2014 Dodge Grand Caravan?

[Digital2k2]

Looking for opinions on the new Caravan as far as reliability. Anyone here own one? I've read that the 6spd automatic doesn't pick the right gear a lot of times in some reviews.

The 283hp sounds good... Are there any known issues with the new 3.6l drivetrane? Half thinking about getting the base model 2014, but might go with the base SE for the fold down 2nd row seats and tinted glass.

Right now there's a 500 rebate on the base and 1,500 rebate on the SE, so it looks like the SE would run about 2k more.

 

[CHARLIEBRONSON21]

Couldn't tell you other than they look nice. The ones I've seen all say Ram instead though. Had a couple run through that aren't too bad on MPG either.

 

[crazyoildude]

they are not cheap i have a 96 we use for work and it runs great

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: CHARLIEBRONSON21
Couldn't tell you other than they look nice. The ones I've seen all say Ram instead though. Had a couple run through that aren't too bad on MPG either.


You can get a 'RAM' C/V .... which is essentially a Caravan with no windows or rear seats for the price of a "Dodge" Caravan with windows and rear seats!

 

[racer12306]

I like our '12. The 3.6 is great. I would agree with the transmission comments, but it's not bad. A little more pedal and it downshifts and takes off. The power is great.

 

[mrsilv04]

At this point, I think you could spend a minimum of $5000 more for a bare bones Toyota Sienna (if something like that even exists without ordering one)... and I'm not sure if you'd end up with something that is considerably more reliable.

You can get Stow and Go 2nd/3rd row seating as an option on the America's Value Package. It is around $1500 more. You wouldn't need to go to an SE to get that.

 

[racer12306]

As someone who has used it, Stow and Go is amazing. Large cargo spaces in the floor when the seats are up. Huge cargo area when the seats are down. It's like a cave.

I'm just disappointed they changed some of the interior plastic around the rear wheel wheels so you can't put a 4x8 sheet in it whole. I remember seeing someone do that many years ago and was amazed.

 

[threeputtpar]

I've shared my thoughts on the Town & Country that I drove for a week, but I can type them again.

The comments about the trans not knowing what gear it wants are true. It is programmed to get to 6th gear as fast as possible for economy reasons. Yes, you can give it gas and get it to downshift, but what will happen is that you will give it a little throttle and nothing will happens, then a bit more and the engine will start to lug, then even more throttle and WHAM!, you're going from 1400 rpms in 6th to 3500 rpms in 3rd gear. The programming leaves no happy middle, it's either max fuel economy or revving the snot out of it.

The 3.6l is a great engine. I really wanted to like the T&C because the stow and go is really nice compared to the other vans middle seat configurations, but I just couldn't get past the driveability issues with the trans. It does offer a manual mode to shift yourself, but I have that on my A6 and hardly ever use it because it is counter-intuitive to shift gears without a clutch.

It really rides nice on the highway, and the two seperate DVD screens are a nice touch compared to the split screen in our Odyssey.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
I've shared my thoughts on the Town & Country that I drove for a week, but I can type them again.

The comments about the trans not knowing what gear it wants are true. It is programmed to get to 6th gear as fast as possible for economy reasons. Yes, you can give it gas and get it to downshift, but what will happen is that you will give it a little throttle and nothing will happens, then a bit more and the engine will start to lug, then even more throttle and WHAM!, you're going from 1400 rpms in 6th to 3500 rpms in 3rd gear. The programming leaves no happy middle, it's either max fuel economy or revving the snot out of it.


Part of this issue could be due to that the new Chrysler transmissions "learn" how they're driven.... and that a rental car might have issues with this.

The release of the new 2014 Cherokee has been delayed due to software problems with the 9 speed transmission.

I had a dealer tell me that the 9 speed will match the driver's driving habits to one of 40 pre-programmed shift patterns.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Part of this issue could be due to that the new Chrysler transmissions "learn" how they're driven.... and that a rental car might have issues with this.


I think it's simply how they're programmed. I had a 300 rental for 5 or 6 weeks and over 1,000 miles and it was the same way. There was no perceptible difference in shifting over the course of my time with it, from the first day to the very end.

The previous description is exactly how this 300 behaved: it would idle around town like a champ. Give it regular throttle and it would upshift at or around 2,000 rpm each time and it'd get into 8th gear pretty quick. Give it more throttle and it still does it, but you can feel it in the engine more; you can feel the engine groaning against the premature upshifts. Give it more throttle and the engine will then race up to 4,000 or higher (up to redline) before shifting and you're in full-on race mode.

It's almost like there's a "kickdown" switch on the gas pedal, or a "sport" switch. I know there isn't, but that's the way the software behaves. You're either asleep or you're on an energy drink, with very little in between.

 

[racer12306]

Interesting. I've yet to have that severe of a problem.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: racer12306
Interesting. I've yet to have that severe of a problem.


I think it's all in how a vehicle is driven. I feel all sorts of things in our vehicles that my wife never does, for instance. We had a 2007 Chrysler minivan a few years ago with the 41TE transmission and it would bump-shift all the time and would sometimes really crash into 1st gear when coming to a stop. I hated the way it operated. My wife didn't notice any of it. She said, "I don't know, it drives." I'm really sensitive to how the cars run and how they sound, and I just feel that stuff.

I might drive your van and have the exact same complaint as I did about the 300. Conversely, you might could drive the exact same 300 I had and think it drives fine. It's also a bit of that classic case where one car might "ride rough" to person A, but "handle great" to person B. Exact same car, and both people are commenting on the exact same thing, but from different perspectives.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Digital2k2
Looking for opinions on the new Caravan as far as reliability. Anyone here own one? I've read that the 6spd automatic doesn't pick the right gear a lot of times in some reviews.


We've got about 2000mi on our new 2013 Grand Caravan SE so far. Love it.

This is our third MV. Started with a 2001 Windstar LX, then a 2008 Odyssey LX, now the DGC.

You're not going to find anything close to the price if an AVP or low-end SE is what you're after. I got our new SE for just over $20K after all incentives.

There were some software upgrades offered mid 2012 or so for the transmission shifting concerns. I love the way ours shifts. Never thought I'd tolerate a 6spd auto, but this one is quite awesome IMO. The power of the Pentastar and 62TE trans is almost overkill and we're averaging ~21.5mpg tank/tank with our daily use (little highway).

Things I don't like with the lesser models is the lack of adjustablility of the driver's seat. No height adjustment and it's set too high for my liking, plus leg room is not that great. Even my wife needs to keep the driver's seat all the way back. Overall the seats aren't as comfortable and substantial as they were on our basic Odyssey LX.

The stow-n-go is nice, but makes the seats thin/small IMO, plus all the mechanicals for the stow-n-go mechanisms? Ugh.. The 3rd row requires a 4-step strap pulling process, where other models like the Odyssey is a 1-2 step process to make the 3rd row disappear into the floor.

IMO, the best thing about them is: 1) Low price, 2) Excellent powertrain 3) Decent reliability.

Bad: 1) low resale, 2) seating is better on the more expensive competition 3) Long term reliabity? who knows.

 

[racer12306]

That could be another thing, we have had all the programming updates done. It definitely helped with the shifting.

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: racer12306
That could be another thing, we have had all the programming updates done. It definitely helped with the shifting.


You're probably right, but the fact that Chrysler forced the consumer to beta test somenthing that they've been building in one form or another for 3 decades really turned me off to any of their products.

Our Odyssey behaves the same way in trying to get to the highest gear possible as quickly as it can, but it takes just a little pedal pressure to get it to shift down one gear and accelerate. That's how all auto boxes should operate straight from the factory.