2005 Chrysler Voyager Reviews

Moving the masses was reflected in a significant milestone achieved by the American car maker in March when it chalked up its 11 millionth people mover sale.It invented this segment more than 20 years ago and in some markets the people mover segment dominates its business.Transactions in this class are a little slower in Australia.In the first quarter of 2005, 233 Voyagers were sold.The Voyager is not the cheapest player in the market especially against the likes of the budget Kia Carnival or the competent four-cylinder Honda Odyssey.Mind you, Toyota's bottom spec Tarago commands a hefty price coming in at a little more than $50,000.These days the Voyager is smarter. It is armed with a stow 'n go system enabling the second and third rows of seats can be folded and stored underneath the floor.So in no time at all mum's taxi can be turned into dad's van.Together with the flexibility of a multi-purpose cabin, the Voyager also gains safety improvements.There are now side curtain airbags that offer protection for all three rows.This has helped the Voyager gain the maximum five-star rating for side impact collisions awarded by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US.Bits and pieces freshened on the exterior of the Voyager include a new grille, quad projector headlamps, new body mouldings and wheel covers.Out on the road the 3.3-litre V6 is quiet and refined and has strong kickdown response.It rides well over bumps and lumps, offering plenty of cushioning for occupants.Complaints from some passengers suggest Chrysler could do with adding grab handles. Even at low speeds occupants were swaying around in their seats.This front-wheel-drive Voyager is biased towards under steer.Handling is otherwise sound and for a big, heavy vehicle it pulls up well under emergency braking.Without lugging any load on this test the car at times, particularly up gradients, felt heavy and bulky. One would think performance and fuel consumption would be put to the test when the Voyager was fully loaded.On this 900km test of mainly free-wheeling on the highway with about 100km running around the 'burbs, the Voyager sounded its low fuel warning chime and illuminated the fuel light at 450km.It was chewing close to 15litres/100km without doing the heavier work it's designed to do, hauling people and gear.Overall the Voyager wins brownie points for flexibility.On the downside you are paying a hefty initial price and while it comes with a three year/100,000km warranty that includes 24-hour Chrysler Car roadside assistance, day-to-day running costs might be worth perusing.

It has some real, useable luggage space behind the third row of seats.This is unusual because most of the large people movers have 500mm or less with the third seat in use, and it can be a struggle to fit in something the esky for a picnic.Also, for what is ostensibly a family wagon, it makes it pretty difficult to pack up and take the tribe on hols without taking a trailer or using an expensive, roof-mounted luggage pod.Even more impressive is Voyager's new "Stow n Go" system that allows both second and third row seats to be folded. tumbled and hidden completely out of sight beneath the cabin floor.With the seats upright, the storage bins below offer an additional 340 litres of storage space.In some people movers you can stow the third row under the floor, but Chrysler is the only company to offer the facility for both rows.As you can image, with both rows of seats tucked away, the Voyager has a huge flat load area suitable for carrying larger items like furniture.We were impressed last time we drove Voyager, particularly with the car's whisper quiet ride.Our test vehicle, the base model Grand Voyager (they're all Grand/long wheelbase models now) exhibits the same kind of refinement.The extra 288mm length (5096mm versus 4808mm) and the addition of Stow and Go takes the car to another level.However, Voyager is certainly not aimed at the budget end of the market, not with a starting price of $55,990.And the size of the car sometimes works against it, particularly when it comes to parking.The seven-seat Voyager is powered by a 3.3-litre petrol V6 that delivers 128kW of power and 278Nm of torque.Transmission is a traditional four-speed auto operated even more traditionally by a column mounted shift.Sorry Chrysler but this is just a bit too American for our tastes and can be fiddly to operate.It works well enough but most manufac- turers are now offering five cogs with their autos.The car also lacks a driver's footrest, probably a victim of the change from left to right hand drive.Chrysler needs to address both items plus Voyager's fuel consumption could be an issue.Claimed fuel use is 13.3L/100km, but in real world driving it gets more like 15.7L which is excessive.On the safety front Voyager scores a maximum five-star safety rating from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis- tration.Standard equipment includes three-row sup- plemental side curtain airbags, advanced multi- stage front air bags, ABS and three-zone airconditioning. 

This North American people mover has set a few standards in its time; after 20 years in the business and more than 10 million sold around the world, the Voyager remains one of the best.It is not the cheapest option for shifting people and luggage, these days the Grand Voyager starts at $55,990. But this is a substantial vehicle with style and seven seats.For the new season the Voyager takes on side curtain airbags to cover all three rows of seats. There also is some cosmetic work around the outside, chiefly with a new grille and headlights giving the big wagon the latest Chrysler family face.The new bits arrive on top of an impressive list of equipment from front airbags and ABS to tri-zone airconditioning and a sliding side door and tailgate which open with power assistance.Here Chrysler Australia offers three trim levels of the long-wheelbase Voyager – SE, LX and Limited. The top of the range wagon – at $69,990 – carries leather and a superb 10-speaker sound system.Past the standard Grand Voyager Limited there is an all-wheel-drive Limited version at $71,990.All these Grand vans sit on a 3030mm wheelbase and run to 5096mm in the body; the advantage here is reasonable luggage space behind the third row, unlike some rivals which leave vestigial room for gear when all seven seats are used.The Voyager is 1749mm high, good for access and head room through to the back row of seats.In fact the interior of these Limiteds is quite tidy. Big analogue instruments have a classic, simple-to-read style, buttons and bells fall readily to hand while the interior's fit and finish, certainly on the Limited version, reflects the price tag and Austrian build.Accommodation in all seven seats is excellent, centre armrests for the front four seats a welcome bonus.But for the driver there are Americanisms to be accommodated.The indicator and wiper stalk is mounted on the left-hand side of the steering column, although that's not unusual.Then the change lever for the four-speed automatic sprouts from the right-hand side of the column. This may not be a problem after a day or two behind the wheel of the Voyager, there is some symmetry to parking, using the right hand to shift the transmission into park and the left hand to pull on the floor-mounted handbrake lever.But then there's the limited room in the Voyager's driver footwell, there's not a deal of space to rest the left foot with too much intrusion from the centre console coming in from the left. The saving grace is the high and upright, albeit quite comfortable, seating position which allows a driver's foot to sit flat.On the move, the Grand Voyager is quiet and flexible. The 3.3 litre V6 produces 128kW at 5100rpm and 278Nm of torque at 4000rpm, enough to have the Voyager sailing along with the traffic around the town or down the highway.The V6 runs about its business with a smoothness not always found in this market niche; the auto transmission is quick and easy and some two tonne of machine is on its way.The Voyager handles like a big front-wheel-drive wagon, it does not need to be pushed around quite as hard as the family Commodore.Yet this big Chrysler has a decent amount of balance and roadholding for a fair lump of machine. Only the steering lets the side down a tad; it is woolly, too light and non-communicative at the straight-ahead.The Voyager steers fine, it just takes that little extra before it bites.The Chrysler Voyager may not be a volume seller, some 8813 have been sold across Australia since it arrived in July 1996, but it does fly the flag for the company's image and engineering.