Driving Impressions: Chrysler Grand Voyager

The Chrysler Grand Voyager was a well built MPV that met most of my requirements with a decent price, good user-centric design features, and an excellent reputation in the USA. the basis of competitive pricing, strong options list and excellent design. So, this MPV merits serious consideration. Now the big question is how does it drive?

Naturally, one must temper one's expectations when driving a big van such as the Chrysler Grand Voyager. Drive like a small car, it certainly will not. Stepping into the driver's cabin, the proportions of the vehicle around you is very obvious. This thing feels like a barge in dimensions. The driver's seating position and all round visibility is excellent. Being on the tall side (I am 1.84m), I am happy to say that the leg room is pretty good and I could find a comfortable position quite quickly. The driver controls are relatively intuitive and need little trouble getting used to.


Source: Chrysler China

Stepping on the accelerator, the MPV takes off at a smooth leisurely canter after hesitating for a moment. No push or sudden acceleration even when I push the pedal to persuade the MPV to move with greater urgency. A wafter would be the word to best describe the Chrysler Grand Voyager. However, this is not a negative. This is precisely what I am looking for a sedate cruiser that wafts from point to point, providing the maximum comfort for the occupants.

I picked a stretch of road that had humps and tested out the Chrysler van's handling of the speed humps. Oh dear. This van really does behave like a barge and rocks sideways like the best of them. The suspension was overly soft and I think I would be happy to sacrifice a bit of comfort for some sanity. The rocking was literally making sea-sick. On the turns, I could feel the size of the car working against me and I felt like a bus driver. The thing about this is, I have been in cars that are as big as this Chrysler and yet not feel the size as keenly as I did here. My Audi A6 is 5035mm long x 1855mm wide, compared with the Chrysler at 5096mm long and 1997mm wide. I have also driven the Audi Q7 (5086mm × 1983mm × 1737mm) a fair number of times and neither of them felt as big and cumbersome as the Chrysler. All is not lost, but I will have to do some homework on the internet to see if there are suspension kits available as well as strut braces and tie bars to correct this handling deficiency.

Attempting quick braking, I felt the brakes were soft and the response slow. However, the front and rear disc brakes were adequate for the job since I do not expect to be moving very quickly on this MPV in the first place.

Overall, the Chrysler Grand Voyager was comfortable and a pretty decent ride for passengers, as long as you live in a place where the roads are straight and smooth and you take corners very slowly. Passengers would be very comfortable as the car is well insulated and road noise is kept to a minimum at city driving speeds. I did not get an opportunity to test the MPV on an expressway to see how bad the wind noise and tire noise is going to be at speeds above 100 km/h. I would expect the noise to be much more intrusive though. But this, I believe, can be corrected with appropriate soundproofing work.


Source: Chrysler China

Finally, in the showroom, the Stow 'n Go option on the Chrysler looked and sounded brilliant. In practice, I hated it. On the road, the combination of flaps and hinges under your feet in the passenger row was not at all reassuring. The flex and the squeaks made me feel like the floor would collapse any time. I am not very heavy, a mere 80kg. But I shudder to think if some of my larger friends were to be seated in the middle row. The floorboards will not break, but the squeaking will definitely drive me and anyone else insider the car completely insane before the end of a trip to the supermarket is up.

So, would I buy this car? Or at least seriously consider buying this car? This is the first that I have driven and will serve as a benchmark. I would give it a half-hearted maybe as I would have to add the cost of the modifications to the consideration as well as to find out if the modifications I would require are at all available, since the market for MPV modifications is tiny. And no, as wonderful as the Stow 'n Go option is, I shall give that option a miss as well. So I do not have high hopes of success in this respect.
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MPV Search: Kia Grand Carnival VQ

When I was at the car showroom looking at the Kia Carnival, I also saw the Kia Grand Carnival VQ there. The differences between the China made Kia Carnival and the imported Kia Grand Carnival VQ are quite marked:

• The VQ is four wheel drive instead of front wheel drive.
  
• The VQ has Disc brakes all round as opposed to drums at the back of the Carnival.
• Side curtain style airbags for all three rows on the VQ. Only front row air bags for the Carnival.
• Smaller turning radius - 5.51m on the VQ which is amazing vs 6.3m on the Carnival.
• Alloy engine block on the VQ which means a lighter nose. Cast iron block on the Carnival.
• Slightly bigger fuel tank on the VQ - 80l vs 75l which I hope translates to a slightly longer touring range.
  

