Chrysler reveals upgraded 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Chrysler Group LLC released details of changes to the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan today in a bid to hang on to its prominence in the minivan sector in the face of competition from a new Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey introduced this year.
The Dodge Caravan has Chrysler's new Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 engine for 283 horsepower replacing three old V-6s.
The new engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and there is a Fuel Economizer Mode that changes the shift schedule for better fuel efficiency.
The suspension has been re-engineered and the van lowered. Lower-rolling resistance tires are designed to improve gas mileage.
The strength of a minivan is the utility of the interior. To that end, for 2011 there is a new one-piece instrument panel with larger gauges and a new center console for storage and an area for large items such as a purse.
The Stow 'n Go seats are more comfortable and can be operated with a one-touch button.
The Grand Caravan introduces a heated steering wheel to the segment.
Safety features include a rear park-assist system and backup camera as well as blind-spot monitoring and a system that detects vehicles crossing the van's path from behind.
There is a new front fascia, grille, hood and quad headlights to make it look more aggressive than its Chrysler Town & Country counterpart. In back there is a new rear fascia, liftgate and LED taillamps.
For 2011 there are four trim levels of Grand Caravan. The Express, Mainstreet and Crew go on sale this quarter and the R/T — dubbed the "man van" — follows next spring.
The minivans are built at the assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario.
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