2005 Dodge Caravan SWB User Reviews

Pros

excel seat stow & go idea. still love my 1988 Caravan. Boxy but functional. Love the dark interior

Cons

Still love the style of the older caravan...not as long in the garage.

Excellent vehicle and value. Love the 1988 and 2005 models. My 1988 has 145,000 miles and still strong. Kept in garage mostly, so paint and condition excellent.

Pros

Very comfortable, reasonable fuel economy, versatility

Cons

The handling is a little soft but hey, its a van.

We have had several Caravans. The versatitlity is great, seating and visibility wonderful. All handle great in the snow, even with front wheel drive only. I would buy the sport suspension if available. We take the van skiing in the mountains, has plenty of power (V-6) and the value is tremendous. For some reason Dodge was selling the $23K stikered van new for $17,400. We bought the shorter wheelbase thinking the mileage would be better than the long wheelbase, not necessarily true. We average around 20mpg, combined....read morehide

Pros

runs well,fairly good fuel economy

Cons

had to bring it back to the dealership 5 times for same problem!!!!

The leafsprings were lubbed twice,1 spring replaced,adjusted twice,all before there was 1100 miles.It is my first and last dodge.

nice car... very comfortable. I just got it yesterday. This is our 3rd brand new Dodge.. :O)

Pros

Great looks, decent fuel economy, lots of cargo space

Cons

seats are heavy to take out, front seats need more adjustments

Have an 02 Caravan Sport 3.3. This vehichle is the best thing I've ever driven!!! Hold lots of cargo and people while getting pretty good mileage. I don't know why everyone is complaining about the fuel economy...but I would rate it better than an SUV but worse than a sedan. It's not like the competition has better fuel econonmy.

Excellent turning radius, cold a/c, good handling, can't beat the price. I have about 40,000 miles on mine and so far so good. No problems. The side mirrors are a little "wide" but it just takes time to get use to. 3.3 is decent on power and is pretty quite but I would much rather see the 3.5 DOHC 24 vavle from the Chrysler bin even if it would not make any difference. Also, disc brakes on the back should be standard although the brakes are pretty good....read morehide

Pros

Extremely comfortable, excellent visibility, quiet cabin, excellent audio system.

Cons

Poorer than expected gas mileage, though I averaged 25 MPG on recent trip.

I bought the SWB SXT and wish it had Stwow-and-Go. However, overall I am pleased with the comfort of the vehicle and the numerous safety features. Since I have less than 1,000 miles on the odometer, I cannot speak to long-term reliability issues. However, I have had a Caravan in the past and was very pleased with it. I hope this 2005 model matches my confidence in the Japenese auto manufacturers, as I would really rather support American auto makers.

This is an excellent car for senior citizens who have trouble getting in and out of conventional sedans....read morehide

Pros

Ver bad fuel milage

Cons

Not good car

I bought this van brand new in 2002, fuel econome is very bad. had to take it to the dealer twice for repaires first time They changed the suspension and the second time changed a part in the transmission that was causing an oil leak.
Dodge doesn’t own its own dealerships and any dealer has the right to refuse service on time I was asked to go to the selling dealership for service after my neighboring dealer refused to honor the warranty....read morehide

Pros

I have to agree that fuel economy is less than expected.

Cons

We love this car. It is our third caravan and we like them.

We have the limited edition package which makes for a nice comfort package. The kids love the DVD player. Nice smooth ride, but poor gas mileage is noticeable. I would buy another one in a minute.

Pros

Smooth Drive- 6 Bucket Seats- Seperate Driver and Passenger Heat Controls- Snappy Pickup & Passing

Cons

Seats do not recline into floor- High center of Gravity-

Wow! My spouse and I are very plesed by the Dodge Caravan SXT. We came off of a 98 Ford Explorer with a 4.0 engine and loved that as well. This minivan does not have the AWD, but it handles well in the snow.

The nicest thing that I personaly like about the vehicle is it has dual air control in the front so that the driver and passenger can have different air temperatures coming out of their vents at the same time. It can be up to a 30 degree diference between the two. No more hastle about who is cold or hot.

We find that it handles well and has plenty of pickup. That is why we picked the 3.3 V-6 engine. The MPG does better than the Explorer's 4.0 V-6 in the Caravan. The low to mid 20's MPG is GREAT. If we expected better MPG we wold have gotten a small sedan.

The heated exterior mirrors are nice for Minnesota and we like that they fold bacl for tight garage parking. PLENTY of view in these. The mirror heaters kick on when you turn on the rear window defogger.

Another nice feature, although it seens small, is that the furthest rear seats have plastic bag holders built in to their lower backs. Lifting up the hatch and securing the bags of groceries and such in that manner keeps them from tipping over. Little idea / BIG convenience! -Never have spilled groceries anymore.

The dash has a low tire sensor. No need to check the tires.

We wish the back 4 bucket seats folded into the floor. It is tough when we are in the BWCA and have to take the seats out and store them in a tent or such. Better to have them in the floor for security.

We miss our rear hatch flip up window. Lifting the whole hatch is a pain....read morehide

Pros

Comfortable interior, Excellent Value

Cons

Extremely poor fuel economy for its size, Mirrors too large

This is an excellent van for comfort, style and functional use. However, I was totally surprised at the very poor fuel economy I am receiving. I have about 1700 miles on the van after 3 months including a 700 mile highway trip averaging 65-70 mph and have only achieved 15-16 mpg figure in the city and 21 on the highway. The EPA mpg figures are way off on this model! This van has the 3.3L V6. I have a 6 year old Mercury Grand Marquis, which is longer and heavier and as a 4.6L V-8 that gets 19 in the city and 26 on the highway. Dodge should re-evaluate this engine/transmission combination and try to tweak the economy up. My MPG figures are with easy driving and without the air conditioner on too I might add. I would look elsewhere if fuel economy is a factor to you. A minor note is that the side mirrors add another 1.5 feet to the width of the van. They are way too wide!...read morehide