In all, the extras that you get appear to be more than worth the additional 70k RMB to the price.


Source: Kia Motors

A look at the car reveals a standard sized MPV for its class with pretty standard specifications.

Engine: 2.7l V6
Power: 139Kw @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 249 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Top Speed: N/A
Gas consumption: 9.6L/100km
Gas tank: 80l
Dimensions: 4810mm long x 1985mm wide x 1760mm high

When stacked against my requirements, the Kia Grand Carnival VQ passes with flying colours:

• The doors on both passenger sides and the rear hatch are electronic and may be opened using the remote key and an assortment of buttons.
• Five star crash test ratings along with air bags all round including side curtain air bags for the second and third row. More importantly, the doors are disabled when the car is in motion. This is very critical when you have young children with itchy fingers.
• The interior is very comfortable and flexible enough to be configured in a variety of ways. This would make the MPV a very versatile people carrier and yet be able to haul large items in a pinch. The DVD comes standard as well and there is enough little compartments spread out so that small items like drinks and other knick knacks may be stowed. I do like the hooks at the back of the third row seats where you could hang grocery bags to prevent them from moving around as well.
• Modifications wise, with the current spec sheet, I reckon I would only look to swap out the rims and tyres (they're Hankook) for some lighter alloys and grippier rubber for improved ride comfort and probably a switch to Evans NPG+ coolant which I had excellent experiences with on three other cars.
  

In all, this MPV popped out of nowhere and passed with flying colours on my requirements list. It was not even on my initial shortlist and on paper, I think I will put this on the top of my list already. All it needs is a test drive to cement its position and I believe I will sign on the dotted line for the Kia Grand Carnival VQ MPV.
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MPV Search: Chrysler Grand Voyager

When I started my search for a family MPV, I had originally shortlisted the Dodge Caravan. When I dropped by the Dodge showroom, they were clearing stock as apparently due to a consolidation of dealerships, Dodge was now also represented by Chrysler dealers. As a result, the former exclusive distributor for Dodge in Shenzhen had given up their representation of the Dodge brand and was dumping their remaining inventories at cost. This was great news, but there was a snag. There was no vehicle available for test drive. Thankfully, the Dodge Caravan is also badge engineered as a Chrysler Grand Voyager and a Mercury Villager.As such, I dropped by the Chrysler showroom and checked out the Chrysler Grand Voyager.


Image taken from Chrysler China

The Chrysler clearly meets my requirements:

1. Sliding doors on both sides are electronic and maybe remotely opened using the electronic key.
2. Five star rating on NHTSA for safety, although it appears to overly protect the driver and not the passengers. I mean, here is a car that has airbags for the driver's knees! But, Chrysler neglected the passengers at the back, only offering airbags for the driver and front row passenger. So that, to me, is a big minus. However, I must add that most of the MPVs that I am looking at also do not offer the side passenger air bags.
   
3. The interior is very comfortable and roomy, especially the middle row with two captain style armchairs that offer a decent amount of support and comfort. The party piece for the Chrysler is the Stow 'n Go option which offers tons of storage options all over the passenger section that allows you to put things out of sight and arrange the seats in all sorts of configurations to suit your needs. I was particularly impressed with the ability to store the middle and back rows so that the entire floor is flat for hauling large items. A big plus. DVD with an LCD screen for the middle row is also offered as standard in the higher priced option.
4. The car is quite large and I am certain I could find some parts to modify it. However, if the ride is good enough, I may not necessarily need to modify the car. I will need to road test the car to find out.
   

Specifications:
Engine: 3.3l V6
Power: 128Kw (174hp) @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 278 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Top Speed: 179 Km/h
Gas consumption: not reported
Gas tank: 76l
Dimensions: 5096mm long x 1997mm wide x 1803mm high

And on to the test drive.
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MPV Search - Kia Carnival

The Kia Carnival, manufactured at the Dongfeng Yueda Kia joint venture facility, is one of the challengers to Buick's domination of the business class MPV segment. However, I think they have to some extent lost their way. Make no mistake, the car that Kia built is brilliant and a very good MPV offering top notch features for a very competitive prize. However, it is clear that Kia has fallen by the wayside in terms of the quality of their dealerships. I went to three different dealerships and only one had the Kia Carnival on display in their showroom. And that was the dealership at Lianhe Huapeng Car Market (联合华鹏汽车广场) along Shennan Road. No wonder they could not crack the market and only posted average to below average sales for what appears to be a strong and competitive product in a market with strong sales.

