Chrysler minivans (RS)

Chrysler minivans (RS)
Overview
Manufacturer	DaimlerChrysler (2001-2007) Chrysler LLC (2007)
Also called	Dodge Caravan Chrysler Voyager Chrysler Town & Country Dodge Grand Caravan (LWB) Chrysler Grand Voyager (LWB, Europe) Chrysler Caravan Chrysler Grand Caravan Chrysler Ram Van (The Netherlands, Panel Van)
Production	July 24, 2000 – July 2007 2008–2011 (China)
Model years	2001–2007 2008-2010 (China)
Assembly	Windsor Assembly, Windsor, Ontario, Canada Fenton, Missouri, United States Graz, Austria (Eurostar) Fuzhou, China (Soueast) Taoyuan, Taiwan (CMC)
Designer	Brandon Faurote (1997)[1]
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door minivan
Layout	Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive / all-wheel drive
Platform	Chrysler RS platform Chrysler RG Platform
Related	Chrysler Pacifica
Powertrain
Engine	2.4 L EDZ I4 3.0L Mitsubishi 6G72 V6 (China) 3.3 L EGA V6 3.8 L EGH V6 2 2.5 L Turbo Diesel R 425 2.8 L Turbo Diesel R 428
Transmission	3-speed 31TH automatic with 2.4EDZ 4-speed 41TE automatic 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	SWB: 113.3 in (2,878 mm) LWB: 119.3 in (3,030 mm)
Length	2001–2004 SWB: 189.1 in (4,803 mm) 2005–2007 SWB: 189.3 in (4,808 mm) LWB: 200.5 in (5,093 mm)/200.6 in (5,095 mm)
Width	78.6 in (1,996 mm)
Height	68.9 in (1,750 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Chrysler minivans (NS)
Successor	Chrysler minivans (RT) Dodge Journey

The RS-platform Chrysler minivans are a series of passenger minivans marketed by Chrysler from model years 2001 to 2007, the fourth in six generations of Chrysler minivans, which were heavily revised versions of the NS minivans. Depending on the market, these vans were known as the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and the Chrysler Voyager. With the discontinuation of the Plymouth brand, the Plymouth Voyager didn't return.

Overview

In development from February 1996 to December 1999, the Generation IV minivans were based on the Chrysler RS platform and featured a larger body frame with modified headlights and taillights. Design work by Brandon Faurote was approved in January 1997 and reached production approval in October 1997. Unveiled at the 2000 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on Monday, January 10, 2000,^[2] the RS minivans were released for sale in August 2000. The release was part of a promotional tie-in with Nabisco, which unveiled their new "Mini Oreos" inside the van during the unveiling.^[3] The first vans rolled off the line at the Windsor Assembly Plant on July 24.

2002 Chrysler Voyager, U.S. market

European market Chrysler Voyager

The RS minivans were sold as the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country, in 4 door body styles. The Caravan was available in a long wheelbase model, called the Grand Caravan, while the Chrysler Voyager was a short wheelbase model with base levels of equipment and the Town & Country was only available with a long wheelbase and was the highest end model. The U.S. and Canadian market Chrysler Voyager was originally intended to be a Plymouth, but became a Chrysler with the discontinuation of the Plymouth brand in 2000. This model was also exported, while the Town & Country was exported as a high-level model of the Voyager. Export models had the platform designation RG.

Trim levels for the Caravan and Town & Country were carried over from the previous generation, while the Voyager was only offered in a base model.^[4] The Caravan was available in Base, SE, Sport and ES trims, and the Town & Country was available in LX, LXi and Limited. In addition to other detailed changes, remote operated sliding doors and rear hatch, which could be opened and closed at the push of a button, either inside the vehicle, or with the keyless entry fob, became options, as well as a new tri-zone climate control system and side seat mounted airbags. In 2002, the value-packed eL and eX models were added to the Town & Country. These models were both value-priced versions of the LX and LXi, respectively, with popular option packages.^[5] 2004 saw the addition of an unnamed base short-wheelbase model.

In 2003, the Chrysler Voyager was discontinued in the U.S., a short wheelbase Town & Country became available, and the Caravan C/V and Grand Caravan C/V returned after having been discontinued in 1995. The C/V featured the option of deleted side windows (replaced by composite panels), optional rear seats, a cargo floor made of plastic material similar to pickup truck bedliners, rubber flooring in lieu of carpeting and normal hatch at the rear. Minor changes were made to the Grand Caravan ES including many of the features included in Option Group 29S becoming standard, the 17 inch Titan Chrome wheels no longer being an option replaced with standard 16 inch chrome wheels, and the disappearance of the AutoStick Transmission option. This year also saw the appearance of an optional factory-installed rear seat DVD system with single disc player mounted below the HVAC controls, and the addition of a SXT model. 2004 offered an exclusive one year only "Anniversary Edition" package to mark Caravan's 20th year in production. This package was offered on higher level SXT models, and included chrome wheels, body color moldings, special interior accents and a unique fender badge.

