With the 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, form follows function. This minivan is all about maximizing room for cargo or kiddies, and it’s a trick the Chrysler Group knows best, with its patented Stow ’n Go seating system. However, Dodge may have taken the form-function philosophy a little too far considering the model’s crude interior appointments, says Cars.com senior editor David Thomas. However, is the Grand Caravan’s attractive price enough to keep up with the new Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey? Continue reading to find out. 

2010 Dodge Grand Caravan Review

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Chrysler is recalling 6,686 minivans equipped with optional Class 3 receiver hitches. When loaded to the maximum capacity, the hitch can fracture or bend where it meets the hitch muffler strap, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Included in the recall are 1996-2007 Dodge Grand Caravan, 1997-2007 Chrysler Town & Country and 1996-2004 Plymouth Voyager minivans.

Chrysler will begin the recall later this month. Owners can call the company at 715-831-8713 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.

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CURT Manufacturing is recalling 6,686 Chrysler minivans equipped with optional Class 3 receiver hitches. When loaded to the maximum capacity, the hitch can fracture or bend where it meets the hitch muffler strap, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Included in the recall are 1996-2007 Dodge Grand Caravan, 1997-2007 Chrysler Town & Country and 1996-2004 Plymouth Voyager minivans.

The recall will begin later this month. Owners can call the company at 715-831-8713 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.

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Over the years, minivan choices have narrowed to a select few. The automotive twins, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, are the last minivans offered by the Detroit Three. Recently, a 2010 Town & Country and Grand Caravan came through our offices. They had the same interior layout, with two captain’s chairs in the second row and a three-seat bench in the third row.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a rear-facing infant-safety seat, a convertible child-safety seat and a high-back booster seat, all made by Graco. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The child seats are installed in the second row and, if available, third row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat.

Here’s how the 2010 Town & Country and Grand Caravan scored in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check:

Latch system: There are two sets of lower Latch anchors in the second-row captain’s chairs. They’re visible to the eye and easy to use. In the third-row bench, a set of lower Latch anchors sits off-center of the middle position. When a child-safety seat is installed using the Latch anchors in the third row, the three-seat bench essentially becomes a two-seater. I can’t say I’m wild about that, especially if you’re using a minivan to haul a bigger family. The exposed tether anchors sit at the base of the seatbacks, which is a long reach. 

Booster seat: In the second row, the booster seat fit well in the captain’s chairs after the head restraints were removed, and the seat belt buckles sit in stable bases that are well within a child’s reach. In the third row, the seat bolstering interfered with the booster’s fit. There also were problems with the seat belt buckles in the third row. The buckles were floppy, which are harder for kids to manage, and fell behind or under the booster seat. 

Convertible child-safety seat: The exposed Latch anchors made installing both the rear- and forward-facing convertible seat a cinch. I had to remove the head restraint to get a good fit with the forward-facing convertible in the captain’s chairs.

Rear-facing infant-safety seat: This was also easy to install in the second row.

Do two car seats fit? Yes, in both the second and third rows.

Do three car seats fit? Yes, if using both rows. Four car seats will fit into these minivans easily, but five might be difficult unless the three car seats used in the third row are narrow.

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MotherProof.com reviewer Sara Lacey wanted some extreme styling from Volkswagen’s minivan, the Routan, but what she found was standard minivan fare. The Routan is based on the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. While it doesn’t offer any Stow ‘n Go seating, Sara found its fully reclining captain’s chairs in the second row to be more comfortable than its Detroit counterparts. Read Sara’s full review to find out what else she likes about this minivan.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Review

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Chrysler has issued a recall for 284,831 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans from the 2008-2009 model years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects vehicles built between February and September 2007, which may have a wire harness routed incorrectly. This may create a condition where the lower sliding door hinge bracket rubs against the wire insulation and wears through it.

This could cause a short circuit inside the sliding door, overheating the latch and potentially causing a fire.

Chrysler and Dodge dealers will inspect and repair the vehicles for free. Owners may contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.

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Many of sporty and fun to drive cars like BMW X5 and Audi A5 retains approximately 40% of their original value even after five years!

The cars which are cheaper to buy also have the fastest reduction in their prices. While the general wisdom is that new cars lose up to 20% of their value the moment they’re driven off the lot, and about 65% after five years, the Sedona, Town Car, Sebring and Caravan each lost more than 67% of their value after just two years–and a whopping 82% after five years.

To determine which cars lose their value the fastest, we used residual-value data from Kelley Blue Book.

“If we’re painting it with broad strokes, I’d say SUVs are going to depreciate at a little higher clip than probably sub-compacts or hybrids or standard sedans, especially as we’re going into Obama’s 35-mile-per-gallon standard in 2016,” says James Bell, an automotive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “I think the American public better start to get ready to look at small cars not as a curiosity, but as a reality.”

10. Dodge Durango

MSRP: $28,980

Value after 24 months: 33%

Value after 36 months: 26%

Value after 48 months: 22%

Value after 60 months: 18%

9. Lincoln Town Car

MSRP: $46,525

Value after 24 months: 32%

Value after 36 months: 26%

Value after 48 months: 22%

Value after 60 months: 18%

8. Mitsubishi Raider

MSRP: $21,135

Value after 24 months: 30%

Value after 36 months: 25%

Value after 48 months: 21%

Value after 60 months: 18%

7. Saab 9-7X

MSRP: $42,615

Value after 24 months: 33%

Value after 36 months: 27%

Value after 48 months: 21%

Value after 60 months: 17%

6. Dodge Ram 3500

MSRP: $30,385

Value after 24 months: 34%

Value after 36 months: 26%

Value after 48 months: 21%

Value after 60 months: 17%

5. Dodge Grand Caravan

MSRP: $23,545

Value after 24 months: 24%

Value after 36 months: 26%

Value after 48 months: 21%

Value after 60 months: 17%

4. Kia Spectra Sedan

MSRP: $13,550

Value after 24 months: 35%

Value after 36 months: 26%

Value after 48 months: 21%

Value after 60 months: 17%

3. Kia Optima Sedan

MSRP: $17,495

Value after 24 months: 32%

Value after 36 months: 25%

Value after 48 months: 21%

Value after 60 months: 17%

2. Kia Sedona

MSRP: $21,245

Value after 24 months: 33%

Value after 36 months: 24%

Value after 48 months: 19%

Value after 60 months: 15%

1. Chrysler Sebring Convertible

MSRP: $28,530

Value after 24 months: 27%

Value after 36 months: 22%

Value after 48 months: 18%

Value after 60 months: 15%

Bottom line: It is always better to buy slightly expensive car rather than a car which will retain only 15% of its original value

Compiled from information from Forbes.com

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