Toyota Sienna vs Dodge Grand Caravan
Despite the US market's obsession with SUVs in all sizes, not all buyers require the elevated ride height and varying degrees of off-road readiness that SUVs offer.
For families and businesses looking for extra passenger space along with decent cargo loading capacity, the minivan fits the bill.
Read on as we compare two minivans available as excellent pre-owned buys, the Toyota Sienna and Dodge Grand Caravan.
Model History
Toyota’s Sienna minivan has been on the market since 1998, and shares its front-wheel-drive platform and layout with the Camry. The first Sienna model started out smaller than its rivals however, a redesign in 2004 grew the model's dimensions to match the domestic competition’s products.
The current fourth generation Sienna offers trims levels that include, L, LE, SE, SE Premium, XLE, XLE premium, Limited and range topping Limited Premium trims, more than enough choices to meet any buyer's needs.
The Dodge Caravan series of minivans was manufactured by Chrysler from 1984 until 2020.
The Caravan model including the long wheelbase Grand Caravan version, the subject of this article went on to be produced and sold as a fifth-generation model from 2008 until its discontinuation in 2020.
For interest sake, the Dodge Grand Caravan has effectively been replaced by the Chrysler Voyager for US buyers.
The three available trim levels, SE, SXT and SXT Premium still offer a solid pre-owned purchase proposition for budget conscious buyers.
Exterior Differences
The Toyota Sienna started out life with a not too stylish melted blob like exterior design which thankfully is now long gone.
The latest four door Sienna offers sharp styling with an aggressive and assertive front end featuring a large and sporty trapezoidal shaped front grille and slim horizontal headlamps making the Sienna unmistakably a thoroughly modern Toyota product.
The slab sided nature of a minivan is nicely camouflaged with a stylish crease line running from behind the front wheel arch all the way to the sharp styled LED tail lamps.
Numerous standard exterior appointments include:
- LED headlamps
- Daytime Running Lights
- Variable Intermittent windshield wipers
- Body color side mirrors
- Alloy wheels
Dodge’s Grand Caravan exterior design offers solid, squarish design cues. Large, rectangular-shaped headlamps with integrated turn signals feature up front along with a wide rectangular chrome-trimmed front grille and obligatory Dodge crosshairs trim accents.
All trims offered halogen lamps with upper trims getting auto on/off headlamps and high beams with auto on/off function.
Some standout exterior features on the Grand Caravan include:
- Variable Intermittent windshield wipers
- Body color front bumper
- Steel or alloy wheels, depending on the trim
- Body-Colored Rear Step Bumper
- Black Side Windows Trim
- Black Front Windshield Trim
- Deep Tinted Glass
Dimensions
The Toyota Sienna rides on a 119.3-inch wheelbase and measures 200.6 inches long. The Sienna is 78.1 inches wide sans its mirrors and up to 68.9 inches tall.
Ground clearance is 6.5 inches on this Japanese contender.
The Dodge has a wheelbase measuring 121.inches and is 202.8 inches long. Width comes in at 78.7 inches without counting the mirrors and is 67.9 inches high.
The Dodge sits low to the ground with 5.6 inches of ground clearance.
Interior Comparison
The Toyota Sienna boasts a modern and spacious interior, along with advanced technology in its comfy cabin with seating for up to eight passengers in three rows of seats.
Some key interior features include:
- Tri-zone automatic climate control
- 4.2-inch color multi-information system
- Heated seats on upper trims
- Available leather seats
The Dodge Grand Caravan’s interior offers a commanding outward view in its sensible designed cabin that seats up to seven passengers in its three rows of seats.
Buyers can look forward to items such as handy third-row Stow ‘n Go seats, cloth upholstery, tri-zone manual climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, remote keyless entry, plus a rearview camera.
Upper trims add niceties including, premium cloth upholstery, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a steering wheel wrapped in leather, satellite radio, Bluetooth, a USB port and voice command.
Infotainment
The Sienna standard infotainment includes a 7.0-inch touchscreen system with six speakers, Apple CarPlay connectivity, plus five USB ports throughout the cabin.
All trims are available with Toyota's Entune connected apps suite plus smartphone-based services. Upper trims see the fitment of a ten-speaker JBL sound system.
The Dodge offers an infotainment system with a 6.5-inch screen and auxiliary input as standard equipment.
Cargo Space
The Toyota offers 164.4 cubic feet of passenger space.
Cargo space is 150.1 cubic feet behind the front row seats, 87.1 cubic feet behind the second seat row, and 39.1 cubic feet will all seat rows up.
Buyers of the Dodge will enjoy the generous 163.5 cubic feet of passenger space and will get up to 143.8 cubic feet of space behind the first row seat. 83.3 cubic feet behind the second seat brown and 33 cubic feet in the rear cargo area.
Powertrain Differences
A sole engine option in the Toyota Sienna is a 3.5-liter V-6 making 296 horsepower and 263 pound feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard with FWD or available AWD.
The Sienna can tow a maximum of up to 3,500 lbs.
The Dodge is similarly fitted with a V6 gasoline engine of 3.6 liter capacity that produces 283 horsepower and torque of 260 pound feet, coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission.
The Grand Caravan is only available with FWD, and buyers will appreciate the 3,600-pound towing capability.
Safety Considerations
The Sienna offers Toyota Safety Sense as standard across all the trim levels, with just some of the numerous features being the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection plus Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist.
The Dodge received an overall safety rating of four out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and offers safety equipment such as seven airbags, stability control, rear view camera plus four wheel Anti-Lock-Braking.
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