2007 Dodge Caravan

2007 Chrysler Town & Country

2007 Chrysler Grand Voyager, European market

The 2005 minivans received a mid-cycle refresh including revised front fascias and a mildly restyled interior. This model introduced a system of second- and third-row seating that folded completely into under-floor compartments. It was marketed as Stow 'N Go and was available exclusively on long-wheelbase models. In a development program costing $400 million,^[6] engineers initially used an Erector Set to visualize the complex interaction of the design^[7] and redesigned under-floor components. The system included the spare tire well, fuel tank, exhaust system, parking brake cables, rear climate control lines, and rear suspension^[7] but brought the elimination of all-wheel drive (AWD). The system, in turn, creates a combined volume of 12 cubic feet (340 L) of under-floor storage when second-row seats are deployed. With both rows folded, the vans have a flat-load floor and a maximum cargo volume of 160.7 cubic feet (4,550 L).^[6][8] The Stow 'n Go system received the Popular Science Magazine's "Best of What's New" for 2005 award.^[9]

Trim levels were again reshuffled on the Town & Country, being available in a short-wheelbase base model, and long-wheelbase LX, Touring and Limited models.^[10] As with the pre-refresh model, only the Touring and Limited were sold to consumers in Canada, the LX being restricted to fleets. A driver's side knee airbag was now standard on all models. The front seat-mounted side airbags of previous years were discontinued in favor of side-curtain airbags for all three rows. These were standard on Limited trim and optional on all other models, however could not be ordered with the moonroof option. Uconnect Bluetooth phone pairing was now available, as well as an overhead rail storage system with three moveable or removable compartments.

Taiwanese-market Town & Country minivans were assembled in Yangmei, Taiwan under license by the China Motor Corporation, starting with the 2006 model year. They are similar to the North American model, with minor variations for the local market. The most obvious difference is the front bumper, taillights, and headlights, which are shared with the European market Chrysler Grand Voyager. In 2007, production ended and the production line was relocated to China where Soueast continued to assemble it under the Chrysler Grand Voyager and Dodge Grand Caravan nameplates from 2008 until late 2010.

Production of this generation continued in China from 2008, when the Taiwanese Chrysler Town & Country production line was relocated there, until late 2010 when the fifth generation Chrysler Voyager was introduced to the Chinese market. The Caravan was subsequently replaced by the Journey, although a page for the Caravan still exists on the Dodge China site.^[11] The Chinese Caravan was produced alongside the Town & Country, now using the Grand Voyager nameplate, by Soueast, and did not share any aesthetic components with the North American Caravan aside from the wheels. Instead, the Chinese Caravan was identical to the Taiwanese Town & Country, aside from the lack of chrome trim on the exterior door panels, and used a modified version of the Town & Country front bumper with a Dodge grille. Chinese vans were equipped with Mitsubishi 6G72 engines, and came in three trim levels: Classic, SXT, and Luxury.

Safety

The 2001 model of this version earned a "Poor" rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 's 40 mph offset test. It did protect its occupants reasonably well, and the dummy movement was well controlled, however, a fuel leak occurred. Chrysler corrected this problem starting with the 2002 models, moving it up to an "Acceptable" rating.

The 2006 model year brought optional side curtain airbags and a stronger B-pillar, which was tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's side impact crash test. With the side airbags, it got an "Acceptable" rating. For the driver, there is a chance of serious neck injuries, rib fractures and/or internal organ injuries. The rear passengers, however, could leave this accident unharmed, as there is a low risk of significant injury in a crash of this severity for them.

The 4th generation Town & Country (Grand Voyager, as it is known in Europe))right hand drive (RHD) version performed very poorly in the Euro NCAP car safety tests and achieved the following ratings:^[12]

Adult Occupant:
Child Occupant:
Pedestrian:

However, it was noted that "The LHD car performed significantly better than the RHD car in the frontal impact, scoring 9 points, giving a potential four star adult occupant rating." ^[12] Thatcham's New Car Whiplash Ratings (NCWR) organization tested the 4th generation European Grand Voyager for its ability to protect occupants against whiplash injuries with the car achieving an 'Acceptable' rating overall.^[13]

Powertrains

As with the previous generation, the Caravan came standard with a 2.4 L EDZ I4 and a 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, with optional 3.3 L EGA and 3.8 L EGH V6 engines, which came with a 4-speed Ultradrive automatic transmission. The 3.3L V6 was the standard engine on the Voyager and Town & Country, as well as Canadian Caravans, where the 2.4L wasn't offered. Export models could be equipped with a 2.5 L Turbo Diesel R 425
or a 2.8 L Turbo Diesel R 428 from VM Motori, and were available with a 5-speed manual transmission. Chinese models got a 3.0 L 6G72.

• 2001–2007 2.4 L EDZ I4, 150 hp (110 kW) at 5400 rpm and 165 lb⋅ft (224 N⋅m) at 4000 rpm
• 2001–2007 3.3 L EGA V6, 180 hp (130 kW) at 5000 rpm and 210 lb⋅ft (280 N⋅m) at 4000 rpm
• 2001–2007 3.8 L EGH V6, 200 hp (150 kW) at 5000 rpm and 245 lb⋅ft (332 N⋅m) at 4000 rpm
• 2009–present 3.0 L Mitsubishi 6G72 V6, 150 hp (110 kW) 176 lb⋅ft (239 N⋅m) (China)

References

External links

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