A pleasant surprise, and the surprises keep on coming

Author's Rating:

Pros: Quiet, smooth ride, versatile, smart logic

Cons: Gas mileage not as high as expected; wheel rims tend to blacken up a lot

The Bottom Line: 
This one had everything we were looking for in a replacement van, and then some. Great looks, comfort, hidden features that continue to surprise and delight.

Author's Review
We had previously owned a '97 standard Caravan. After a minor mishap, we found ourselves in a position to look for a new one and went straight to the Dodge dealer to see what might have changed in eight years. What a pleasant surprise.

We ended up with a 2005 Grand SXT, Stow & Go seats, power liftgate, and the optional Trailer Tow Prep Group. After driving this car for six months, we couldn't be much happier with the decision. The first thing we noticed on our test drive was how much quieter the interior was than on the '97. The quality of the stock sound system surprised me. I'm a part-time professional musician so the music is important to me. I am impressed with the full-range audio in here, and the ability to handle low bass notes and keep them sweet and clean. 'Nuf said.

The instrument panel is nicely laid out, and I don't run into positions when the steering wheel blocks a portion of my view of the dashboard like it did on the '97. After six months of driving, I'm still encountering situations where I notice some subtle niceties in the logic of the electronics... the way the various alerts work, the way the headlamps remain on after night driving -- which depends on whether you shut them off before or after turning off the ignition key, etc. This is a well thought-out car.

The Stow & Go seats are a GREAT feature! I almost always had to deal with a bench seat (or two) taking up a portion of the garage while driving around. No more. The third-row 60/40 bench seat also has a tailgate seating position, which we've not really used just yet but I can see being very convenient some day.

Gas mileage has not been nearly as high as estimated on the window sticker. I've tracked every fill-up (on the gas prices website) so I have accurate data. I tend to be a light-footed driver and always play the game with myself to watch how high I can get the MPG indicator to climb while driving. My overall MPG since purchase (7000+ miles of driving, 38 fill stops) is currently at 19.3 MPG. I've had a high of 23.5 MPG after extended high-speed freeway miles, and an all-time low of 10.4 MPG (!) driving back from vacation, fully loaded down, towing a boat/trailer, into the wind. I have however begun to notice a gradual upward climb of my averages since about 6K miles. Maybe this is the engine "breaking in" effect I've read about.

I've never been particularly obsessed with keeping my cars polished and waxed like I should... I just drove through the automatic car washes as needed. However this van is just so pretty in it's metallic black finish that I have begun to enjoy washing it myself and spending some time waxing in the driveway. One thing new to me is the nice 16" Aluminum Rims provided on the SXT. While they look really fine when cleaned up, the open nature of the design tends to collect a lot of brake dust and they dirty up pretty quickly. If you're a clean freak about your cars, prepare to spend a bit of extra time keeping these wheels looking sharp.

The 3.8L V-6 is a welcome upgrade from the 3.0 we had in the '97. Definitely gives us a little more acceleration when needed, and doesn't bog down as much under heavy loads. With the Towing Package, we also have automatic load leveling adjusters and have always enjoyed a smooth ride with a "luxurious" feel to it. My initial reaction in the showroom to the automatic sliding side doors and power liftgate was this was more than I wanted to pay for, and I worried about mechanical malfunctions. But having lived with it now, I find I really like the convenience of having the doors opened for me when coming out the car with a full load of groceries or whatever. Also keeps my younger daughter from slamming the sides shut as often happened on our '97 Caravan.

In summary, this is indeed the nicest vehicle that I have owned and we have not regretted a thing. Comfort, convenience and smart logic all rolled into one attractive package. It fits our needs perfectly.