Building a minivan, on the other hand, especially for us American types and our super-precious children, is a most difficult feat. Think about it. After more than two decades of trying, both
Ford and General Motors threw in the towel.They simply couldn’t compete with Chrysler and its Grand Caravan. Which, when you stop and think about it, is crazy, especially considering how very competitive GM and Ford are with every other niche Chrysler occupies. Speaking of niches…Hyundai, the new king of inserting itself into every single segment but cannot build a competitive minivan for the North American market. Sure, Kia makes the Sedona, but when’s the last time you saw one of those? What about Volkswagen? Nope, it can’t sell minivans in the U.S. either, so it rebadged a Caravan as a Routan. Go figure.
There are two companies, however, that can go toe-to-toe with what’s arguably Chrysler’s best-engineered product. Toyota and Honda, the once-upstart Japanese brands, are now almost as American as apple pie.
Honda’s Odyssey is now in its fourth generation, while the
Toyota Sienna enters its third. Purists will insist Toyota’s minivan heritage continues farther back than that.
The
Dodge’s 4.0-liter V-6 is noticeably the slowest motor here, and it also returns by far the worst gas mileage, 17.4 mpg by our mixed freeway/backroad yardstick. Still, most of us thought its transmission shifted very well, and appreciated the ability to manually shift any of its six gear ratios. That’s quite unlike the Honda, which offers no shift-it-yourself ability (there is an overdrive-off button that locks you into direct drive, aka third gear), with its standard five-speed automatic. You can get an Odyssey with a six-speed, but you still can’t choose your own gears, and it’s available only in the Odyssey Touring, which starts at $41,535.
Here’s why: The
Odyssey’s high-tech, VVT 3.5-liter V-6 with cylinder deactivation managed 21.1 mpg over 11 laps of our roughly 30-mile mixed driving loop. The
Toyota Sienna, meanwhile, with its comparatively low-tech (i.e., no cylinder deactivation), 3.5-liter V-6, managed 21.3 mpg. And the Toyota makes 17 more horsepower than the Honda, 265 compared with 248. Equipped with the six-speed and cylinder deactivation, the Odyssey would have likely added 1 mpg (as the Touring does in city and highway EPA ratings).The point is that fuel economy matters to minivan buyers: Why not try and stand out? Also, we imagine the take rate will be quite low, but you can get the Sienna with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder. Even that motor comes with a six-speed.
This point-counterpoint could go on forever, as this market segment really is that cutthroat.
|
2010 Dodge Caravan SXT |
2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L |
2011 Toyota Sienna SE |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS |
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT |
Front engine, FWD |
Front engine, FWD |
Front engine, FWD |
| ENGINE TYPE |
60-deg V-6, alum block/heads |
60-deg V-6, alum block/heads |
60-deg V-6, alum block/heads |
| VALVETRAIN |
SOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
SOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
DOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
| DISPLACEMENT |
241.2 cu in/3952 cc |
211.8 cu in/3471 cc |
210.9 cu in/3456 cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO |
10.3:1 |
10.5:1 |
10.8:1 |
| POWER (SAE NET) |
251 hp @ 6000 rpm |
248 hp @ 5700 rpm |
265 hp @ 6200 rpm |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) |
259 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm |
250 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm |
245 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm |
