Chrysler Minivans Part II: Still King of the Hill?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มี.ค. 2024
- Welcome to Auto Chatter! Todays episode is part two of my non award winning series of Chrysler Minivan history! Join me for a trip down memory lane from the new 1996 third gen models through what Chrysler has on offer in 2024! We will see new minivan innovations, and maybe hear about a little badge engineering along the way! I hope you enjoy it and please dont forget to give it a like if so. Consider checking out some of my other videos if you enjoyed this one, and subscribing too! To everyone who already subscribed, thank you for the continued support!!!!
#Caravan, #Voyager, #Town and Country, #Volkswagen Routan, #Grand Caravan, #Ford Windstar, #Nissan Quest, #Toyota Sienna, #Honda Odyessy - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Yep, Chrysler did it best, and often first too. But in the end it didn't matter; the passenger minivan isn't dead but is nearly there. To understand why needs some history revisited. Part of what killed the station wagon and brought the minivan to prominence was fuel economy. When the Caravan emerged people still remembered (often personally) the various fuel crisis's and shortages, which is something that a lot of people today aren't conversant with which lessens it's importance in marketing and buying the crossovers and SUV's which replaced the minivan. There's also the change in what now comes standard in cars, rendering even lowly models equal with upscale models as far as functions and convenience. By the time you 'loaded; your minivan with all the goodies, any cost advantage faded and weight increased. And no doubt that today's crossovers and SUV's are more crashworthy than minivans can be made to be. Some minivans did rather poorly in crash tests or at least one or two of their crash types. That was a big thing, as the world was changing and Mom began to have a more important role in car choice. There was also the fact that most minivan automatic transmissions didn't live as long as they should have. Chrysler had a spate of these as well even if the Fords were worse. That's gotta weigh on the minds of buyers, and it was reflected in trade-in and used market values.
But the biggest factor in the minivan's demise was image. What was once seen as Mom-smart and Dad-friendly became an almost apologetic choice in being average. Upscale families wanted the 'yuppie' image and they could afford (and wanted) two cars instead of one shared 'family car'. Dad got something European, and Mom got one of them too, or one of the far more perfected and more refined Japanese cars which still have a prominence in the market. Older kids became embarrassed to be seen in minivans which had become "uncool". Dad had a similar problem among peers who had something more exotic or sporty. The crossovers and SUV's fulfilled what Mom, Dad, and the older kids wanted better so they rose to prominence. And the minivans? Like their full-sized counterparts, they went full-circle and reverted to cargo-carrying working vehicles mostly,albeit far better equipped than the old big vans were. Because of the shift in who was buying minivans fuel economy rose in consideration which made them less attractive to the average person who wanted more power, which was easily had in crossovers and SUV's. Even though minivans might just constitute 'the perfect car' in numerous ways, if nobody wants them then that doesn't matter. And now even the smaller minivans like the Ford Transit are going away, with bigger versions with more load capacity being what most people needing a working vehicle want. Once again Ford screwed up royally in waiting too long to bring the Transit over here from Europe where it was hugely popular, letting Nissan get a hold on the market with their equal-sized offering which was newer and better in every way compared to the Transit.
So the minivan is dying, and I doubt that we will see it rise to prominence again. It does have one hope IMO, which nobody seems to be addressing yet. Because of it's size and shape, it would be a great platform for the rising EV market segment where it could rather easily offer more range than most EV cars and that would make for a great urban-delivery type vehicle as the home-delivery market grows. The USPS and Amazon would likely buy such a vehicle in a large way for their bigger-city delivery hubs. We'll just have to wait and see if that happens but even if it does, they won't be passenger van types like the 'traditional' minivan was. And it won't be as revolutionary in the market as passenger minivans were. In it's own way the minivan era was one of the high-points in automotive design and concept, and there's not much else I can see which can happen similarly. Few other vehicle types caused the demise of older vehicles which had served the same purpose in the way that the minivan killed the station wagon, and that fact alone will probably be what it's best remembered for in distant future days. Of these anomalies none of the other I can think of also died away like the minivan has, making it unique. For all this we have one amazing man to thank- Lee Iacocca. RIP old boy; you were one of the greatest in your field.
