The seats in our Grand Caravan SXT were nicely finished in light-colored leather. The material is soft and appears to be durable. The seat bottoms are nicely finished on all sides; we mention this because some manufacturers don't finish the inboard side panels, which leaves an unattractive, unfinished look that you don't notice until after you've bought the vehicle. Faux carbon fiber trim added a touch of high-tech to the cabin.
The seats in the Grand Caravan seemed more bucket-like than those of the similar Chrysler Town & Country, and not as comfortable. The Dodge has a manually adjustable lumbar support, however, and the seatbacks seem to have more side bolstering than in the T&C. The power seat adjusters have exposed screws on them that do not feel aesthetically pleasing. The seating position is higher than that of a sedan, which enables drivers to see over traffic. But you don't have to climb up into the seats, as you do in SUVs.
The Stow 'n Go seating system, standard on Grand Caravan SXT and optional on Grand Caravan SE, is the best seating setup on the market. The second and third rows of seats fold flat into the floor leaving a perfectly flat platform for cargo. Folding and unfolding the seats is a quick three-step process. Pull one strap to drop the seatback, then pull two other straps to tuck it into the floor. This leaves a perfectly flat platform. Very few seats fold perfectly flat and no one else (except Chrysler) has a second row that does this. The system is also flexible. The third row is split 60/40 and either or both of the second-row captain's chairs can be stowed. So, for example, you could stow the right one-third of the third-row bench and the right-hand second-row seat for loading something long, while still leaving seating for yourself and three or four passengers. Alas, the front passenger seat does not fold down, so you may want to secure that kayak to the roof rack.
The second-row seats move fore and aft to optimize legroom for rear passengers. Getting into the third row is a little awkward, but easier than in most SUVs. Once back there, the third-row seating is comfortable, though the seat bottoms are steeply raked.
Grand Caravan SE and both Caravan models come standard with the traditional seating setup instead of the new Stow 'n Go system, so the seats must be removed to turn them into effective cargo haulers. We found the second-row bucket seats and third-row split bench easy to remove, however. All or any one of the four seats can be popped out and rolled away in three quick steps, providing a wide variety of seating and cargo configurations. Reinstalling them takes a little more practice, as you need to learn how to line them up before snapping them into place. Each seat is heavy enough that care should be exercised when lifting it off the garage floor; you may want help. Most of the time what you'll do is leave the seats in the van but fold the seatbacks down to form a continuous load floor for large items.
The low floor makes getting in and out through the side doors easy. Caesar the 160-pound mastiff requires a ramp to get into an SUV, but he stepped easily and without hesitation through the rear and side doors of our Grand Caravan. Likewise, the low load height makes loading cargo easier, and the Grand Caravan can carry more stuff and bigger items than any SUV. There's a fair amount of cargo space behind the third row. When the seats are in place for passengers, there are wells behind the third-row seats that are perfect for groceries. A pair of cargo nets can be suspended from hooks, providing well-designed bags to keep your melons from rolling around. Another net can be secured between either the second-row or front-row captain's chairs. Hooks on the backs of the seats are useful for hanging plastic grocery bags and other items. There's also space in front of the center console for a purse or tote bag. When it comes to moving combinations of people and stuff, the Grand Caravan has no peers.
The instruments are straightforward: big, round analog gauges with white faces. They light up green at night. The dash is canted slightly forward for better visibility. Indicators for the turn signals and high beams are cleverly located in a thin hooded display above the instrument panel where they are easy to see.
The optional steering wheel controls are well designed, among the best available. Cruise controls are on the front of the steering wheel and allow precise regulation of speed; an indicator on the dash tells the driver the system is on. Behind the steering wheel are audio controls that let the driver easily adjust volume, switch among pre-set stations, activate the seek function and switch between AM and FM bands. It's a brilliant design.
The audio systems are well designed. An optional six-disc CD/DVD changer for rear-seat video entertainment is available in addition to the in-dash audio system with AM/FM/CD/cassette. The unit is now compatible with MP3, DVD-audio, DVD-R and DVD-W. Controls for the sound system are intuitive and easy to use with a big round knob for volume and on/off, though a separate Set button must be pressed to pre-set stations.
The optional GPS navigation system is integrated with the radio and suffers from small buttons that are relatively difficult to operate underway. The navigation system itself works exceedingly well and is easy to program, but the display is small (4.2 inches compared with the typical 7 inches) and cannot be dimmed, only turned off, which is annoying at night.
The available automatic three-zone temperature controls are excellent, allowing the driver and front-seat passenger to set their own comfort levels. A great feature is the High/Low Auto button, allowing you to eliminate fan blasting at the press of a button. Or just hit the big off button. There's a separate control for the rear of the cabin that gives the front-seat occupants the option of controlling the rear or giving control to those in the back seats. It's a well-designed setup. Heating and air conditioning controls on lower models are functional but rudimentary.
Sirius Satellite Radio is available and provides 100 coast-to-coast channels that include music, news, talk, sports and comedy. It's a great option to have when traveling because the stations don't change as you drive across the country.
UConnect uses Bluetooth technology to integrate the cell phone you carry on your belt or in your purse into a hands-free system installed in an SXT model. UConnect features voice dialing, an audio address book and other functions. UConnect's control pad is mounted on the dashboard and its microphone is attached to the overhead console. Your own mobile phone may be placed anywhere inside the vehicle. Conversations may be continued while entering or exiting the vehicle, without interrupting the call.
