Introduced in November 1983 for the 1984 model year, the first minivan of all time, the Dodge Caravan was based on the Chrysler S platform, an extended derivative of the Chrysler K platform. For the 1987 model year, a longer wheelbase was introduced, which was called the Grand Caravan. It was still based on the Chrysler S platform.

The idea of a minivan was the brainchild of both Lee Iacocca and Hal Sperlich during their days at the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford II denied Iacocca's and Sperlich's idea (and a prototype) of a minivan back in 1974. When Iacocca was in the midsts of turning around the then-ailing Chrysler Corporation, he and Sperlich (who had been scouted to Chrysler by Iacocca) and many others no doubt, created the T115 minivan. The T115 ultimately was christened Caravan and Voyager.

Since the beginning of production in the fall of 1983, over 11 million Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth minivans have been sold as of mid-2005.

Special anniversary editions of the Chrysler minivans have been issued to mark significant milestones; the first, in 1994, is notable for the "10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION" badges and special two-tone paint, and was offered on the Dodge SE models. The twentieth anniversary was marked in 2004 with the Anniversary Edition SXT Caravan.

Also, in 2004, Chrysler held a Stand By Your Van Contest, where contestants had to place one hand on the new van. The person whose hand was on the longest won a brand new Caravan, and be one of the first consumers to experience the new Stow 'n Go seating. The event was held during the Chicago Auto Show.

Differences between the Caravan and Voyager
The main ways that the Caravan can be distinguished from the Plymouth Voyager, other than badging, are the headlights and taillights. The headlights on the Voyager have chrome strips on the top and bottom - on the Caravan, the form factor of the lights is slightly higher, and the chrome strips are not present. On the Caravan, the taillights appear to have black stripes running horizontally, whereas on the Voyager, these are not present, but the taillights have textured grooves. Of course, because these parts are interchangeable, and people often use whatever parts are most readily available, these are not a sure indicator as to what the vehicle was originally manufactured as.

 

1996-2000
The 1996 redesign used the Chrysler NS platform and included a driver's side sliding door, a first for Chrysler. All wheel drive was reintroduced in 1997. The Caravan was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1996. The Caravan was also on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1996 and 1997.

Base models of the Caravan were offered in most states with either a 2.4 L four-cylinder or the 3.0 L Mitsubishi V6 engine, except in several northeastern states, where the Mitsubishi V6 didn't meet emissions standards. In those locales, the 3.3 L engine was offered as the V6 option from 1997 through 2000. The manual transmission, never popular, was dropped. The 2.4 L four-cylinder engine produced more power than the Mitsubishi 3.0 had in the first two generations.

VEHICLE OPTIONS

Size-I4 2.4L Cylinders-4 Adjustable Front Headrests: height adjustable headrests Cargo area light Front air conditioning zones: single Number of Front Headrests: 2 Number of rear headrests: 2 Reading lights: front reading lights Third row headrests: 2 Cargo Grocery Bag Holder Cargo net Center Console: front console with storage Front Power outlet: 12V Power steering Rear power outlet: 12V Under Seat Storage Axle ratio: 2.69 Driven Wheels: front wheel drive Front Arm Type: lower control arms Front Spring Type: coil springs Front Stabilizer Bar Front Suspension Classification: independent Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts Front brake diameter: 11.1 Front brake width: 1.1 Front brakes: ventilated disc

Front suspension type: modified MacPherson strut Independent: front Number of speeds: 4 Rear Spring Type: leaf springs Rear Suspension Classification: solid axle Rear Suspension Type: solid axle Rear Suspension type: torsion beam Rear brake diameter: 9.8 Rear brake width: 2.2 Rear brakes: drum stabilizer bar: front CD-controller Clock In-Dash CD: single CD player Low fuel level Radio: AM/FM Total Number of Speakers: 4 Watts: 66 Diameter: 15 Load Rating: Not Published Mount Location: underbody Profile: 70 Rim Type: steel Rim type: steel Size: temporary Type: all season

Wheel Covers: full wheel covers Width: 215 Width: 6.5 Front wipers - intermittent: variable intermittent Rear wiper: intermittent rear wiper Child safety locks Child seat anchors Head Restraint Test Rating (IIHS): Not Tested Knee airbags: driver only Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation Vanity mirrors: dual vanity mirrors Front seat type: bucket Rear center seatbelt: lap belt Reclining Seatbelt Force Limiters: front Seatbelt pretensioners: front Type: bench Upholstery: cloth Torque-165@4000 Horsepower-150@5100 Cam Type-double overhead cam (DOHC) Valves-16 Manual / automatic Driver mirror adjustment: manual