2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Dodge Grand Caravan 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan ES FWD Minivan Wagon FWD St. Louis, MO/Widsor, Ontario, America's best-selling minivan is all new for 2001, with many industry-first features including a power rear tailgate, a power sliding door obstacle detection system, and a removable and powered center console, and a pop-up rear cargo organizer, all residing under sleek new sheetmetal. Lots of new options, torquey engines, carlike driving characteristics, improved safety features. Still no stowable third seat, gets pricey quick when options are added. Chrysler single-handedly inspired the phrases "mommymobile," "soccer mom," and other insipid sound bites back in 1983 when it invented the minivan. The Dodge Grand Caravan has been the best-selling minivan in its segment since then, but it needed to play catch-up to all the newcomers that have been nipping at its heels, such as the Ford Windstar and the Honda Odyssey. Now with this fourth generation version, DaimlerChrysler seeks to refine rather than redesign the notion of a minivan, with a more crisp exterior appearance, more powerful engines and an interior chock-full of gadgets. The Grand Caravan comes in two trim levels this year, the base Sport and the more-luxurious ES. Both are available with all-wheel drive for those who live in less-temperate climates or who wish to do some light off-roading. Standard equipment for the Sport includes four-wheel ABS with a front disc/rear drum setup, power windows and power door locks. The ES will get you four-wheel disc brakes, three-zone climate control, power eight-way driver's seat, power sliding doors and a HomeLink universal transmitter. Leather trim and 17-inch tires are optional. Powering both Grand Caravans is a 3.3-liter V6 producing 180 horsepower, (boosted 22 horses over the previous engine). Get either model in AWD version and you'll be rewarded with a spunky 3.8-liter V6 that squeezes out 215 horses. The 3.8 is also optional on the front-wheel drive ES, and it meets LEV standards in all 50 states. A more powerful version of this engine, rated at 230 horsepower, will be available in mid-year 2001. Dodge's Grand Caravan gives you 25.6 more cubic feet of cargo capacity than the standard Caravan, for a total of 169 with second- and third-row seats removed. Although Dodge spokespeople are wishy-washy about the lack of a stowable third seat that makes the Honda Odyssey so pleasing (the well in the back creates excessive road noise, they opine), they made installing and removing the seats easier by the use of rollers and lightening the load: the rearmost seats now weigh 55 pounds collectively. Also noteworthy are all the cool gadgets with which to outfit your ride and fill your life with necessities you never knew existed. We can't say that the standard equipment list is especially exemplary, but money can buy a lot of gewgaws. How about the power liftgate? A removable center console, fully-equipped with three power points, that you can scoot from the front seats to the rear? A pop-up rear cargo organizer? A 6.4-inch liquid crystal display and wireless headphones as part of an entertainment system? All available, should it please you. You can also opt for an in-dash four-disc changer, and dual-power sliding doors with object detection upon both opening and closing. Chevrolet Venture Ford Windstar Honda Odyssey Toyota Sienna 336,000 336,000 336,000 5100,000 NA NA NA 6 3.3 liters V6 180 hp @ 5200 rpm 210 ft-lbs. @ 4000 rpm 167 cu.ft. NA 2000 lbs. 200.5 in. 77.9 in. 68.8 in. 4146 lbs. 119.3 in. 39.4 ft. 5.4 in. 39.7 in. 39.4 in. NA NA NA NA 40.6 in. 39.3 in. 7 Standard Standard Not Available Optional Optional Optional Not Available Rating = Not Tested Rating = Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested 20 gal. 18 mpg / 24 mpg 360 mi. / 480 mi. Insurance costs can vary greatly for this vehicle, depending on such factors as driver age, driver gender, teenage drivers in the household, driving records, theft loss data for your particular geographic region, miles driven per year, and other widely variable factors. Additionally, some companies charge a premium for certain makes and models, while others do not. $26,503 $29,110 7.35% $655 N/A 3% of the Total MSRP SPORT FWD PASSENGER VAN (4A): 3.3L V6 OHV SMPI 12-valve engine; 4-speed electronic OD automatic transmission with lock-up torque converter; 500 amp battery; 140 amp alternator; front-wheel drive, 3.62 axle ratio; stainless steel exhaust; front independent strut suspension with anti-roll bar, front coil springs, gas-pressurized front shocks, rear non-independent leaf suspension with rear leaf springs, gas-pressurized rear shocks; power rack-and-pinion steering; front disc/rear drum brakes with 4-wheel antilock brakes; 20 gal. capacity fuel tank; front mud flaps, rear lip spoiler, side impact bars; 4 doors with sliding left rear passenger door, sliding right rear passenger door, liftback rear cargo door; front and rear body-colored bumpers with rear step bumper bumper bumper; body-colored bodyside molding; clearcoat monotone paint; aero-composite halogen headlamps; driver's and passenger's power remote black heated folding outside mirrors; 15" x 6.5" black steel wheels; P215/70SR15 BSWA/S tires; underbody mounted compact steel spare wheel; air conditioning, rear heat ducts; AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan, cassette player, 6 speakers, fixed antenna; cruise control with steering wheel controls; power door locks, child safety rear door locks; 2 power accessory outlets, driver's foot rest; instrumentation display includes water temperature gauge, trip odometer; warning indicators include oil pressure, water temp, battery, lights on, key in ignition, low fuel, low washer fluid, door ajar, trunk ajar; driver's and passenger's front airbags; tinted windows with driver's 1-touch down, power 1/4 vent windows; heated fixed interval front windshield wipers, sun visor strip, variable intermittent rear wiper, rear window defroster; seating capacity of 7, front bucket seats with adjustable headrests, driver and passenger armrests, driver's and passenger's seats include 4-way adjustment; removable full folding 2nd row bench seat with adjustable headrests; removable fullfolding 3rd row bench seat with adjustable headrest; front and rear height adjustable seatbelts; cloth seats, cloth door trim insert with carpet lower, full cloth headliner, full color-keyed carpet floor covering with carpeted floor mats, deluxe sound insulation; interior lights include dome light with delay; steering wheel with tilt adjustment; vanity mirrors, dual auxiliary visors; day/night rearview mirror; glove box, front and rear cupholders, instrument panel bin, driver's and passenger's door bins, front under seat tray; carpeted cargo floor, cargo light; body-colored grille, black side window moldings, black front windshield molding, black rear window molding and body-colored door handles. ES FWD PASSENGER VAN (4A) (in addition to or instead of SPORT FWD PASSENGER VAN (4A) equipment): 160 amp alternator; 3.43 axle ratio; rear anti-roll bar; 4-wheel antilock disc brakes; bodyside accent stripe; headlamps with delay-off feature; additional exterior lights include front fog/driving lights; 16" x 6.5" silver alloy wheels; P215/65SR16 BSW touring A/S tires; dual zone front air conditioning with climate control, rear air conditioning with separate controls, air filter, rear heater; AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan, cassette player, CD changer pre-wiring, 10 premium speakers, amplifier, graphic equalizer, fixed antenna; power door locks with 2 stage unlock, remote keyless entry, power remote hatch/trunk release; garage door opener; instrumentation display includes tachometer, compass, exterior temp, trip computer; panic alarm; deep tinted windows with driver's 1-touch down; driver and passenger armrests, driver's seat includes 8-way power adjustment, lumbar support;removable 2nd row bucket seats with adjustable headrests; removable 50/50 folding 3rd row split-bench seat with adjustable headrests; premium cloth seats, interior lights include front and rear reading lights, 2 door curb lights, illuminated entry; leather-wrapped steering wheel with tilt adjustment; dual illuminated vanity mirrors; full overhead console with storage, glove box with light, instrument panel covered bin, 1 seat back storage pocket and carpeted cargo mats. SPORT AWD PASSENGER VAN (4A) (in addition to or instead of ES FWD PASSENGER VAN (4A) equipment): 3.8L V6 DOHC SMPI 24-valve engine; 600 amp battery; full-time 3.43 axle ratio; touring ride suspension, auto-leveling suspension, rigid rear axle leaf suspension; AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan, cassette player, 6 speakers; driver's seat includes 4-way adjustment; removable full folding 2nd row reclining bench seat with adjustable headrests; removable full folding 3rd row reclining bench seat; front seatbelt pretensioners and simulated wood dashboard insert. ES AWD PASSENGER VAN (4A) (in addition to or instead of SPORT AWD PASSENGER VAN (4A) equipment): HD ride suspension; dual zone front air conditioning with climate control; AM/FM stereo radio, clock, seek-scan, cassette player, CD changer pre-wiring, 10 premium speakers, amplifier, graphic equalizer and garage door opener. 25P Quick Order Package 25P $0 $0 29P Quick Order Package 29P $0 $0 29S Quick Order Package 29S $1,687 $1,985 AHT Trailer Tow Group $548 $645 AHT Trailer Tow Group $412 $485 AWS Smokers' Group $26 $30 BNM Traction Control $149 $175 CGS Supplemental Side Air Bags $332 $390 CL Leather Bucket Seats $757 $890 CL Leather Bucket Seats $1,063 $1,250 CMA Heated Front Seats $213 $250 CU9 Removable Center Console $166 $195 CYL Quad Buckets with Child/3rd Row Split Bench $106 $125 EGH Engine: 3.8L V6 SMPI $285 $335 JRC Power Liftgate $340 $400 LSA Security Alarm $166 $195 MWG Roof Rack $212 $250 NHK Engine Block Heater $30 $35 NMC HD Engine Cooling $149 $175 PEL Inferno Red Tinted Pearlcoat $170 $200 RAZ Radio: AM/FM Cassette Player, CD, Equalizer $191 $225 RDW 4 Disc In-Dash CD Changer $319 $375 RDW 4 Disc In-Dash CD Changer $128 $150 RDZ Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Controls $64 $75 SDC Touring Suspension $81 $95 SER Load Leveling and Height Control $247 $290 TBB Tire: Full Size Spare $136 $160 WF7 Wheels: 17" Chrome Aluminum $578 $680