Chrysler still on the fence about which brand will get next minivan
12-20-12, 11:45 AM
#16
A minivan is supposed to be regular affordable transportation. Bring it out as a Dodge, make it look unoffensive, at a great price, make it RELIABLE, and undercut the price point of Toyota and Honda. They'll sell bucketfulls. They need to retire the T&C name for awhile and then bring it back out in the future on an actual flagship vehicle, like the name was meant to imply. That name on a minivan was sheer idiocy.
Most SUV's are a lot of work to enter the third row seating. When you have three or more fixed car seats it just kills it. I can NOT wait until we can dump ours.
12-20-12, 07:28 PM
#18
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
12-20-12, 07:37 PM
#19
Guest
Posts: n/a
Yeah mahn. Love the Sienna SE but of course they limit options compared to the XLE/Limited...
12-20-12, 11:38 PM
#20
Out of Warranty
Kinda diggin' the Chrysler 700C concept. Less a breadvan than the current run of slab-sided people and cargo haulers, with a good deal of style. They approach, dare I say, being "pretty".
I've owned a couple of the previous two generations of MoPar mommyvans and they can't be beat for packaging and utility, but lack refinement in handling and performance. They do well out on the interstate, surprisingly stable even in a crosswind, and so long as the pavement is billiard table smooth, they handle reasonably well. The handling problems they exhibit in "spirited driving" stem from limited suspension travel and consequent soft springs to make them ride comfortably. The problem shows itself on humps and heaves that crash the suspension into the bump stops on a regular basis, turning the vehicle squirrely, or in excessive body lean that while not visually concerning, makes the driver feel that the whole thing is going over momentarily - although it is still securely planted.
As a practical everyday vehicle, those sliding doors come into their own in a crowded parking lot, allowing you to load and enter the vehicle easily even when someone sidles up too close. Kind of like Lambo doors for the layman. The huge cabin is roomy, but seating behind the first row becomes uncomfortable quickly. When one of the major design criteria is that the whole seat fold into a bin in the floor, you can bet there isn't much padding in it. Not bad for a park bench, but passengers start to whine after an hour or so.
The Concept looks like it might address some of these issues - here's hoping!
I've owned a couple of the previous two generations of MoPar mommyvans and they can't be beat for packaging and utility, but lack refinement in handling and performance. They do well out on the interstate, surprisingly stable even in a crosswind, and so long as the pavement is billiard table smooth, they handle reasonably well. The handling problems they exhibit in "spirited driving" stem from limited suspension travel and consequent soft springs to make them ride comfortably. The problem shows itself on humps and heaves that crash the suspension into the bump stops on a regular basis, turning the vehicle squirrely, or in excessive body lean that while not visually concerning, makes the driver feel that the whole thing is going over momentarily - although it is still securely planted.
As a practical everyday vehicle, those sliding doors come into their own in a crowded parking lot, allowing you to load and enter the vehicle easily even when someone sidles up too close. Kind of like Lambo doors for the layman. The huge cabin is roomy, but seating behind the first row becomes uncomfortable quickly. When one of the major design criteria is that the whole seat fold into a bin in the floor, you can bet there isn't much padding in it. Not bad for a park bench, but passengers start to whine after an hour or so.
The Concept looks like it might address some of these issues - here's hoping!
12-21-12, 01:57 AM
#21
The huge cabin is roomy, but seating behind the first row becomes uncomfortable quickly. When one of the major design criteria is that the whole seat fold into a bin in the floor, you can bet there isn't much padding in it. Not bad for a park bench, but passengers start to whine after an hour or so.
The Concept looks like it might address some of these issues - here's hoping!
The Concept looks like it might address some of these issues - here's hoping!
That's why I love Toyota and Honda's vans. The 2nd row seats are just as much thrones as the first row seats. IMO that whole feeling of being bolted together a lot tighter with the Honda or Toyota van is justification enough not to buy a Chrysler co minivan.
