Used 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan SE Plus for sale 

The mid-spec SE Plus variant is priced at $29,015 and in addition to all the features offered in the SE variant, it also gets three-zone automatic climate control, automatic headlamps, and remote start. The top of the line SXT variant of the Grand Caravan is priced at $31,750 and along with the features offered with the SE Plus variant, it gets powered driver seats and dual sliding doors.

2018 Dodge Grand Caravan Minivan Buying Advice

The base SE variant of the Dodge Grand Caravan is actually a great buy. It gets all the features and equipment that are essential for a family car. Plus, it comes at a bargain price of $26,250. The next two trim levels are priced pretty high and the equipment and the features that they offer do not justify their pricing. So, overall the SE trim level is the best buy.

The Dodge Grand Caravan gets a 3.6-liter V6 engine and it comes mated to a 6-speed automatic box. The power plant of the Grand Caravan churns out 283 HP and delivers 280 lb-ft of torque. All the power and the torque is fed to the front wheels of this minivan.

Being a front-wheel-drive minivan, expect the Grand Caravan to understeer a bit. It has a punchy V6 engine and so cruising on the highways at high speeds is not a big deal with the Grand Caravan. It accelerates easily and does handle well around the corners. Given the fact that this is a 4500 lbs. minivan, there is a certain amount of body roll on high-speed cornering. Ride and handling are just satisfactory and there is nothing exceptional about it.

The Grand Caravan's engine isn't the most powerful engine amongst its rivals. The Toyota Sienna and the Chrysler Pacifica produce 296 HP and 287 HP respectively. The Grand Caravan stands third in the competition with 283 HP and is followed by the Honda Odyssey that makes 280 HP.

2018 Dodge Grand Caravan Acceleration And Braking

The Grand Caravan isn't the quickest of the lot which is surprising since it comes from the house of Dodge and Dodge is known for making some of the fastest cars in the world. The Grand Caravan takes 7.9 secs to reach the 60 MPH mark starting from rest. The quarter-mile distance is covered in 15.7 secs. The high curb weight of this minivan is responsible for those unimpressive acceleration timings.

Credit to its low curb weight, in spite of being the least powered car, the Honda Odyssey has the best 0-60 MPH acceleration timings at 6.9 secs. On the drag strip, the Chrysler Pacifica is the fastest car and hits the quarter-mile mark in just 15.1 secs.

It's been over a decade that the Dodge Grand Caravan hasn't received any major technical updates. The Grand Caravan uses an outdated set of brakes and fails to impress with its stopping abilities. This minivan rather uses a smaller set of brakes. At the front, the Grand Caravan gets 11.9 inches diameter discs and at the rear, it gets 12 inches diameter discs. 

The Dodge Grand Caravan consumes one gallon of fuel for every 17 miles of driving in the city. On the highway, this minivan offers a fuel economy rating of 25 MPG. The combined rating sums up to 20 MPG which is decent for a van of this size and weight but it gets completely outclassed by its rivals.

The Toyota Sienna, the Chrysler Pacifica, and the Honda Odyssey all offer a combined fuel economy rating of 22 MPG. The Dodge fails to score on this front too. The Grand Caravan was last updated back in 2008. Since then there haven't been any major design and technical changes. The interior design of the Grand Caravan is dull and is outdated. It feels frugal, plasticky, and uninspired.

The Grand Caravan has 3 rows and can accommodate 7 people. The only plus point of the interior is the positioning of the driver's seat. The driver's seat is placed high and it offers great visibility. The passenger space though is not all that great when compared to its rivals. Also, the head, shoulder, and legroom figures on the first, second, and third row are not very impressive either.

A comfortable riding experience is one of the important factors a buyer considers when she/he buys a minivan. The Grand Caravan's suspensions do smoothen out some sharp bumps but its rivals do that job way better than it does. Moreover, the Grand Caravan isn't really agile and passengers will be thrown around in case of sharp, high-speed turns.

The 2018 Dodge Caravan’s interior disappoints as there is nothing interesting or special about it. Every other car in the competition is more spacious than the Grand Caravan. You get 4-way Driver and 4-way passenger manually reclinable seats. The Grand Caravan is packed with the basic boring stuff and it is not necessarily bad but Dodge must get up and catch up with the competition.

2018 Dodge Grand Caravan Infotainment System

Although this car gets 6.5 inches touchscreen infotainment interface as standard, its features and functions are all outdated. You don't get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The screen has a poor resolution and the controls are a bit confusing.

It is not at all an intuitive infotainment system. The Grand Caravan gets a 6 speaker audio system with a CD player. It also gets an AM/FM radio system. The UConnect infotainment system is borrowed from Chrysler and is offered as an option.