| REDLINE |
6000 rpm |
6200 rpm |
6500 rpm |
| WEIGHT TO POWER |
18.2 lb/hp |
18.1 lb/hp |
16.7 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION |
6-speed automatic |
5-speed automatic |
6-speed automatic |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIOS |
3.16:1/2.07:1 |
4.31:1/2.64:1 |
3.94:1/2.39:1 |
| SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR |
Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; torsion beam, coil springs |
Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs |
Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; torsion beam, coil springs,anti-roll bar |
| STEERING RATIO |
16.9:1 |
16.4:1 |
15.5:1 |
| TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK |
3.1 |
3.5 |
3.4 |
| BRAKES, F;R |
11.9-in vented disc; 12.0-in disc, ABS |
12.6-in vented disc; 13.1-in disc, ABS |
12.9-in vented disc; 12.2-in disc, ABS |
| WHEELS |
6.5 x 17 in, cast aluminum |
7.0 x 17 in, cast aluminum |
7.0 x 19 in, cast aluminum |
| TIRES |
225/65R17 100T M+S
Bridgestone Turanza EL400 |
235/65R17 103T M+S
Continental ContiProContact |
235/50R19 99V M+S
Dunlop SP Sport 7000 AVS |
| DIMENSIONS |
| WHEELBASE |
121.2 in |
118.1 in |
119.3 in |
| TRACK, F/R |
65.5/64.8 in |
68.1/68.2 in |
67.7/67.7 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT |
202.5 x 76.9 x 68.9 in |
202.9 x 79.2 x 68.4 in |
200.2 x 78.2 x 68.9 in |
| TURNING CIRCLE |
39.1 ft |
36.7 ft |
36.9 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT |
4580 lb |
4478 lb |
4417 lb |
| WEIGHT DIST, F/R |
56/44% |
59/41% |
56/44% |
| SEATING CAPACITY |
7 |
8 |
8 |
| HEADROOM, F/M/R |
39.8/39.2/37.9 in |
38.3/38.3*-39.4/38.0 in |
41.0/39.7/38.3 in |
| LEGROOM, F/M/R |
40.6/36.3/31.8 in |
40.9/40.9/42.4 in |
40.5/37.6/36.3 |
| SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R |
63.0/64.7/62.0 in |
64.4/63.5/60.9 in |
65.0/64.6/61.1 in |
| CARGO VOLUME BEHIND, F/M/R |
140.1/83.7/32.3 cu ft |
148.5/93.1/38.4 in |
150.0/87.1/39.1 cu ft |
| TEST DATA |
| ACCELERATION TO MPH |
| 0-30 |
2.6 sec |
3.1 sec |
2.6 sec |
| 0-40 |
3.9 |
4.3 |
3.8 |
| 0-50 |
5.5 |
6.1 |
5.5 |
| 0-60 |
7.6 |
7.9 |
7.1 |
| 0-70 |
10.1 |
10.1 |
9.1 |
| 0-80 |
13.5 |
13.2 |
11.5 |
| 0-90 |
17.3 |
16.5 |
14.4 |
| 0-100 |
22.4 |
20.3 |
18.4 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH |
4.1 |
3.8 |
3.4 |
| QUARTER MILE |
15.9 sec @ 86.5 mph |
16.1 sec @ 89.1 mph |
15.4 sec @ 92.6 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH |
128 ft |
125 ft |
121 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION |
0.67 g (avg) |
0.73 g (avg) |
0.74 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT |
30.5 sec @ 0.52 g (avg) |
29.4 sec @ 0.56 g (avg) |
28.6 sec @ 0.59 g (avg) |
| TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH |
1500 rpm |
2400 rpm |
1800 rpm |
| CONSUMER INFO |
|
|
|
| BASE PRICE |
$29,195 |
$35,230 |
$31,575 |
| PRICE AS TESTED |
$32,575 |
$35,230 |
$34,418 |
| STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL |
Yes/yes |
Yes/yes |
Yes/yes |
| AIRBAGS |
Dual front, f/m/r curtain |
Dual front, front side, f/m/r curtain |
Dual front, front side, driver knee, f/m/r curtain |
| BASIC WARRANTY |
3 yrs/36,000 miles |
3 yrs/36,000 miles |
3 yrs/36,000 miles |
| POWERTRAIN WARRANTY |
5 yrs/100,000 miles |
5 yrs/60,000 miles |
5 yrs/60,000 miles |
| ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE |
3 yrs/36,000 miles |
N/A |
N/A |
| FUEL CAPACITY |
20.0 gal |
21.0 gal |
20.0 gal |
| EPA CITY/HWY ECON |
17/25 mpg |
18/27 mpg |
18/24 mpg |
| CO2 EMISSIONS |
0.98 lb/mile |
0.92 lb/mile |
0.96 lb/mile |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL |
Unleaded regular |
Unleaded regular |
Unleaded regular |
| *SAE certified |
