2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT LT Specs - Car and Driver
2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SXT VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheeldrive, 7-passenger, 5-door van PRICE AS TESTED: $36,825 (base price:
$27,770)
ENGINE TYPE: SOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum
block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 cu in, 3952cc Power (SAE net) . . . . . . . 251 bhp @ 6000 rpm Torque (SAE net) . . . . . . .259 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with
manumatic shifting
Wheelbase: 121.2 in Length: 202.5 in Width: 78.7 in Height: 68.9 in Curb weight: 4687 lb
WWII vet, Bill Ferguson, 83, gets 40 winks on a second-row air mattress.
PERFORMANCE: NEW Zero to 60 mph . . . . . . . . .7.8 sec Zero to 100 mph . . . . . . .24.8 sec Street start, 5–60 mph. . . 8.2 sec Standing ¼-mile . . . . . . .16.1 sec
40,000
7.8 sec 21.6 sec 8.5 sec 16.1 sec @ 86 mph @ 87 mph Braking, 70–0 mph . . . . . . .191 ft 184 ft
on a 600-mile trip to see the monument in Washington, D.C., dedicated to those who served in that war. And on every long trip, kids cocooned within wireless headsets, watching movies and playing games on the two-screen setup. We appreciated that the powerful Cara van betters most of the competition in fuel economy—we averaged 20 mpg over the course of 40,000 miles—as well as in its user-friendly features, both big and small: self-storing, rear-window sunshades; sidedoor windows that open almost all of the way (which made for friendlier border crossings back into the U.S. when we returned from Canadian trips); and key-
fob-controlled side doors and rear hatch. The logbook is free of gripes about the service experience. Routine maintenance calls for oil changes and tire rotations every 6000 miles. Those six service stops ranged in cost from $51 to $109, adding up to $462, which is more than our long-term 2004 Sienna’s $359 service bill even after adjusting for inflation. We ordered a set of winter rubber after about a month of heavy snow (by Febru ary, four feet had fallen in Detroit). Without them, the slightest driver inputs on snowy roads triggered the anti-lock brakes and set off stability-control flashers. After we slapped on a set of Bridgestone Blizzak
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad . . . 0.72 g* 0.74 g* Top speed (governor limited). . . .114 mph 112 mph EPA fuel economy, city/highway driving. . . . . . . . . . 16/23 mpg C/D-observed fuel economy . . . . . . . . 20 mpg Unscheduled oil additions . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 qt *Stability-control-inhibited. WARRANTY: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper; lifetime/unlimited miles powertrain; 3 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection; 3 years/36,000 miles roadside assistance OPERATING COSTS (FOR 40,000 MILES): Service (6 scheduled, 1 unscheduled). . . $462 Normal wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $480 Gasoline (@ $2.06 per gallon) . . . . . . . . $4120 NONWARRANTY REPAIRS: Rear turn-signal bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6 LIFE EXPECTANCIES (ESTIMATED FROM 40,000-MILE TEST): Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000 miles Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . .25,000 miles Rear brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000 miles WHAT BITS AND PIECES COST: Headlamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $143 Engine air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15 Oil filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5 Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $196 Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $125 Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14 Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $68 MODEL-YEAR CHANGES: 2009: Stow ’n Go seats and cruise control standard on SE; larger, 9-inch screens for rear-seat entertainment package; iPod interface included with uConnect phone; fuel economy of 4.0-liter engine improves to 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway; upgraded brake system; available blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path system
JUN 2009
99
$27,770)
ENGINE TYPE: SOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum
block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 cu in, 3952cc Power (SAE net) . . . . . . . 251 bhp @ 6000 rpm Torque (SAE net) . . . . . . .259 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with
manumatic shifting
Wheelbase: 121.2 in Length: 202.5 in Width: 78.7 in Height: 68.9 in Curb weight: 4687 lb
WWII vet, Bill Ferguson, 83, gets 40 winks on a second-row air mattress.
PERFORMANCE: NEW Zero to 60 mph . . . . . . . . .7.8 sec Zero to 100 mph . . . . . . .24.8 sec Street start, 5–60 mph. . . 8.2 sec Standing ¼-mile . . . . . . .16.1 sec
40,000
7.8 sec 21.6 sec 8.5 sec 16.1 sec @ 86 mph @ 87 mph Braking, 70–0 mph . . . . . . .191 ft 184 ft
on a 600-mile trip to see the monument in Washington, D.C., dedicated to those who served in that war. And on every long trip, kids cocooned within wireless headsets, watching movies and playing games on the two-screen setup. We appreciated that the powerful Cara van betters most of the competition in fuel economy—we averaged 20 mpg over the course of 40,000 miles—as well as in its user-friendly features, both big and small: self-storing, rear-window sunshades; sidedoor windows that open almost all of the way (which made for friendlier border crossings back into the U.S. when we returned from Canadian trips); and key-
fob-controlled side doors and rear hatch. The logbook is free of gripes about the service experience. Routine maintenance calls for oil changes and tire rotations every 6000 miles. Those six service stops ranged in cost from $51 to $109, adding up to $462, which is more than our long-term 2004 Sienna’s $359 service bill even after adjusting for inflation. We ordered a set of winter rubber after about a month of heavy snow (by Febru ary, four feet had fallen in Detroit). Without them, the slightest driver inputs on snowy roads triggered the anti-lock brakes and set off stability-control flashers. After we slapped on a set of Bridgestone Blizzak
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad . . . 0.72 g* 0.74 g* Top speed (governor limited). . . .114 mph 112 mph EPA fuel economy, city/highway driving. . . . . . . . . . 16/23 mpg C/D-observed fuel economy . . . . . . . . 20 mpg Unscheduled oil additions . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 qt *Stability-control-inhibited. WARRANTY: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper; lifetime/unlimited miles powertrain; 3 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection; 3 years/36,000 miles roadside assistance OPERATING COSTS (FOR 40,000 MILES): Service (6 scheduled, 1 unscheduled). . . $462 Normal wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $480 Gasoline (@ $2.06 per gallon) . . . . . . . . $4120 NONWARRANTY REPAIRS: Rear turn-signal bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6 LIFE EXPECTANCIES (ESTIMATED FROM 40,000-MILE TEST): Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000 miles Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . .25,000 miles Rear brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,000 miles WHAT BITS AND PIECES COST: Headlamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $143 Engine air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15 Oil filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5 Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $196 Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $125 Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14 Front brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $68 MODEL-YEAR CHANGES: 2009: Stow ’n Go seats and cruise control standard on SE; larger, 9-inch screens for rear-seat entertainment package; iPod interface included with uConnect phone; fuel economy of 4.0-liter engine improves to 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway; upgraded brake system; available blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path system
JUN 2009
99