• 6 Speaker AUdio setup.
• 6.5-inch radio with Parkview.
• 40 GB Hard Drive with 28GB Available
• 1 LCD Monitor in the front
• Steering wheel mounted audio controls
• Audio Jack input

2018 DOdge Grand Caravan Cargo Capacity

With the third row up, the Dodge Grand Caravan offers a cargo space of 33 cubic feet. Once you fold up down the third row of seats, you open up to 83.3 cubic feet of storage volume. With the third and the second row of seats folded, you now have 143.8 cubic feet of storage volume.

The only rival that offers better storage space than the Dodge, is the Toyota Sienna. With the third and the second row folded down, it offers a massive 150 cubic feet of luggage storage volume and if all the rows of seats are up, it provides a decent 39.1 cubic feet of cargo storage volume.

The Dodge Grand Caravan is the heaviest in its segment at 4510 lbs. It measures 202.8 inches in length, 78.7 inches in width, and is 68.9 inches tall. This is certainly not the car you could put into narrow lanes and maneuvering it is a tough task. It gets a decent ground clearance of 5.6 inches just to ensure that you don't scratch to the floor when you hit a sharp pothole or a speed bump.

In comparison to its rivals, the Dodge is neither the longest nor the widest and neither is it the tallest minivan. The Chrysler Pacifica is the longest, widest, and the tallest minivan and at the same time happens to be the lightest vehicle in the segment. There are not many exterior features on the Dodge Grand Caravan. Some of them are listed below.

• Blacktop appearance package.
• Optional powered doors.
• Rear backup camera.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rated the Caravan with 4 Stars on the basis of a number of crash tests carried out by them only. Similarly, IIHS also rated the new Dodge Grand Caravan as ‘Good’ in most of their categories which goes to tell us that Dodge has prepared the vehicle to keep the driver and passengers safe. The Dodge Grand Caravan does offer some advanced safety equipment as standard. Some of them are listed below.

• Dual Front Advanced Airbags
• Dual Front Seat-Mounted Side Airbags
• Full-Length Side Curtain Airbags
• Rollover Mitigation (ROM)
• 3-Point Seat Belts for All Seating Positions
• Front Seat-Belt Pretensioners
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Traction Control System (TCS)
• Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD)
• Brake Assist System (BAS)
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
• Hill Start Assist Control (HAC)
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
• Rear Child-Safety Door Locks

Toyota Sienna VS Dodge Grand Caravan

The Toyota Sienna L is almost $4000 costlier than the Dodge Grand Caravan. It produces 13 more horses than the Dodge, it has slightly better acceleration, braking, and fuel economy numbers than the Dodge and it also offers more luggage space. Moreover, Toyota is a younger car and comes with all the latest tech and design updates. 

Being very neutral, if you have no problem at shelling out 4000 bucks more to avail of some better features and equipment, then the Toyota Sienna is the better option. The Sienna is a fresher car, offers better power and economy, and beats the Grand Caravan on all fronts. You may settle for the Dodge if you do not wish to spend the extra $4000.

Chrysler Pacifica L VS Dodge Grand Caravan

The Chrysler Pacifica costs just $745 more than the Dodge Grand Caravan. It has slightly better power, acceleration, fuel economy, and braking figures than the Dodge. The Chrysler has a slightly smaller storage volume but you can still live with it.

Moreover, the Dodge borrows most of the gadgets and the gizmos from the Chrysler. Again the Chrysler Pacifica is a fresher and updated car. At a few bucks more than the Grand Caravan, the Pacifica is the more sensible option.

Honda Odyssey VS Dodge Grand Caravan

The Honda Odyssey makes 6 horses less and costs $5500 more than the Grand Caravan. Yet the Odyssey has the better acceleration figures and also beats the Dodge in terms of braking and fuel economy. Honda's luggage storage volume is lesser than the Dodge.

In this case, the scores are leveled. In some areas the Honda scores while the Dodge does well in the other areas. Again the major drawback i.e. the older design and antiqued features of the Dodge Grand Caravan will be highlighted giving the Honda an edge over the Dodge.

The Dodge Grand Caravan, by modern standard, is not a good minivan. It has an old, outdated, and dull design and screams on your face that it desperately needs an update. Most of its rivals offer better features and better interior comfort. The ride quality of the Grand Caravan is also not really great and safety scores are also just average. 

While the Grand Caravan does most of the things right, it lacks that extra bit of luster that its rivals possess. If you are looking for a frugal family and cargo transporter, then the Dodge Grand Caravan can be a good buy. But if you can extend your budget a little bit, then you should rather go for the Honda Odyssey or the Chrysler Pacifica or the Toyota Sienna.