By Sky Motoring
20 November 2007
It’s seldom, if ever, that a new car is actually ‘all new’. So it always tickles us when a car manufacturer brands their latest model as such. And repeats it. A lot. It means: “please don’t mistake this car for the old one”. And in the Grand Voyager’s case it means: “please don’t mistake it for the one that only scored two stars in EuroNCAP’s crash tests. And no points at all for pedestrian protection.” Yes, the previous generation Grand Voyager did indeed possess such woeful crash ratings, but hopefully this ‘mostly new’ next generation model will fare better.
On the outside
Styling may not be particularly high on the agenda for those wanting to buy an MPV, but the Grand Voyager couldn’t look more like a minivan if it tried. Still, it’s on the inside that counts.
On the inside
This ‘all new’ Chrysler Grand Voyager has the same floor pressing as the old model for storing its fancy Stow & Go seating system, a brilliant option that lets the Grand Voyager’s rear five seats fold completely flat into the floor, turning a large seven-seater into a small van. Combined with its appearances on The Apprentice, they’ve caused a 60 percent increase in Grand Voyager sales in the past two years.
Every model will now include three-zone climate control, electric side windows, electric sliding rear side doors, electronic stability control and all-row side-curtain airbags.
On the road
Apprentices and boyband members are the only ones likely to find out what Chrysler’s V6 petrol engine is like. Over 90 percent of UK buyers will take the 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel instead (both are available as 6-speed autos only) and, though it’s quiet enough at a cruise, this is not the car to choose if you’re running late for a train.
Chrysler, conveniently, hasn’t yet recorded any performance figures, so we indulged in a spot of sly stopwatch action and wafted beyond 13 seconds before we’d wafted, noisily, beyond 60mph.
But that, the argument goes, is not the point. The Grand Voyager is about luxury. But here, in part, it fails too. Some – most – of the dash plastics are well short of the class standard. In its favour, there are fewer plastics to get upset about in the back, where it has heated seats, climate control and near-silent electric sliding doors and tailgate. This is a superb executive taxi in the making.
And so long as you’re in no hurry, the drive is okay. Be in no doubt that a Ford Galaxy is a far, far better steer (while its seats go near-as-damnit flat now too), but the Voyager’s ride seems smooth and you could comfortably cover very long distances.
