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Chrysler

Friday, 29th of August 2008

The Chrysler Grand Voyager offers a choice between the 3.8-litre V6 petrol and the 2.8-litre turbodiesel. The car is very heavy and the 2.8 diesel feels lethargic despite the 161bhp and 266lb ft of torque. The diesel is naturally the more fuel efficient of the 2 engines. An automatic gearbox comes as standard.

This is large, American MPV and handles like one. The handling and steering have improved when compared to the previous car, plus the ride is also now more controlled.

The cabin is practical and looks hard-wearing but the silver plastics feel fragile. The controls on the dashboard also let the Grand Voyager down; they are very hard to reach from the high driving position. Customer satisfaction surveys do not compliment Chrysler; the Grand Voyager will not help the company improve in this area.

Safety is an area in which the first generation performed woefully, scoring just 2 stars in the EuroNCAP front impact test. Deadlocks, alarm, engine immobiliser, six airbags, stability control plus anchors for 3 ISOFIX child seats all come as standard. It is advisable that you check the EuroNCAP website to see the crash tests for this vehicle - http://www.euroncap.com

At last, an area in which the Grand Voyager excels! 7 passengers’ can be seated comfortably with plenty of leg and head room. The innovative Stow ‘n’ Go rear seats can be folded flat into the floor, creating an impressively large load area, plus there is the added bonus that the wells can be used for extra storage space when the seats are being used. Top-of-the-range models also have the clever Swivel ‘n’ Go system where the 2 chairs in the middle spin around to face the rear seats and allow for a table to be fitted between them. The Grand Voyager does not top the Ford Galaxy in many areas but space and practicality is definitely one of them.

Expensive to buy and expensive to run, service and insure. The 2.8-litre diesel is the only semi-intelligent choice but even then you will only get around 30 miles to the gallon. The high CO2 emissions of 247g/km will deter many as the UK cracks down on heavily-polluting MPVs in particular. On the plus side, the chic image that Chrysler has will mean that residual values will be strong.