A look at the car reveals a standard sized MPV for its class with pretty standard specifications.

Engine: 2.7l V6
Power: 169Kw @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 238 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Top Speed: 180 Km/h
Gas consumption: 7.69L/100km at 90km/h constant speed
Gas tank: 75l
Dimensions: 4930mm long x 1895mm wide x 1760mm high

At the showroom, the car belies its specifications on paper. Like the Buick GL8, the exterior design of the Kia is conservative and relatively characterless. But in the MPV I am looking for, that is precisely what I want. Nothing flamboyant, nothing that screams out at you, and most certainly nothing that looks anything more than anonymous. So the Kia Carnival meets this criteria.



The interior shows plenty of attention to detail as well. The two captain's chairs in the middle row are firm but comfortable. They offer waist seat belt in both middle row seats to cater to child seats, which is a big plus for me. Seat configuration is flexible as expected of an MPV of this class and both passenger rows may be pushed forwards to maximize luggage space. Unfortunately, electric controlled seats are only available for the driver and front passenger. This, to me, strikes me as a gross oversight since in a business MPV such as the Kia Carnival, the most important person on board is usually on the middle row passenger seat. The front row passenger is at most times merely the most junior member on board and the driver in this case is the least important person on board. As such, the bulk of the refinements and luxury should be aimed squarely at the middle row passengers, then the third row passengers and last and least of all, the front row passenger and the driver. A similarly glaring oversight is again present in the safety air bags. The Kia Carnival has only two airbags for the driver and the front passenger. That seems again counter-intuitive to the positioning of the car as a business MPV. Shouldn't the VIPs in the middle row and back row be more heavily protected? Finally, the final oversight and where Kia has clearly started to cut corners is at the sliding doors. Most busniess class MPVs have electronic sliding doors for the convenience and safety of the passengers. The Kia has normal mechanical doors that need to slided manually. The salesman explained that mechanical doors are better since they do not break down as easily as electronic doors and are therefore better for their customers. Yeah right.

In terms of other amenities, the Kia is well equiped. Cubby holes and storage spaces are plentiful. There are also little hooks at the back of the third row seats to hang and secure grocery bags from a supermarket run. Parking sensors and back-up camera are standard issue as is a DVD entertainment system that plays MP3 as well in the fully loaded TOP model.

All in all, the Kia Carnival looks like a great option with a well designed interior. The few shortcomings that I have pointed out are unfortunately also present in most of the Kia's competitors and unless my budget increases accordingly.

While in the showroom, I also spotted the Kia Grand Carnival VQ which is the imported bigger brother of the Kia Carnival. I made an appointment to test drive both the Kia Carnival as well as the Kia Grand Carnival VQ side by side to make a comparison.
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MPV Search: Buick GL8

It has been a while since I started my search for an MPV for the family and having narrowed down my options, my first stop is at a nearby General Motors (GM) showroom in Pengchengbao Car Market (鹏程宝汽车城) is one of the newest in Shenzhen and houses most of the mainstream brands as well as several luxury brands such as Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes Benz, as well as Shenzhen's only TechArt showroom. TechArt is an aftermarket modification company that exclusively modifying Porsche cars. The GM showroom is located in the heart of the car market and strangely does not offer parking for customers who wish to visit the showroom. Their parking lot is only open to cars that are there for servicing. Customers who wish to buy GM cars are told to park by the road outside and walk in.

The Buick GL8 MPV is made by the Shanghai-GM joint venture factory and currently has the largest business MPV market share in China. Perhaps not because it is the best in every way but more because GM was first to figure out that the Chinese companies would take to MPVs as a great way of transporting their employees from place to place. However, one should not to take any credit off GM as once they got to the top of the heap, they are determined to defend it and have taken a lot of pains to ensure that their GL8 MPV is totally tailored to the Chinese market and road conditions. Looking at the showroom car, that attention to detail is obvious. General Motors certainly did their homework well. The car is conservatively styled, as required for a car that is used to ferry business guests. The interior is beautifully detailed and comfortable and extremely spacious as well. Two captain's seats in the middle row and a bench at the back which comfortably sits three take the cabin capacity to seven including the driver. Luggage space is decent and seems able to accommodate a carry-on luggage for each passenger. The third row bench also folds flat to give a huge luggage capacity. The boot base also flips open to reveal a panel of compartments that allow you to store odds and ends out of sight. The seats are also comfortable to sit and I reckon they would be pretty decent in a long distance ride too.


