Yesterday the Jacquot family took the long-term Dodge Grand Caravan to the XTerra West Championship in
About half-way through the morning's competition, the mercury climbed into the mid 90s forcing my wife and nine-week-old daughter into the Caravan for a periodic respite from the heat. By mid-day it was downright miserable:
We asked a lot of the Caravan's cooling system yesterday. It ran for long periods keeping the wife and baby comfortable as the wind wound up outside. There was never a hint of overheating.
Packing for the trip was easy. In fact, there's so much room in this van I didn't even bother doing it efficiently. Here's what it looks like when configured to haul three adults, a baby, a bike, a running stroller, three chairs, a tent, a baby bouncer, two gear bags, a cooler and a small hand cart to move the load:
So the inside was cool and comfortable, but the outside of the van might still be wishing it was in
This morning, when temps were in the 70s, the bumper had returned to normal, but I suspect we haven't seen the last of this deformation.
I also found the front passenger seat to be a perfectly capable changing station. My daughter wasn't convinced:
On the upside, the Caravan's 4.0-liter powerplant and six-speed transmission are an excellent pairing providing comfortable passing power without obnoxious kickdowns or engine noise. Overall, this van is nice package from behind the wheel.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor @ 4,743 miles
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I think she's sayin' "Dude! Turn the seat heater off!" On another note, not too many vehicles like to be parked on a hot day in the sun with the AC and rear AC cranked and idling. Many start to creep up into the overheating range. The Dodge must have a great big radiator jammed in there.
That picture is classic! You must be very proud.
Its cool that the Caravan was well, cool...
people think that they are really abusing by running the engine with the A/C on during a hot day, but its nothing compared to what a automotive manufacturer does to a car/truck to ensure faultless performance under such conditions. Thats why when magazines run feature stories with "Torture Testing Model XYZ" I just laugh.
I guess chrysler/their supplier didn't do enough hot weather testing of their plastics
I had the unfortunate experience of watching a couple changing their baby on the deck-lid of their car's trunk. I was shocked by two things...
1. Being in Florida, steel gets really hot in the sun, and even with a blanket under the baby, it must have been really uncomfortable for the baby.
2. How many parents would not care enough for other people around them by changing their baby in the open air, (at the pumps of a gas station no less) so everyone can watch? I'm not trying to start off a debate about baby changing or feeding, but one would think the parents could do it with a bit more privacy for the baby's sake and for the people around them.