Several expensive failures over the years have taught the car companies that there is a well-defined set of parameters that a minivan must stay within if it is to be successful.
On the one hand, this frustrates the aforementioned car companies no end, since one of the major forces at work in the business today is the need to "think outside the box" and create demand where none was before.
On the other hand, this is extremely good news for those consumers who have created these rigid parameters, as it forces the engineers and stylists to push harder to improve what they, the consumers, actually want.
Which is precisely what DaimlerChrysler has done with its 2001 lineup of products, and in the process pushed itself back onto the top of the minivan heap.
This has not been done in any flamboyant way, though there have been some welcome breakthroughs, including the power rear liftgate, considerably more sophisticated sliding doors on the side, adjustable gas and brake pedals, a pop-up organizer in the cargo area, a moveable front console, and a V6 with class-leading power.
Beyond those novelties, says Gordon Rinschler, vice-president of minivan platform engineering, the development team felt a commitment to leave "no cupholder unturned in its focus to increase the overall quality, safety and performance of our all-new minivans."
Rinschler maintains that, "We started with a clean sheet of paper and developed an all-new minivan from the inside-out, top-to-bottom and front-to-back that will offer minivan buyers unmatched refinement in terms of ride and handling, performance and overall driving experience."These things become clear as short turns in various pre-production units showed.
DaimlerChrysler worked to improve the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Voyager (the Plymouth brand may be gone, but its Voyager minivan name lives on) and Town & Country models in four general categories -- safety, dynamics, technical, and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness).
On the safety front, the improvements include a new body structure designed with crash protection more in mind, optional side airbags, front airbags that deploy at a different speeds depending on how much protection is required, a steering column designed to better handle energy impacts, pretensioners and constant force retractors on the front seatbelts to manage body movement in a crash, a Metalocene cover on the pillars for better energy absorption, polyurethane foam in the headliner and roof side rails for additional protection, an energy-absorbing front door armrest that "gives" in a side impact collision, second and third row seats with child seat anchors, and a brake-park interlock that stops cars from moving forward unless the brake pedal is depressed.
General technical and dynamic improvements to the vans would include such things as headlamps that are 50 percent larger and provide an 80 percent improvement in lighting performance, bigger brake rotors and calipers to provide enhanced braking performance, durability and improved pedal feel, changes to the front suspension caster and more powerful and precise steering gear for improved returnability and precision feel, 20 percent more torsional rigidity gives a stronger and quieter ride, and the front defrost system is enlarged and upgraded.
On the engine front, the optional V6s have had their horsepower and torque ratings boosted (the base 2.4-litre inline-4 is carried over), with the 3.3-litre going to 180 horsepower from 158 and its torque from 205 to 210 pound-feet, while the 3.8-litre horsepower goes from 180 to 215 and its torque from 240 to 245 pound-feet.
The big engine news, however, is the 3.5-liter, SOHC, 24-valve, SMPI V6 that will be available in about a year. DCX points out this engine will be the most powerful in its class, thanks to its 230 horsepower at 5600 rpm and its 250 pound-feet of torque at 3200 rpm.
Any of these V6s will provide the average buyer with enough oomph to stay out of trouble or get up an onramp, but the sweetest and most satisfying is of course the newest engine since it has the flattest torque curve and the smoothest delivery. No surprise there.
DCX likes to make the point that, for the typical minivan consumer, one of the big attractions to its new flotilla of vans is their increased ability to hear other people inside the vehicle. In DCX's view, the modern minivan is the rolling equivalent of the kitchen table, which is the focal point of family activities. The easier it is for the family members to communicate, DCX reasons, the better it will be for their ability to bond. Sort of like, "Go right, John-Boy."This they achieved, as the little group of media hacks I was sharing rides with all noticed it and found it remarkable.
We were all also impressed with the power sliding doors in the DCX minivans, since they are considerably more sophisticated than anything else on the market. The impatient among us can override the power operation and push the door open or shut, thereby saving a critical two or three wasted seconds.
A power liftgate will also appeal to many people, so DCX deserves big points for that since it will facilitate the loading and unloading of grocery bags and what-have-you.
There will be criticism of the fact that the 2001 DCX minivans do not have a third seat that flips and folds into the floor out of sight, the way the Honda Odyssey does.
But the company makes the points that it needed most of that underbody real estate to run a driveshaft to the back for the all-wheel-drive version, and that their efforts to do a fold-away seat created NVH problems which, as was repeatedly pointed out, would have been a bigger issue with potential buyers.
The final charm to the DCX minivans, the company notes, is the wide variety of models available, something no other car company really attempts.
"Every aspect of Chrysler and Dodge minivans have been improved to make them smoother, more powerful, safer and more comfortable," says Bud Liebler, the senior vice president of marketing for DaimlerChrysler. "With our new minivans, we have reached a new level of car-like handling that will once again raise the bar in the segment we created."
Which means, of course, that not only does DCX once again deliver the best minivan on the market, it also delivers the best minivan on the market to more potential buyers than any competitor.
