DODGE CARAVAN / GRAND CARAVANTiming chain or Belt?

The Dodge Caravan is a minivan (D-segment in Europe) manufactured by Chrysler and marketed by the American marque Dodge. It has a total of 5 generations and the first version dates back to 1984.

This model was marketed as both a passenger and cargo van and was sold primarily in the United States and Canada. A long-wheelbase version, the Dodge Grand Caravan, was introduced in 1987 and became the only version as of 2008. The Caravan was also marketed internationally as the Chrysler Voyager and was rebranded as the Volkswagen Routan in North America between 2009 and 2014. The Dodge Caravan was manufactured by Chrysler Canada and was discontinued in 2020 after 36 years. More than 14.6 million Chrysler minivans were sold worldwide.

The Dodge Caravan was introduced in 1983, along with the Plymouth Voyager. It was based on Chrysler’s K-platform. It came in three trim levels: base, SE and LE. The base model seated 5 passengers in 2 rows, while the LE had 7 passengers in 3 rows. The second generation was launched in 1991. The exterior was improved aerodynamically and handling, and safety improvements were introduced.

The third generation model was introduced with innovations such as a sliding door on the driver’s side and a seat management system. Base models offered a 2.4 L four-cylinder engine or a 3.0 L V6 engine.

The fourth generation Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country went on sale in August 2000. They were based on Chrysler’s RS platform. They were available in several trim levels and had features such as power sliding doors, remote-controlled sliding doors and tailgate and a more powerful 3.8L engine.

The fifth generation of the Dodge minivan debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. Chrysler only produced the long-wheelbase Grand Caravan, replacing the short-wheelbase Caravan with the Dodge Journey. It was the best-selling minivan in Canada between 2009 and 2010, with large sales to rental fleets, but was discontinued after the 2020 model year due to high upgrade costs to meet safety regulations.