Dodge Caravan
Chrysler introduced the Dodge Caravan minivan along with its rebadged variant, the Plymouth Voyager in November 1983, for the 1984 model year — followed by the Dodge Grand Caravan and Plymouth Grand Voyager long-wheelbase (LWB) models in 1987, the rebadged Chrysler Town and Country in 1990, and the Volkswagen Routan in 2008.
Chrysler manufactures and markets its minivan series worldwide. Together with its nameplate variants, the Chrysler Town and Country, Chrysler Voyager, and Plymouth Voyager, the Chrysler minivans have ranked as the 13th bestselling automotive nameplate worldwide, with over 12 million sold.[1]
Overview
Chrysler introduced the Dodge and Plymouth minivans in November 1983 for the 1984 model year, using an extended derivative of the Chrysler K platform, the Chrysler S platform. Chrysler followed with a long wheelbase (LWB) model, the Grand Caravan in 1987, also based on the Chrysler S platform.
Lee Iaccoca and Hal Sperlich had conceived their idea for a modern minivan during their earlier tenure at Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford II had rejected Iaccoca's and Sperlich's idea (and a prototype) of a minivan in 1974, then rumored to carry the name "Maxivan". Iaccoca followed Sperlich to Chrysler Corporation, and together they created the T115 minivan — a prototype that was to become the Caravan and Voyager.
The Chrysler minivans launched a few months ahead of the Renault Espace (the first MPV/minivan in Europe, initially presented to executives as a Talbot in 1979[2], but not launched until 1984), making them the first of their kind — effectively created the modern minivan segment in the US.
Since their introduction in the fall of 1983, the Chrysler minivans have outsold other minivans in the United States,[3] with over 12 million Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth minivans[3] in over 80 countries[3] sold as of October 2008. Only recently, has Chrysler ceded the top-selling minivan spot to the Honda Odyssey.[3]
- Magician Doug Henning was used as a spokesman to introduce the Caravan as a vehicle with the space of a cargo van that would fit in a standard garage and a low step-in height for small children.
- A first year production Dodge Caravan is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.
- In 2004, Chrysler held a Stand By Your Van Contest, where contestants had to place one hand on the new van. The person whose hand was on the longest won a brand new Caravan, and be one of the first consumers to experience the new Stow 'n Go seating. The event was held during the Chicago Auto Show.
Special anniversary editions of the Chrysler minivans have included, in 1994, the "10 Year Anniversary Edition" Dodge SE with badges and special two-tone paint, as well as the 2004 Anniversary Edition SXT Caravan.
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Generation I (1984-1990)
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| Also called | Dodge Grand Caravan (LWB Model) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1984-1990 |
| Body style(s) | 3-door minivan short (SWB) and long (LWB) wheelbase |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Platform | Chrysler S platform |
| Engine(s) | 2.2 L K I4 2.5 L K I4 2.5 L Turbo I4 2.6 L Mitsubishi G54B I4 3.0 L Mitsubishi 6G72 V6 3.3 L EGA V6 |
| Transmission(s) | 4-speed A460 manual 5-speed manual 3-speed A413 automatic 3-speed A470 automatic 3-speed A670 automatic 4-speed A604 automatic |
| Wheelbase | 1984-1988 SWB: 112.1 in (2847 mm) Grand Caravan & C/V Extended: 119.1 in (3025 mm) 1989-1990 SWB & C/V: 112 in (2844.8 mm) |
| Length | SWB & C/V: 175.9 in (4468 mm) Grand Caravan: 190.5 in (4839 mm) 1989-1990 LE SWB: 177.3 in (4503 mm) 1989-1990 Grand Caravan LE: 191.9 in (4874 mm) C/V Extended: 190.6 in (4841 mm) |
| Width | 1984-1988: 69.5 in (1765 mm) 1989-1990: 72 in (1829 mm) |
| Height | 1984-1988 SWB: 64.4 in (1636 mm) 1987-1988 Grand Caravan: 65 in (1651 mm) C/V: 64.2 in (1631 mm) 1989-1990 SWB: 64.6 in (1641 mm) 1989-1990 Grand Caravan: 64.8 in (1646 mm) |
| Related | Chrysler Town & Country Plymouth Voyager |
Generation I Caravans used the Chrysler S platform, which was closely related to the K-cars Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant. There were four trim levels on the Generation I Caravan: base, mainstream SE and upscale LE. The Caravan was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1985. All trim levels were also available in a slightly longer body, called the Grand Caravan, which allowed significantly more cargo space behind the rear seat. Most of the interior trim, controls, and instrumentation were borrowed from the K-car, leading to a very "car-like" interior look and feel. Coupled with the lower floor that the front wheel drive design allowed, this helped to make the Caravan seem more like a large station wagon than a van, enticing many buyers who would not have otherwise been comfortable driving a van.
The vans came equipped for 7 passengers in 3 rows of seating, putting it between a typical 12 passenger/4 row full-size van, and a 6 passenger/2 row large sedan. 2 bucket seats with attached armrests and open floor space between them in the front, a 2 person bench seat in the second row, and a 3 person bench seat in the back row. The two bench seats in the rear were independently removable, and the large 3 person bench could also be installed in the 2nd row location via a second set of attachment points on the van's floor, ordinarily hidden with snap-in plastic covers. This configuration allowed for conventional 5 person seating with a sizable cargo area in the rear. The latching mechanisms for the benches were very intuitive and easy to operate. The act of moving the seats, however, typically required 2 adults, and lifting them back into the van was a very awkward procedure.
Safety features were typical of vans of the era, and consisted of 3-point seat belts for the front two passengers, with simple lap belts for the rear 5. The front seats were equipped with non-adjustable headrests while the rear seats had none, and legally mandated side-impact reinforcements were at all seating positions, front and rear. Airbags or ABS were not available.
Access to the rear rows of seating was by a large sliding door on the passenger side. The sliding door allowed easier access in a confined suburban garage, compared to the double doors found on most full-size vans of the era. Because only one sliding door was offered, the smaller 2nd row bench seat was installed off center, shifted to the drivers side of the van, to allow easy passenger access to the 3rd row seat. The cargo area behind the rear seat was very limited on the standard short body model, however, the seat could be adjusted forward in 2 increments, the first of which removed roughly 6 inches (150 mm) of legroom from the back row passengers, and the second of which would push the bench all the way to the back of the 2nd row, making the seats unusable. The seatback of the rear bench could also be folded forward, providing a flat cargo shelf. The smaller 2nd row bench was not adjustable, nor foldable; it could only be removed entirely.
Cargo access to the rear was via a hatchback, similar to the one on the K-Car station wagons. The hatch was hinged at the top and held open by gas struts, and it was the source of much confusion among Caravan owners. It could only be released by the key, or by a button on the driver's control panel; it did not have a traditional door handle. Once the hatch had been "popped", the key could be removed, and the hatch lifted by a handhold above the license plate holder. However, many owners did not identify the handhold area, and instead used the turned key as a handle to lift the hatch, resulting in a great many broken keys.
A cargo version of the Caravan, called the Mini Ram Van, was also introduced in 1984. It was renamed as the Caravan C/V for 1989, and was discontinued after 1995. It was available either with the short or long wheelbase models. Unique to the Caravan C/V was the option of either having the traditional hatch door in the back or the optional "barn doors" (with or without windows), swing-out versions similar to those of more traditional cargo vans. These doors were made of fiberglass and required the C/V vans to be "drop shipped" as these doors were custom installed by another vendor. Another version of the Caravan was the camper. The camper wasn't very popular and dropped within 2 years.
