Go seats is reason enough to see why it’s so prevalent on the streets. (Photo: Olivier Delorme) |