1989 Dodge Caravan vs the Competition Manufacturer Promo
With the appearance of the Mazda MPV, the Caravan was no longer unique in their approach to the minivan theme which placed them someplace between a small van and a full-size station wagon. The C/V offered a very comfortable, non-van like ride, station-wagon handling, and a handsome sedan like interior. In fact, sitting behind the wheel, it was easy to forget there was so much functional space stretching out behind.
For 1989, Chrysler’s venerable and reliable 2.5-lieter, 150-horsepower, turbocharged engine was available on all the short wheelbase models. A 4-speed automatic transaxle was standard on certain models, available on others, but only with the Mitsubishi-built V6 engine. Grand Caravan models had a wheelbase stretched seven inches to support nearly 15 more inches of body, making it sort of a maxi-minivan.
The base C/V engine was a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder with a 5-speed manual transmission. The V6 engine and 4-speed automatic transaxle were standard on the top of the line Grand Caravan.
New bits and pieces, some standard, others optional, included gas-charged front iso-struts, power rear-quarter windows, power sunroof, leather upholstery, luggage rack, 4-speaker stereo, and strobe-effect striped rear quarter vent windows in the LX Decor Package.
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