Yep...What at one time was the "cool" family ride in the 80s and 90s as opposed to a "Brady Bunch" station wagon.....Eventually was looked at in the same way in favor of SUVs and crossovers. But where the wagon to minivan move may have been a more practical choice, thumbing your nose at the thought of one and buying a Tahoe or Expedition instead wasn't to many. It's no surprise the minivans left try to adopt a more crossover look about them. Absolutely spot on post and thank you for sharing!
I think the 3rd gen minivans were the peak for me. 2 sliding doors, 2 wheelbases, 2 drivetrains, 3 brands, & 4 engine options. The cab-forward styling was sleek but not too bubbly. Fun fact the Town & Country is the only car with an ampersand "&" in its name.
I'd agree and that was during the minivan popularity peak.
My mom bought a 1999 fully loaded silver town & country in 2000 and had a dvd player installed at the dealer for my siblings and I. We loved it, the chrome wheels were so pretty. Good memories in it ☺️
My wife had a Nissan Quest with factory DVD and wireless headphones. Best feature ever then if you had kids.
I didn't realize that they still had a 3 (!) speed auto into the 2000s. Chrysler rocking that 60s tech for decades.
Yeah I've driven quite a few of the 4 cylinder ones with that transmission. I think they were more reliable than the 4 speed ones.
2002-2007 was where it was at for these vans. At least when it comes to reliability
I can’t imagine what road trips would’ve been like with my 6 member family back in the 80’s and 90’s without my Gen1 & Gen2 Grand Caravans. We throughly enjoyed the versatility convenience of these one of a kind vehicles. I still they are functionally way better than cross overs or full on SUVS. If I was wealthier and still hauling kids I probably be in a Yukon XL or Suburban.
That's great!
Ford failed to include a second driver's side sliding door on the 1995 Windstar, so Chrysler was the first to have it
I Love this channel....Future Banger!
Glad your still enjoying them!
Thank you for part 2. I was hoping Chrysler was still on top with the minivan. They still are. It is interesting how that Voyager name thing played out in the end. I thought it was interesting they stopped using Town and Country and placed two older names on the new van( Pacifica and Voyager). Thank you for covering Ford and GM and GM went to crossovers just like you said. I never really thought that the Dodge Journey replaced Plymouth Voyager. There have been so many players in tis segment that have come and gone. I loved your honest about engines and transmissions too. GM and Ford left the segment indeed. Chrysler kept changing and updating their vans. I just do not understand why GM and Ford could not compete. I recall the Ram and Volkswagen versions and the Dodge version. I did not know it lived on that long. You put a lot of work and effort into this video. It is appreciated.
Thanks Olds! Glad you liked this one too! It was my longest vid to date! I'm assuming they changed the Town and Country name as the minivan market shrunk, and they wanted the new sleeker one to be fresh all over. I thought it would be cool to throw in some small bits about competitors again for reference. The Journey was interesting as Chrysler "kind of" followed GM and Ford replacing minivans with crossovers.....But offered the Pacifica still.
‘ as it had passed away for 2001’ made me laugh. 😂
But..That was supposed to be a touching scene about Plymouth's demise! How could you!!!! :)...Yeah..I guess it could be seen as amusing.
My Dad had a 99 Caravan and drove the wheels off of it!!
Awesome!
Another great video!
Thank you!
GM's 1997 minivan performed poorly in crash tests
Yes..I talked about that in my GM minivan video
Oh yea they were fn death traps. I remember my buddy had a 98 venture and when we saw that we weren’t comfortable driving around in it. Thankfully it broke down soon after that lol
@@jackdough8164 LOL...My Mother in Law had a 98 Oldsmobile version. It was reliable, but im glad she never got in a accident with it.
No they didn't!! They performed HORRIBLY!!! But they look super safe when you compare it to the Chevy Astro!!
GM and Ford are only interested in making crossover/SUVs ditching minivans and sedans. Minivans do offer several advantages over big SUVs
Another great chatter!
Thank for the mention too.
It was a deserved mention!!! Thanks for stopping by and giving it a watch Rob!
are family car is still a 1977 ford LTD 4 door 400 big block
Good Buddy of mine drove a 79 LTD 2 for years.
