The History Of The Dodge Caravan in The 1990’s

During the early 1990’s, the Dodge Caravan was in its second generation of production. The Generation II Dodge Caravan was a three door minivan with a front engine and the option of either front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Several engine options were available with the Dodge Caravan including the following: a 2.5-liter K14, a 3.0-liter Mitsubishi 6G72V6, a 3.3-liter L EGA V6, and a 3.8-liter EGH V6. Starting in 1990, Dodge began using the Chrysler AS platform for the Caravan.

Innovations that were seen in the Dodge Caravan through the first half of the 1990’s included new buck seating featuring “Quad Command” and changes in the van’s seating such as the integration of child safety seats in 1991 and the incorporation of reclining seats in 1993. Also, Generation II Dodge Caravans were offered with anti-lock brakes, a driver’s side airbag in 1991 and dual front airbags in 1993. It is also of note that- in 1993- the Generation II Dodge Caravan was the first minivan to meet the federal safety standards set forth in 1998.

The third generation of the Dodge Caravan was offered starting in 1996. This minivan came in both three-door and four-door versions, and it used the Chrysler NS platform rather than the Chrysler AS platform of the previous generation. The Generation III Chrysler Caravan was in development starting in 1990, and production of the vehicle model officially began on January 30 of 1995 and ran until the year 2000.

In 1996, the Dodge Caravan was awarded the North American Car of the Year award in combination with the Chrysler Town & Country and the Plymouth Voyager. Additional awards won by the Generation III Dodge Caravan included the Car of the Year award in 1996 from Motor Trend and listing on the Ten Best List from Car and Driver magazine in 1996 and 1997.

Some developments were made to the third generation Dodge Caravan starting in 1998, including new front styling that gave the ES and Sport models a sportier look. Also, a sliding door on the driver’s side became standard, and the ES model was given “AutoStick” transmission. In addition, 1998 saw the addition of a cargo net between the driver seat and the front passenger seats.