12-21-12, 05:48 AM
#22
Super Moderator
I don't understand the deisre to drop ONE of them. Either keep both or get rid of both. What does it honestly cost to put a different badge on the same damn car? If it costs next to nothing incrementally to produce, and you do get an incremental increase in sales, why not do it?
12-21-12, 06:07 AM
#23
Lead Lap
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 723
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't understand the deisre to drop ONE of them. Either keep both or get rid of both. What does it honestly cost to put a different badge on the same damn car? If it costs next to nothing incrementally to produce, and you do get an incremental increase in sales, why not do it?
12-21-12, 09:16 AM
#24
Lexus Test Driver
My folks currently own a 99 Sienna, and we also owned a 98 T&C concurrently with the Sienna(Family of 4, but my mom loves minivans)
We gave the Chrysler away at 180k miles to my cousin. She had no credit, no job, and had just wrecked the brand new Pacifica she had no business buying anyway. In the years that we owned it, it provided VERY reliable transportation. Even the transmission operated flawlessly. The only problem we ever had was a short somewhere that was causing us to blow out the drivers' side taillight more often than we should. The A/C did eventually die at 180k, which is why we parked it for about a year before giving it to my cousin(the clutch was siezed, so we couldn't drive it without fear of it shredding the fan belt). Her dad fixed the A/C and she's been driving it well past 200k miles now. She's even slid it off the road a few times and it's been fine.
Comparing it to our Toyota, I am now biased more towards Chrysler. Our Toyota has had all kinds of stuff break or not work right, especially with the interior. Neither of the sliding doors is a pleasure to operate AT ALL. The button keeps getting jammed on the driver's side door, and the passenger side door is a power sliding door, and that is a whole cluster*********** of issues that I won't go into. Buttons off the stereo have gone missing, the lights on the dash are half-working, the door handle on the driver's side door broke, so you could only open it from the outside. The engine burns oil like nothing I've seen before. Driving the car for an hour or more makes me want a chiropractor. The list goes on. The only area where this car shines more than the Chrysler is that it has more power and handles better(it is also shorter though, so that may be a wash).
This van and my car are the worst experience I've ever had with a particular manufacturer, and the only time that it's made me say "I am definitely going to another brand with my next car".
We gave the Chrysler away at 180k miles to my cousin. She had no credit, no job, and had just wrecked the brand new Pacifica she had no business buying anyway. In the years that we owned it, it provided VERY reliable transportation. Even the transmission operated flawlessly. The only problem we ever had was a short somewhere that was causing us to blow out the drivers' side taillight more often than we should. The A/C did eventually die at 180k, which is why we parked it for about a year before giving it to my cousin(the clutch was siezed, so we couldn't drive it without fear of it shredding the fan belt). Her dad fixed the A/C and she's been driving it well past 200k miles now. She's even slid it off the road a few times and it's been fine.
Comparing it to our Toyota, I am now biased more towards Chrysler. Our Toyota has had all kinds of stuff break or not work right, especially with the interior. Neither of the sliding doors is a pleasure to operate AT ALL. The button keeps getting jammed on the driver's side door, and the passenger side door is a power sliding door, and that is a whole cluster*********** of issues that I won't go into. Buttons off the stereo have gone missing, the lights on the dash are half-working, the door handle on the driver's side door broke, so you could only open it from the outside. The engine burns oil like nothing I've seen before. Driving the car for an hour or more makes me want a chiropractor. The list goes on. The only area where this car shines more than the Chrysler is that it has more power and handles better(it is also shorter though, so that may be a wash).
This van and my car are the worst experience I've ever had with a particular manufacturer, and the only time that it's made me say "I am definitely going to another brand with my next car".
12-21-12, 09:20 AM
#25
Lead Lap
You can get your "throne" 2nd row seats in the ChryCo Minivans too. Just don't choose the Stow n' Go option.
12-21-12, 10:48 AM
#26
Lexus Fanatic
The R failed for more or less the same reasons the similiarly-designed Chrysler Pacifica did.....general looks and the 2+2+2 seating layout. So far, the only vehicle of that type in the American market that has been a success is the much smaller Mazda5.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
