Chrysler minivans' new look attracts attention
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(Photos by ERIC SEALS/Detroit Free Press)
Gino and Anna Sovran, both 50 and of Windsor, like the updated 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Chrysler introduced the redesigned Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country models at the show.
Redesign gains fans, but others say models aren't stylish enough
January 22, 2007
You could find plenty of flash at Detroit's North American International Auto Show, but some folks are looking for practicality.
And few things are more practical for a family than a minivan, a vehicle Chrysler invented more than 20 years ago and has now redesigned with hopes of keeping it popular.
The public got its first chance to see the new 2008 minivans at the show -- a Dodge Grand Caravan and a Chrysler Town & Country, whose doors were locked to protect the details of their new features.The hometown, bread-and-butter vans aren't cool for everyone, but they got plenty of traffic amid the hybrids, luxury rides and concept cars on display at Cobo Hall during the show, which ended Sunday.
Peck Jones, 70, and his wife, Carol, 69, of East Lansing checked out the Town & Country.
He said they plan to buy a new minivan in the next few months because of the extra room for long road trips and for errands with their grandchildren.
"When we go out to Colorado and carry our ski stuff with us, it is full," he said.
To others, minivan means bland.
"We're a little tired of the minivans," said Marc Bahm, 38, of Commerce Township. "Functional is great, but styling was definitely not there."
Minivans make up 20% of Chrysler's sales, so the new models are critical to the company's future at a time when other automakers, such as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp., are abandoning the segment and embracing the so-called crossover market -- vehicles that mix car frames with SUV looks.
Chrysler designers worked to reshape the minivan's exterior, replacing the traditional jelly-bean look with a more angular front end.
Inside, new features include swiveling second-row seats, a removable table, new lighting and dual DVD screens that can show different movies at the same time.
"I think the two movies for the kids are great," said David Grosan, 40, of Livonia. "We have three kids, and they fight on what they can watch."
He plans to buy something within the next year and is leaning toward a minivan. "We think it's easier for the kids to move around and get in and get out of the vehicle," he said.
Ramon Issa, 30, studied the Chrysler minivans with his wife, who is pregnant with their fourth child. They're in the market for a minivan because of the functionality. They said they liked the Honda Odyssey because of its optional eighth seat and the Chrysler Town & Country because of the Stow 'N' Go seats that fold flat into the floor.
The removable table option appealed to Issa.
"That would be kind of cool," he said. "I might wait around until the fall."
Despite all of the upgrades and design changes, however, some still were not impressed.
Mary Michalzuk, 41, of Dearborn stood with her three children near the Town & Country and said she prefers driving an SUV.
"It's nicer, but it's still a minivan," she said of the redesign. "I think minivans are dead. It's just the bad rep that they get, the soccer mom thing."
Andrew Singer, 34, of Ann Arbor agreed that the new minivan still looks too much like a minivan.
"We rented one, last year's model. It was really practical, but it's just not in style," Singer said.
Instead, he and his wife would rather go with a crossover to help them handle all of the stuff that goes with having a 7-month-old.
"You can still go to Lowe's and throw stuff in the back and have enough room for the stroller and everything, but it doesn't feel like you are driving a stodgy minivan," he said.
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