Is this the best lux-van on the market?

The big people’s van was once popular among families and businesses alike.  It was great for loading up the whole household and head out on the weekend or down to the holiday destination, fully loaded with holiday luggage and gear.  It was also useful for transporting staff or clients. 

One of the best examples of these were the Volkswagen Kombi and Caravelle – firm South African favourites years ago.  But its popularity has made way for the SUV, and the Kombi/Caravelle has taken on a more commercial role, rather than the family bus it once was. 

As such, the MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) such as the Chrysler Grand Voyager is no longer on the typical family buyer’s consideration list.  Most people rather get the SUV.  But should they be looking at this bus? 

Chrysler is, and has been since 2008, the sole supplier of a luxurious sumptuous large MPV.  It was given a facelift in 2012, and the smooth but thirsty 3.8 V6 engine was dropped from the local line-up, leaving only the 2.8-litre CRD diesel engine, in LX or Limited trim levels.  Budget requirements are R 573 990 for the LX, or R 632 990 for the Limited under review here.

The feature-rich Chrysler Grand Voyager Limited has power-sliding doors, which means that both rear doors and the tailgate can be closed and opened using remote control.  Inside the big lux-van there are switches on the pillars to open/close the doors, while the front occupants also get a set of controls for doors and tailgate.

Apart from the entertainment value for occupants and spectators it is extremely convenient being able to press a button to open or close a door.  The side doors are large, and most other passenger-carrying vehicles with sliding side doors are quite difficult to move by hand, or close easily – these electric doors cancel the problem with manual doors which often need a second or third hefty shove to shut the sliding doors.  Electric doors are standard on the Limited spec. 

The Limited, compared to LX, also gains High Intensity Discharge Headlamps with automatic levelling, power liftgate, upgrade from 16 to 17-inch alloy wheels in a more upmarket design, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dim rear-view and driver’s mirror, chrome-finished exterior mirrors and various chrome mouldings, portable rechargeable “trouble light” (as Chrysler names the torch), 2nd and 3rd row retractable window shades, part-leather trim with suede microfibre accents, wood dash and door inserts, front bucket seats, front electric seat adjustment, heated seats for front and 2nd row, power sliding doors, power-folding 3rd row (rear-most) seats, touch-screen, 30GB harddrive for recording music, rear back-up (reverse) camera, tyre pressure monitoring, Uconnect phone… all these features and more, for R 59 000, seems superb value.

The LED "halo lighting" is an ambient halo downlight that emits a soft greenish-blue glow along the centre overhead console, neatly concealed above a cover length-wise in the roof lining.  Creates a real sense of occasion.  The Stow 'n Go feature allows the middle row of seats to sink completely into its belly.

No-one needs to wrestle with stowing rearmost seats anymore: simply press the button/s located in the luggage area to pack away the rear seats flush with the floor – either seat, or the whole row.  And the rearmost seats can tumble onto their backs to create a bench over the rear bumper, so we can park and chill.  OK now that is nifty.

Leave it to Grand Voyager to deliver a premium level of entertainment features.  The optional Entertainment Group costs R 25 000, and contains 2 9-inch DVD screens that flip down from the overhead console, game-console inputs – the kids don’t have to settle on just one thing to watch.  The video system can be operated from either the rear-seat entertainment unit or the radio head unit.

The CRD engine is not the quietest, though pulls strongly even with passengers on board, and its claimed 8.4 l/100km is fair for such a large van.  The 6-speed automatic works well with the engine, though the gear selector is oddly positioned – it is quite a reach to select a gear, and although it has tip-shift for manually overriding gears, it is too low to really use comfortably.

At 5.14 metre in length and 1.95 wide (without mirrors) it is a properly big vehicle.  This also means the seats are big and has a properly roomy feel in the 2nd row, enough space in the rear, and an open feeling up front.

The Mercedes-Benz Viano is really just a Vito panel van with some luxury trim added in, and is extremely expensive, with the base manual version priced at R 695 000, stretching up to R 960 000 for the Avantgarde luxury level.  The new V-Class will replace the Viano, and is marketed as the Mercedes of MPVs, which arrives in SA later this year.  Even the Volkswagen Kombi starts at R 459 100 for the SWB 75kW base 2.0TDI manual model, while the Caravelle 2.0BiTDI automatic costs R 673 900 and has 132kW and 400Nm, which actually beats the Grand Voyager CRD outputs of 120kW and 360Nm, but the VW isn’t nearly as luxurious as the Chrysler.

The Chrysler Grand Voyager Limited, especially with the entertainment group option, has so much space and special luxury features – this lux-van is ideal for a family for regular use and the perfect vacation transporter, and suitablke for business to travel in style to/from hotel, airport and meetings.  “Grand Voyager” is the perfect descriptive name for it.