On the one hand, this frustrates the aforementioned car companies no end, since one of the major forces at work in the business today is the need to "think outside the box" and create demand where none was before.
On the other hand, this is extremely good news for those consumers who have created these rigid parameters, as it forces the engineers and stylists to push harder to improve what they, the consumers, actually want.
Which is precisely what DaimlerChrysler has done with its 2001 lineup of products, and in the process pushed itself back onto the top of the minivan heap.
This has not been done in any flamboyant way, though there have been some welcome breakthroughs, including the power rear liftgate, considerably more sophisticated sliding doors on the side, adjustable gas and brake pedals, a pop-up organizer in the cargo area, a moveable front console, and a V6 with class-leading power.
Beyond those novelties, says Gordon Rinschler, vice-president of minivan platform engineering, the development team felt a commitment to leave "no cupholder unturned in its focus to increase the overall quality, safety and performance of our all-new minivans."
Rinschler maintains that, "We started with a clean sheet of paper and developed an all-new minivan from the inside-out, top-to-bottom and front-to-back that will offer minivan buyers unmatched refinement in terms of ride and handling, performance and overall driving experience."These things become clear as short turns in various pre-production units showed.
DaimlerChrysler worked to improve the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Voyager (the Plymouth brand may be gone, but its Voyager minivan name lives on) and Town & Country models in four general categories -- safety, dynamics, technical, and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness).
On the safety front, the improvements include a new body structure designed with crash protection more in mind, optional side airbags, front airbags that deploy at a different speeds depending on how much protection is required, a steering column designed to better handle energy impacts, pretensioners and constant force retractors on the front seatbelts to manage body movement in a crash, a Metalocene cover on the pillars for better energy absorption, polyurethane foam in the headliner and roof side rails for additional protection, an energy-absorbing front door armrest that "gives" in a side impact collision, second and third row seats with child seat anchors, and a brake-park interlock that stops cars from moving forward unless the brake pedal is depressed.
General technical and dynamic improvements to the vans would include such things as headlamps that are 50 percent larger and provide an 80 percent improvement in lighting performance, bigger brake rotors and calipers to provide enhanced braking performance, durability and improved pedal feel, changes to the front suspension caster and more powerful and precise steering gear for improved returnability and precision feel, 20 percent more torsional rigidity gives a stronger and quieter ride, and the front defrost system is enlarged and upgraded.
On the engine front, the optional V6s have had their horsepower and torque ratings boosted (the base 2.4-litre inline-4 is carried over), with the 3.3-litre going to 180 horsepower from 158 and its torque from 205 to 210 pound-feet, while the 3.8-litre horsepower goes from 180 to 215 and its torque from 240 to 245 pound-feet.
The big engine news, however, is the 3.5-liter, SOHC, 24-valve, SMPI V6 that will be available in about a year. DCX points out this engine will be the most powerful in its class, thanks to its 230 horsepower at 5600 rpm and its 250 pound-feet of torque at 3200 rpm.
Any of these V6s will provide the average buyer with enough oomph to stay out of trouble or get up an onramp, but the sweetest and most satisfying is of course the newest engine since it has the flattest torque curve and the smoothest delivery. No surprise there.
DCX likes to make the point that, for the typical minivan consumer, one of the big attractions to its new flotilla of vans is their increased ability to hear other people inside the vehicle. In DCX's view, the modern minivan is the rolling equivalent of the kitchen table, which is the focal point of family activities. The easier it is for the family members to communicate, DCX reasons, the better it will be for their ability to bond. Sort of like, "Go right, John-Boy."This they achieved, as the little group of media hacks I was sharing rides with all noticed it and found it remarkable.
We were all also impressed with the power sliding doors in the DCX minivans, since they are considerably more sophisticated than anything else on the market. The impatient among us can override the power operation and push the door open or shut, thereby saving a critical two or three wasted seconds.
A power liftgate will also appeal to many people, so DCX deserves big points for that since it will facilitate the loading and unloading of grocery bags and what-have-you.
There will be criticism of the fact that the 2001 DCX minivans do not have a third seat that flips and folds into the floor out of sight, the way the Honda Odyssey does.
But the company makes the points that it needed most of that underbody real estate to run a driveshaft to the back for the all-wheel-drive version, and that their efforts to do a fold-away seat created NVH problems which, as was repeatedly pointed out, would have been a bigger issue with potential buyers.
The final charm to the DCX minivans, the company notes, is the wide variety of models available, something no other car company really attempts.
"Every aspect of Chrysler and Dodge minivans have been improved to make them smoother, more powerful, safer and more comfortable," says Bud Liebler, the senior vice president of marketing for DaimlerChrysler. "With our new minivans, we have reached a new level of car-like handling that will once again raise the bar in the segment we created."
Which means, of course, that not only does DCX once again deliver the best minivan on the market, it also delivers the best minivan on the market to more potential buyers than any competitor.
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