Dodge was kind enough to give Kris and I a van to get to North Carolina for the Type A Parent Conference. I’ve written about the conference but also wanted to share my thoughts on the vehicle they loaned us.
I will start this off by saying that I LOVE minivans. I have ever since I can remember! (Embarrassing fact: My DREAM car since Junior High has been a Chrysler Town and Country minivan.) Growing up I always thought of the Dodge Grand Caravan as a *cheap* version of the Town and Country but my thoughts have since changed- so much so that I would now be honored to own a Dodge Grand Caravan! I loved this van and I wanted to share the features I thought were fantastic and the features I would change.
Things I liked:
1) Sensors on the sideview mirrors that let you know when a car is in your blind spot
2) The USB port where I was able to charge my phone and my external charger
3) The extra storage in the middle of the driver’s seat and the passenger seat
4) The dual glove compartments (is mine the only one that is always overflowing?)
5) Seats that fold into the floor for towing large items and the extra space it provides
6) Fold down front mirror that would let me easily view my children in the back seats
7) ECon button to conserve gas
8) Lots of cupholders (seems there are never enough in most vehicles)
9) Built in sunshades that my children can’t pull off the windows
10) Separate temperature controls for driver and passenger (I hate being cold!).
11) Heated seats AND steering wheel
12) Auto open doors and back hatch (my hands are always full with two little kids)
13) Great navigation system
What I disliked:
1) The gear shift (I’m used to straight up and down.)
2) When the van’s ECon button was pushed the pickup on hills was slower
***
Overall, like I said before, I loved this minivan (especially compared to my current sedan). I hope that if you are currently shopping for a minivan my honest, mom of two young children’s review of the Dodge Grand Caravan helped!
(Disclosure: Dodge loaned us a Grand Caravan to drive from Chicago to North Carolina and gave us gas money but all thoughts are my own and I was not asked to write this review.)