[5] Alongside the ability to park within a standard-height garage, designers sought to develop a vehicle with a low floor and car-like NVH levels.

To match the Ford Aerostar and General Motors APV minivans, designers sought to improve the exterior aerodynamics and the handling of the model line.

[16] For the 1994 model year, the Caravan underwent a mid-cycle revision as part of a body upgrade to meet 1998 federal safety standards.

The third-generation Chrysler minivans were available in long- and short–wheelbase models; three- and four-door configurations; and eight different powertrains, including electric and compressed natural gas; on a single, flexible platform.

A conventional door handle and lock were added to the rear hatch, eliminating the confusing pop-and-lift maneuver that had been required on earlier models.

[citation needed] During the 1996 model year, running changes saw the elimination of the plastic intake manifold cover from the 3.8L engine and redesigned interior door panels.

The 1996–2000 Dodge Grand Caravan received a "Marginal" rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's 40 mph offset test.

It had large air intakes and driving lights in the front bumper, a brushed aluminum instrument panel, racing-style pedals, and black and white rubber flooring.

The Voyager XG was more rugged, featured a diesel engine and manual transmission, and included many outdoor amenities, such as a built-in ice pack.

The Chrysler Pacifica, based on the Town & Country, was more luxurious, had power leather seats and footrests, overhead bins, lighting, an LHS grille, and roof-long skylights.

3,999 lb (1,813 kg) (Grand Unveiled at the 2000 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on Monday, January 10, 2000,[23] the redesigned 2001 Dodge Caravan and 2001 Chrysler Town & Country were released for sale in August 2000.

[25] In development from February 1996 to December 1999, the Generation IV minivans were based on the Chrysler RS platform and featured a larger body frame with modified headlights and taillights.

Other innovative available features included remote-operated sliding doors and a rear hatch, which could be opened and closed at the push of a button, either inside the vehicle or with the keyless entry fob.

This package was offered on higher-level SXT models and included chrome wheels, body-color moldings, special interior accents, as well as a unique fender badge.

In a development program costing $400 million,[28] engineers initially used an Erector Set to visualize the complex interaction of the design[29] and redesigned under-floor components.

[28][30] The Stow 'n Go system received the Popular Science Magazine's "Best of What's New" for 2005 award,[31] and was never offered on the Volkswagen Routan, the rebadged nameplate variant of the Chrysler minivans.

The relatively high rental fleet sales depressed used vehicles' resale value: as the number of returned ex-rental 2010 Grand Caravan to the market jumped fourfold between July and October, prices of used 2009 and 2010 Dodge minivans dropped by as much as 20%.

The suspension was heavily re-tuned, with both Dodge and Chrysler minivans gaining a larger front sway bar and new rear sway bar, increased rear roll center height, adjusted spring rates, a new steering gear, a revised front static camber setting, and lowered ride height.

The same year, the front logo design was changed gaining the two slanted rectangles in red to match the rest of the Dodge lineup.

The Grand Caravan added a class-exclusive feature with an optional Blu-Ray DVD player while the base "AVP" model was described by Autotrader.com editors as having a "shockingly low MSRP" giving buyers "incredible utility" in their vehicle.

The Grand Caravan AVP also gained easy-clean floor mats that came with the optional second-row Stow'n Go seats (standard on SE, SXT, and R/T).

Both 30th Anniversary Editions included an available special body color, Granite Crystal Pearl Coat, a customized gauge cluster with 30th Anniversary badging, as well as the UConnect Handsfree Group (SiriusXM Satellite Radio with a one-year subscription, Bluetooth streaming audio and voice command and an auto-dimming rear view mirror).

The SE Plus package included black leather upholstery, power windows for the second-row seats, and Chrysler's Uconnect voice command with Bluetooth sound system.

[59][60] Production of Grand Caravans was temporarily suspended from September to November 2017 with the assembly of the 2018 model year versions starting in December 2017.

[61][62] The production line required changes to install airbags that meet U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 226 calling for larger and more robust side-impact air curtains, as well as for them to deploy in the event of either a side-on collision or a rollover.

[67] A "Blacktop Package" featuring a black grille, headlamp bezels as well as an all-black interior was optional on SE and SXT 35th anniversary edition models.

[73] In the U.S. the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program crash testing, the 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan achieved an overall four star rating.

[78][79] The Routan was manufactured by Chrysler at its Windsor Assembly facility alongside the Grand Caravan and Town & Country, styled with its model-specific interior trim and front and rear exterior fascias.

Although introduced in 2008, FCA marketed the model line below the Pacifica as the Dodge version continued fleet sales and its popularity in Canada.

Replacing entry-level trims of the Pacifica minivan,[87] the Voyager is sold in the United States while the Grand Caravan is marketed in Canada.