I remember back in 2003 with two young kids having to make the hard choice to ditch my wife's Honda Accord for a minivan. We looked at all of the players and eventually settled on a second gen Odyssey. Glad we did - it served us so well, I eventually gave it to my in laws for them to boot around in when we bought a fourth gen Odyssey. We still have it today and it's been a great vehicle. Shame that Chrysler ruined a great idea with some shoddy engines and transmissions - they were great to drive but today the stigma of being a soccer mom is hurting the sales of these vehicles. Too bad, vans are so much more practical than SUV's
I agree..The second gen Odyssey was nice. They did have transmission problems though and Honda had a warranty extention on them for that. Making this vid, I was kinda of surprised Honda and Toyota didnt pass up Pacifica sales last year.
I've known many people having odysseys having many problems with them compared to the counterparts the Town & country and caravan my sister's friend had a Honda Odyssey they kept having problems on them they traded it in for a Chrysler Town and country they drove that Chrysler Town and country for 18 years more reliable than a Honda!
Interesting
I likes 👍
Thank you!
Didn't watched the otiginal upload. What did you changed?
Was having some weird upload problems..Took awhile to get it back up.
The title?
@TheOzthewiz ? No..I can edit that at anytime. Noticed a issue after the first upload and for some reason Y Tube hung up the second upload for WAY to long..Finally uploaded it a third time and it stuck.
You are actually incorrect the Grand Caravan is still Sold in Canada as a basic Chrysler Pacifica.
You know I recall reading that somewhere, but didn't mention it and probably should have. I structured this chatter mainly on U.S. versions.
Today only 4 minivans are offered - Chrysler Pacifica (Dodge Caravan was discontinued), Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey and Kia Cardinal (Formely Sienna). Toyota is the most reliable
Kia Carnival, formally Sedona
Not really I've known many people having Sienna's having a lot of problems with them my whole family is on Town & country in caravans we never have any problems I would prefer a Chrysler minivan over any of the other minivans any day hands down!
Yeah..... Chrysler Pacifica sold most because it's the cheapest and most of them are to car rental companies.....
I hate the 4th gen Chrysler minivans, they looked dated from the get-go, and most absurd to me was that they even lasted through 2007.
They did seem to keep that bubble look a bit long.
In fairness, the 5th generation van looked much older when they came out.
@@colinschmitz8297 Was borderline "retro" wasnt it?
@@autochatter borderline retro? "yes. Yeah, that's the ticket!". That was during an era of Chrysler where there styling was not very good. If they had to be stuck on one generation for such a long time, that was from a styling, interior, and comfort perspective not the generation I think most would want to be frozen in for so long.
I will give that generation the credit for finally getting competitive in the powertrain department and suspension wise for those who care about that, I would still argue that the previous generation was more accurate to what most minivan buyers wanted.
@colinschmitz8297 Styling is subjective of course, but by 07 to me the Chrysler vans look was dated as it was similar to a 96. The 08 looked....practical. The latest minivans have some interesting style about them..The Kia Carnival I think looks kind of cool.
Aaahhhh.... how the Toyota Sienna just killed our American van industry
Is there currently one? Stelantis isn't a American company.
@@autochatter you are so correct.... perhaps, the Toyota Sienna is now the true American van since it's designed, engineered, manufactured by Americans for Americans in America..... would you care to agree?
@@Aikynbreusov Definately would. The Camry has been a "Domestic" by that definition for years as well.
The Chrysler Minivans will be remembered MOST for their CONSISTENTLY POOR reliability, year after year! Consumer Reports has the FACTS!
And people wonder why we own a 15 Sienna XLE..... fluids, filters, brakes and tires for it's first 100,000 miles. Probably will be all it needs for its NEXT 100,000 miles.
My personal car (MX5) is highly rated by them.
@@g-mang-man7924 I have no doubt. I work at a Lexus Dealer!
I have one that is 18 years old, rust free, and running well. No major issues, just regular maintenance. The key is to maintain your car, whatever it is.
@@philricci2012 Regular maintenance certainly helps!
The Toyota Sienna is the most reliable and best-quality minivan. Chrysler suffers from poor-quality build and poor reliability
Yeah the sienna is the best van on the market with the Odyssey being a close second.