Source: General Motors

Buick GL8 Specifications:
Engine: 2.5l V6
Power: 112Kw @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 209 Nm @ 4400 rpm
Top Speed: 168 Km/h
Gas consumption: 7.46L/100km at 90km/h constant speed
Gas tank: 95l
Boot capacity: 685l
Dimensions: 5200mm long x 1847mm wide x 1729mm high

On paper, this was almost too good to be true. However, trolling through the internet discussion bulletins, I noted that most of the complaints on the Buick centered around the gas consumption. The GM-provided stat sheet stated a 7.46l per 100 km consumption. The salesman at the GM dealership claimed that was too optimistic and that real world consumption in mixed highway and city driving was closer to about 10l per 100 km. Real world consumption found on the internet claimed by owners was 17-20l per 100 km! Ouch.

I made an appointment for a test drive at a later date and will report back with my driving impressions from the test drive after that.

Previous articles:
The search for an MPV begins
MPV Search: My Options

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MPV Search: My Options

Having done a quick scout of the internet, I have narrowed my search for an MPV to a few choices to check out and get test drives. The MPV market in China is relatively new but as the market grew, more and more choices have appeared. The following graph shows the sales of MPVs in 2008.

Source: Gasgoo


The mid-market is dominated mainly by the GM Buick GL8 and in the last four years, challenges have been made by the Honda Odyssey and the Kia Carnival. The Buick GL8 has traditionally appealed to corporate use and given the more car-like look of the Honda Odyssey, Honda has wisely decided to appeal to family use. The Kia Carnival is more of an in-between, being able to serve both. More recent newcomers include the Dodge Caravan, Mitsubishi Grandis, and a number of vehicles made by local companies including the Hyundai powered JAC Refine, the Brilliance Grace which is a licensed local version of the Toyota Granvia and a host of other choices. Priced at 500,000 RMB and above, there are also the imported Toyota Previa and the Mercedes Benz Viano. There are also mini-sized MPVs such as the Honda Stream, the Volkswagen Touran and the Nissan Livina Geniss which I currently have but this category of vehicles are not being considered as they tend to be way too cramped for my liking.

So, having scanned through the internet and various car magazines, in my shortlist are:

1. Buick GL8
2. Kia Carnival
3. Dodge Caravan
4. Toyota Previa
5. Mazda MPV
   

While the Honda Odyssey and the Mitsubishi Grandis are arguably fine cars, they did not meet my critera for having sliding doors. Other brands were similarly removed from consideration for various other reasons such as documented reliability, room for improvement and modification and poor interior appointments and these included the Brilliance Grace and the JAC Refine.

On to the showrooms next.

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The search for an MPV begins

I personally dislike large MPVs and horror of horrors, I am actually considering the purchase of one. Well it has come to a point where I do need one to ferry my family around and thankfully, it involves little of my actually having to drive it. However, on the rare occasion where I may have to step into the driver's seat, I'd best be careful in my choice.

My criteria for Noah's ark are:

1. Comes with a sliding door at both passenger sides. So that effectively rules out all the car-like MPVs notably the Honda Odyssey (they don't sell the US version which does come with sliding doors).
2. Good crash test ratings. Its my family in there, after all. Though I must say this is quite humourous since I am in the land where crash test ratings mean nothing.
   
3. Well appointed interiors with bias towards the passengers. Passenger comfort and convenience is of utmost priority and this is where I am aghast at most MPV manufacturers. You're manufacturing the MPV primarily for the comfort of the passengers and yet I see heated seating for the driver and front passenger and usually none for the passengers. If lucky, middle row passengers get passenger heating and perish the thought that third row passengers need to have any rights. Duh.
4. Have some modification potential to increase ride comfort. One thing I intensely dislike about MPV is that the common thinking is to put super soft springs so that the entire vehicle wallows around like a boat being tossed around in a tidal wave whenever you go round a corner or hit a road hump. There are many road humps where I live and I get seasick. So what I'd like is to be able to firm up the suspension so that it retains a decent level of comfort and reduce the bounce.
   

So it's not not a very demanding list of criteria. Nothing too challenging like fuel economy, etc. Time to hit the car showrooms and the internet to do some research.

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