Eight years ago the "new" Chrysler Corp., having narrowly averted bankruptcy thanks to a controversial government "bailout," introduced to the world a whole new kind of vehicle: the minivan.
Chrysler had already reinvented the convertible after the "smart money" had declared droptops finito. In addition, its much heralded "K" car - "the car that saved Chrysler" - had proved that a domestic company could build a small, gas-sipping sedan that many people would buy in lieu of entry-level Hondas and Toyotas.But the minivan, brought out under the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager nameplates, left the auto world breathless. How could a company that had been left on the road for dead have come up with something so fresh, so innovative, so . . . needed? There are now more than three million Caravan/
Voyager owners.
Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca was nothing if not a gambler. He had bet $700 million in development costs on the minivan, a market that, at the time, did not exist. The audacity of it is one of the great corporate success stories of the '80s.
In creating a brand new niche in the industry, Chrysler also effectively killed another one that had been healthy ever since the end of World War II: the station wagon.
Since Chrysler's introduction of the minivan in late 1983, most of the major automakers, foreign and domestic, have developed their own players in the minivan wars. Some are even working on their second generation.
But Chrysler got it right - or right enough - the first time and the Caravan and Voyager have regularly generated about 40 percent of the company's profits while holding the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively, in the small wagon segment.
Iacocca likes to brag to the press that even when his company showed them how to do it, his competitors still haven't been able to capture the elusive mix of trucklike carrying capacity and carlike manners that minivan families (93 percent of Caravan buyers are married) insist on.
Now comes the 1992 Chrysler vans and there is no reason to believe that the company will lose any ground with them.
The Caravan/Voyager twins got a new do a year ago for the 1991 model year, but this time Chrysler didn't gamble. Virtually everything inside and out has been redone - the only sheet metal carried over from 1990 was the roof - but owners of older models won't have any trouble recognizing the new ones. Major exterior changes are wraparound headlights, a new grille and a more rounded rear hatch lid. Chrysler has wisely opted for evolution, not revolution
With the big changes made in '91, the only significant changes for '92 models are a standard driver's side airbag and a new $200 option, the industry's first dual integrated child seats.
For purposes of this review, Chrysler provided a '92 Grand Caravan ES, a "Bright White" beauty with matching mag wheels. Minivans are not noted for their head-turning quotient, but this one is as good looking as they get.
I've had some experience in Chrysler minis, including two weeks in an '89 that I once rented while on vacation, and I can attest that virtually everything, particularly inside, has been improved.
The ES group of options include all the power goodies any rational person could want. It also is a gadget lover's dream with special bins for cassettes, CDs, garage door openers and sunglasses. The headlights stay on for 60 seconds so you can find your way out of the garage. The captain's chairs are as comfy as a Lazy Boy and the cruise/power/tilt everything, padded armrests, cup holders, lighted vanity mirrors turn the vehicle into a luxury home on wheels.
Happily, all of these interior amenities have a solid, dare I say it, Japanese-like feeling of quality, fit, finish and ergonomic rightness that older versions lacked.
Base price for the Grand Caravan is $17,281, but not too many are bought that way. The LE version is $20,965 and when you add the ES group to it, you come up with a sticker price of $21,476 for the model I tested. That sounds like a lot, I know, but this is a lot of car.
The Grand Caravan seats seven comfortably, four in captain's chairs, three on the rear bench. Unlike the standard Caravan, which is hard pressed for luggage space if the rear seat is in use, the Grand version adds 15 much-needed inches of storage space behind the rear seat.
Despite its being the most car-like of the minivans, you still ride high in the Caravan, but that's a plus, not a minus in my view. Handling is a little bus-like - there's no inclination to play boy racer in one of these - but its acceleration, cornering and overall drivability is as close to perfect as it gets for a family hauler.
If I had a Grand Caravan on one side of my garage and a Mazda Miata roadster on the other, I think I'd have the best of all motoring worlds: practicality and fun.
The Grand Caravan comes with a 3.3 liter V6 engine as standard equipment, along with an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission. This is the tranny that initially caused a lot of problems for owners and cost Chrysler much warranty money. I am now assured by Chrysler spokespeople in Highland Park, Mich., that unhappy chapter is history as the problems have been fixed. For what it's worth, the 4-speed performed flawlessly in the week that I drove it.
Gas mileage is rated at 18/23 mpg, which sounds right because I got a little over 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving.