Chrysler Group Celebrates 30 Years of Minivans with 30th Anniversary Edition Grand Caravan and Town & Country

Chrysler may not have invented the minivan, but it sure did put a lot of them in America's driveways—more than 13 million of the bratwagons by Chrysler's count since the first Dodge Caravan (and its badge-engineered twin, the Plymouth Voyager) broke cover for the 1984 model year. Those first minivans were truly fun-size—lightweight, front-wheel-driven, four-cylinder–powered, and no lengthier bumper to bumper than a mid-1980s Honda Accord—but with way more usable space inside for seven passengers and their stuff than the competing station wagons of the day. And because they were based on car components, the early Chrysler Group minivans drove like, and achieved similar fuel economy to, cars. Early sales success begat competition. Before long the Caravan had an extended-wheelbase Grand Caravan sibling with more space, and in 1989, the first luxury minivan, the Chrysler Town & Country was introduced. As features were added, dual sliding doors replaced single ones, V-6 power was added, doors and liftgates became power-operated, and seats not only folded and flipped, but disappeared into the floor. Cup holders spread like mushrooms and so did video systems to pacify the peanut gallery. Are We There Yet? Although the crossover has largely replaced the minivan as the mom bomb of choice these days, minivans enjoy a loyal following of core buyers who enjoy the low step-in height, wide-opening sliding doors, easy through-the-van access, and large windows to the tune of about a half-million U.S. sales per year. And nearly half of those sales belong to the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. Perhaps to highlight its tenure in the segment it helped popularize, the Chrysler Group will offer 30th Anniversary editions of its Grand Caravan and Town & Country minivans for 2014. Both include the standard 283-hp, 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and six-speed automatic powertrain, and add 17-inch polished satin-carbon aluminum wheels, 30th Anniversary badges on the front fenders, and a black-themed interior with 30th Anniversary logos on the gauge cluster and key fob. Long-Term Test Wrap-up: 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite Long-Term Test: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Comparison Test: 2011 Chrysler Town & Country vs. Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna Dodge will offer the 30th Anniversary package on two trim levels of the Grand Caravan: SE and SXT. In SE guise, the 30th Anniversary package also brings piano-black trim, silver-accent stitching, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, chrome switchgear, and satellite radio. Within the SXT, the 30th Anniversary package upgrades to suede and leatherette seats, and adds fog lamps, automatic headlights, a 10-way power driver's seat, and more exterior chrome. Being a Chrysler, the 30th Anniversary package on the Town & Country goes beyond satin-finish wheels, fender badges, and interior logos to add such features as a heated steering wheel, heated front- and second-row seats, a power-folding third-row seat, suede-and-leather seat trim, and power adjustable pedals. No word yet, however, as to whether Chrysler has upped the cup holder count. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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