What Is the Difference Between a Dodge Caravan & a Dodge Grand Caravan?
by Justin Cupler
There were minivans before it and there are many that are sold alongside it today, but when most buyers think "minivan" they immediately think about the Caravan. Though the minivan class was invented well before Dodge rolled out its Caravan, it was the Dodge that made the minivan class what it is today. The 2007 model year was the final one that Dodge offered both the Caravan and its larger Grand Caravan sibling, and both came in three trims: SE, C/V and SXT. The following year, Dodge eliminated the base Caravan and offered only the Grand Caravan.
Exterior
From afar, the 2007 Caravan and Grand Caravan are almost indistinguishable, but there were some differences, like size. The Caravan was 189.1 inches long, 78.6 inches wide, 68.9 inches tall, and rode on a 113.3-inch wheelbase. The Grand Caravan shared the Caravan's width and height, but it's body and wheelbase were longer at 200.6 and 119.3 inches, respectively. The Grand Caravan weighed 3,991 pounds, while the Caravan weighed 3,862 pounds.
The 2007 Caravan and Grand Caravan shared standard exterior features, including a rear window wiper, variably intermittent wipers, 15-inch steel wheels with 215/70SR15 tires, hubcaps, black door handles, folding mirrors, body-colored grille and tinted windows.
Interior
Because the 2007 Grand Caravan was slightly longer than the Caravan, it had 168.4 cubic feet of passenger room, while the Caravan had just 155.7 cubes of passenger room. The Grand Caravan's larger cabin also offered more usable passenger space, as its front row offered 40.6 inches of legroom, 39.6 inches of headroom, 57.2 inches of hip room and 62.9 inches of shoulder room, while the Caravan only differed with its 39.7 inches of front headroom. In the second row, the Grand Caravan offered 39 inches of legroom.39.1 inches of headroom, 67.6 inches of hip room and 64.7 inches of shoulder room, while the Caravan offered less second-row legroom at 36.5 inches, more headroom at 39.7 inches, and more hip room at 67.8 inches. In the third row, the Grand Caravan had 38.9 inches of legroom, 38.5 inches of headroom, 49 inches of hip room and 62.1 inches of shoulder room, while the Caravan had 33.8 inches of legroom, 37.9 inches of headroom, 49 inches of hip room and 61.9 inches of shoulder room.
The Grand Caravan was the better cargo hauler too, as it could carry 17.6 cubic feet behind its third row of seats, 51.3 cubic feet with the third row folded and 167.9 cubes with all of the seats folded, while the Caravan could haul 15.1 , 44.2 and 142.3 cubic feet, respectively.
Both the Caravan and Grand Caravan were also available as cargo vans, with only a pair of front seats and a large cargo hold in the rear. The Grand Caravan C/V could haul 167.9 cubic feet of cargo, while the Caravan C/V could tote 142.3 cubic feet.
The base 2007 Caravan came standard with air conditioning, AM-FM-CD audio system with four speakers, driver and passenger vanity mirrors, audio storage system, two 12-volt DC plugs, cloth seating, removable second and third rows and integrated child seats. The 2007 Grand Caravan was nearly identically equipped, but it added standard cruise control.
Drivetrain
The 2007 Caravan SE came standard with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine that produced 150 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 165 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm. The base Grand Caravan SE and C/V featured a standard 3.3-liter, V-6 engine that put out 170 to 180 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 200 to 210 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm -- this engine was also optional on the Caravan SE, and standard on the Caravan SXT and C/V. The Grand Caravan SE and C/V had an optional 3.8-liter engine with 200 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 235 foot-pounds of torque. The 3.8-liter powerplant was standard on the Grand Caravan SXT. These engines mated to a four-speed automatic transmission that delivered power to the front wheels.
With the 2.4-liter engine, the Caravan received ratings of 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. Moving into the 3.3-liter engine, both the Caravan and Grand Caravan got 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. The Grand Caravan with the 3.8-liter engine got 16 mpg city, 23 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined.
Pricing
The 2007 Caravan started at $19,055 for the SE model. It's price jumped to $20,555 for C/V and $22,995 for the SXT. According to Kelly Blue Book as of July 2014, these trims have a suggested retail price of $6,608, $6,286 and $8,122, respectively. If you're buying from a private party, these prices should range from $3,821 to $4,804 for the SE, $3,625 to $4,572 for the C/V and $4,954 to $6,030 for the SXT.
For the 2007 Grand Caravan, prices started at $21,240 for the C/V, and rose to $21,690 for the SE and $27,775 for the SXT. When buying from a dealer, you should expect to pay $6,453 for the C/V, $8,139 for the SE model and $10,431 for the SXT trim. If you're buying from a private party, you should expect to pay $3,721 to $4,693 for the C/V, $4,781 to $5,897 for the SE and $6,466 to $7,737 for the SXT.
Writer Bio
Justin Cupler is a professional writer who has been published on several websites including CarsDirect and Autos.com. Cupler has worked in the professional automotive repair field as a technician and a manager since 2000. He has a certificate in broadcast journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. Cupler is currently studying mechanical engineering at Saint Petersburg College.
