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2005 Dodge Caravan Preview

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Khatir Soltani

Of course, with Chrysler's new system, you can easily drop the second row and send the kids to the back, giving them unnecessary but nevertheless "wow mom" limousine-like legroom. Altogether there are up to 256 seating configurations possible, but I'm taking Dodge's word on that as I didn't personally make a count.

"Our innovative new Stow 'n Go seats have proven to be the best of all minivan seat designs, and our research proves it." (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

In market clinics potential customers preferred the Caravan's new seating system to any competitive system. On the subject, Ron Smith, Vice President of Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Canada commented, "Our innovative new Stow 'n Go seats have proven to be the best of all minivan seat designs, and our research proves it."

The Caravan's seating system scored six times higher than seating systems in the Honda Odyssey and much lauded Toyota Sienna. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

After an extensive survey where participants had the opportunity to compare Stow 'n Go against every competitor in the market, the Caravan's seating system scored six times higher than seating systems in the Honda Odyssey and much lauded Toyota Sienna. Regarding flexibility, Stow 'n Go scored eight times higher than the Honda Odyssey's seating system and four and a half times greater than Toyota's split-folding rear seat and nearly flat-folding middle row, a sizable victory no matter how you look at it. When it comes down to purchasing considerations Stow 'n Go rated 50 percent higher than either Odyssey or Sienna. These are impressive numbers despite being an internal study.

But the seats aren't the only modifications made to Chrysler Group's 2005 vans. Thirteen additional improvements have been added to help the number three automaker gain back lost ground from its rivals. These items include an intelligent movable/removable overhead rail system, Super High Density (SHD) foam seats, reclining rear seats, and much more. But rather than detailing these for this preview, I'll cover them in soon to be released Chrysler Town & Country preview.

Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada