Car buyers are winners
in minivan wars

If you needed a car with lots of space in the 1940s, you bought a woodie. In the 1950s almost any car had six seats and a huge trunk, and the 1970s was the decade of the station wagon. Then, in the 1980s, Chrysler had a better idea: the minivan.

    Minivans have come a long way since that first Chrysler offering. The latest top-of-the-line products from Chrysler, Ford and Nissan are, by any standard, luxury vehicles. They drive almost like upper-level Japanese and European import cars, and are a lot more useful and less expensive. With seating for seven and ample space for luggage, they offer a more urbane driving experience than the very popular, but rough riding and thirsty, four-wheel drive sport utilities.

    While this column focuses on the new Chrysler minivans, honorable mentions are in order for the best of the rest. (Not covered are the newly redesigned minivans from General Motors expected to debut in early 1997 and intended to replace the underrated and poor selling needle-nosed Pontiac Trans Sport, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Chevrolet Lumina.)

    Brock Yates, in his recent book "The Critical Path — Inventing an Automobile and Reinventing a Corporation" (Little, Brown, 1996) chronicles, in a very readable fashion, how Chrysler, using management methods borrowed from Honda and other enlightened auto manufacturers, created a platform team to develop its all new minivan for 1996. This team set high standards for itself, since it was aware (through the Detroit grapevine) that Ford's all new minivan, the Windstar, would hit the marketplace almost a year before its effort. The Chrysler they planned to counter Ford's would have a new aerodynamic body, be significantly quieter, drive and handle in European style, have a luxurious ride, a driver's side sliding door, and offer a multiplicity of sizes, engines and features to meet almost anyone's needs.

    Inspired by Yates' book, I tested a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan, and for comparison, a 1997 Nissan Quest, a 1997 Ford Windstar and a 1996 Honda Odyssey, all of them fully equipped, top-of-the-line models. I quickly discovered that the Chrysler platform team had done its job well — this was a delightful vehicle, quiet as a tomb, with a smooth luxurious ride, superb handling and ample power. Still, good as the Dodge was, the differences between the minivans was much less than I expected. With its 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine the Odyssey doesn’t have the power of the V6s in the other minivans, but it’s not slow and is a very attractive package.

    Where the Chrysler minivans really score are in the variety of body sizes, engines and seat arrangements available, with a few special features like the two sliding doors, the rear seats on wheels making them a snap to remove, space for a 4x8 piece of plywood and the plethora of cup holders and storage bins sprinkled all over the interior. These minivans are sold as Chrysler Town & Country, Plymouth Voyager and the Dodge Caravan. There are two lengths and three levels of luxury (base, SE and LE) available in the Plymouth and Dodge series along with a range of four engines: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, and three V6s (3-liter, 3.3-liter and 3.8-liter).

    Dual airbags are standard on all Chrysler minivans. ABS brakes are standard on all but the base versions. Integrated child seats for the front seat and middle bench are optional. Power locks, windows, seats and rear vent windows are available along with a lot of other luxury features, including leather upholstery and various paint options. All-wheel drive is available on the Grand versions. Suggested retail prices for the Chrysler series range from $17,000 to $30,000 (similar to Windstar and Villager/Quest). If you want all-wheel drive, add $1,800. The standard (shorter) minivan retails for about $800 less than the Grand.

    My choice would be a Dodge Grand Caravan with power locks and windows, air, cruise control, extra sound suppression, cassette/CD stereo and stiffer (touring) suspension for around $25,500 retail ($23,000 wholesale).

    Consumer Reports magazine reports initial quality and reliability are somewhat of a problem with Chrysler automobiles, however Chrysler's platform team has apparently taken significant steps to assure the quality and reliability of the new minivans. Time will tell how successful they have been. Although it’s only a tiny sample, the Dodge I test drove gave me the feeling that I was in a high quality vehicle.

    Even though I am convinced that, by any measure, the Chrysler minivans are better than their competition, the state-of-the-art in minivans has produced some quite excellent vehicles, including the new Ford, Nissan and Honda products. If you’re buying a new car, it would be an effort not to buy a minivan, they make so much sense.

    Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 54 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems.