2006 Dodge Caravan SE 3.3

Summary:

Great van, especially if you can get one at a fair price

Faults:

Nothing at all since I've owned it. Previous owner had the passenger side power window motor fail; it was replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

The 3.3L engine has plenty of power, and I like the growl it makes on hard acceleration.

Decent gas mileage in the city, very good on the highway.

Respectable road manners even on the awful factory-standard tires.

Exceedingly comfortable driving position, and great visibility. Second row seating not so good, third row seating OK. No Stow-n-Go seats on my version, but the seats are a snap to remove (although heavy!)

Quiet interior. Some road noise, very little wind noise.

"Cheap", uninspiring looking plastic interior may not look as good as other vehicles, but it's tough and easy to clean.

Reliability so far has been excellent. Drives more like a sport/touring sedan than a van, and has cavernous interior space even though it's the short version.

Probably overpriced for what you get however (compared to other vans I looked at), and has terrible resale value.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2008

2006 Dodge Caravan 2.4L

Summary:

Great value for the money

Faults:

The fuel pump overheated causing engine shutdown with 450 miles on the car. The first time it happened we were told we had bad gas. Second time we got angry. The dealer drove the car for over 80 miles before finally deciding the fuel pump was overheating. Replaced the fuel pump under warranty and no further problems.

General Comments:

This is a great little car for the money. Lots of room and fun to drive.

But, we got the 2.4 L engine and it makes a loud "growling" noise when accelerating. The dealer says this is normal with the smaller engine. It only makes the noise when the engine is under load, in other words, while driving. It sounds nice and quiet if the engine is revved while the transmission is in neutral or park. Any ideas from anyone on how to muffle this noise would be greatly appreciated. Would undercoating help? Or maybe some sound deadening material on the engine side of the firewall. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Please respond to Sojournerdanjan@hotmail.com.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 4th April, 2007

24th Apr 2007, 08:39

A 2006 Caravan with 2.4L engine? Are you sure?

23rd Jun 2007, 10:09

Yeah, the caravan still has the 2.4 4 cyl. option, I've driven one and it's hard to believe that dodge would still put a 4 cyl. in a van, not much power at all, good luck on hills.

2nd Aug 2007, 20:13

Great van.

The 2.4 is noisy little engine. It is the same in every Chrysler vehicle they put it in. It also vibrates terribly. Would not recommend this engine choice in the Caravan at all.

Licensed tech for 20 years.