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What's New: America's best selling minivan has been revised for 2001 and boasts new sheetmetal, boosted horsepower for its 3.3-liter engine, a refined suspension and upgraded brakes. Third row seats are easier to remove and install. Type: Minivan Pros: Torquey powerplant, still a great deal. Cons: No stowable third seat. Review Chrysler single-handedly inspired the phrases "mommymobile," "soccer mom" and other insipid sound bites back in 1983 when it invented the minivan. Dodge Caravan has been the best-selling minivan for all of those years, but needs to further distance itself from the many upstarts that have been nipping at its heels (and certainly surpassed it in some respects), such as the Mazda MPV and the Toyota Sienna. Now with its fourth generation Caravan, it seeks to transform the minivan once again, with a sleeker exterior, more powerful engines and an interior chock-full of buttons and gadgets. The 2001 redesign should, if nothing else, bolster Dodge's position as the segment leader. Caravan comes in two trim levels: SE and Sport. The SE is a stripped-down version with manual windows and locks, but is a decent 7-passenger transport that'll come in under 20 grand. SE does allow a bit more feature content, with the choice of optional cruise control and four-wheel ABS, among other extra-cost features. Step up to the Sport and get the standard front disc/rear drum four-wheel ABS or the option of discs all around. Power windows and locks are also standard on the Sport, as are 15-inch wheels with 16-inch versions optional. You can also choose to include an in-dash 4-disc CD changer. Powering the Caravan SE is the standard 2.4-liter, 150-horsepower inline four that we've found to be weak and gaspy. Step up to the Sport and get the spunky 3.3-liter V6 that's been massaged to produce 180 horsepower, up from the 158 of last year. The V6 is optional on SE models. Although Dodge is still parsimonious about a stowable third seat that makes the Mazda MPV so pleasing (the well in the back when the seat is raised creates excessive road noise, they opine), they made installing and removing the seats easier by using rollers and lightening the load. The third-row bench now weighs just 55 pounds. The reconfigurable rear bench seat splits 50/50, allowing users to remove either one or both sides. Each seat reclines, tilts, tumbles forward, folds in half, or is easily removed. However, we still take umbrage at the fact that they don't provide a folding third-row seat that disappears into the cargo floor. Although DaimlerChrysler minivans have previously been criticized for not measuring up in terms of safety ratings, Caravan's optional side airbags should boost these scores. Those, along with improved brake components, should go a long way toward insuring the safety of its occupants. The sleek shape of yore has been rendered obsolete as well, replaced by stylish creased sheetmetal for an upmarket look. Dodge's signature "cross hair" grille helps distinguish the Caravan from its Chrysler brethren. Though Chrysler hasn't redefined the minivan with this 2001 redesign, we applaud the company's latest effort to maintain leadership in the minivan segment. Styles & Prices at Edmunds.com | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
