Test Drive Chrysler Voyager 2000 - 2003

Voyage from the city to the village

What is minivan? Why are they so loved in Europe and in the USA?
Brief Encyclopedia Prepared on the basis of Chrysler Voyager SE and Chrysler Town & Country Limited
The word minivan, as the definition of the type of body of the car, does not want to stubborn in our country. At best, these cars are called minibuses, in the worst rafiki, in memory of the products of the Latvian auto industry.
Holy place. After the conquest of the Latvian people of political independence, the RAF automotive plant died quietly. The scene was empty a good ten years, and then in the smoke of unworn gases, Rafik on the basis of Gazelle was redeemed. Unfortunately, the designers of the Gas minivan were under strong hypnosis of the past - all the same seded seats and glass, darked from a nutritional breath of ten passengers. The video of the new time is only that rafic passengers paid 10 kopecks, and the passengers of Gazelle plays today four rubles.
Meanwhile, the development of technical thoughts in the West brought the design of minivans to perfection. Moreover, the United States and Europe play various rules, observing only the laws of the genre. And Chrysler even produces two versions of one Voyager model: under the name Town & Country - only for the United States and under its own - for Europe.
Son and stepper. First of all, the eye rushes the difference in the design of the front of the car. Town & Country is decorated in a modern Chrysler style and carries the Family features of LHS or 300M. Voyager is more conservative and clearly loses american as part of the design. It is not entirely clear why Chrysler retained an outdated design after the deafening success of the same LHS in the European market. If you do not focus on the difference in the design of the front headlights and the rear lights, which is explained by the differences in European and American GOST, this is the only significant difference in external design.
The presence of tinting side windows in the American version and the absence of the same on European again can be explained by a different approach to road safety. In Solar California, this is good, and in Finland, for example, not welcomed by representatives of the traffic police.
WHO IS COOLER? Inside both machines are organized in accordance with the same laws of the genre, but with amendments to the consumer's mentality. In the American version, a richer inner finish is immediately striking. Americans love external shine, and nothing can be done here. Leather upholstery of all seats, more expensive and to the touch wooden inserts, and a few arelands of fabric upholstery are performed more unforgettably. Europeans are content with the combined tissue trim of the cabin and a more modest wooden inlay.
Americans for nature - bar. The middle row of seats in Town & Country is made in the form of two separate chairs with a fairly significant cargo space in the middle. Moreover, in the folded state, the back of each chair is a table for gifts from McDonalds with binding steaming for glasses with diets-Coca. Under each chair there is a handle, which literally one movement to free it from fastening to the floor and turn minivan into a huge limousine. The size of the side sliding doors, by the way, make it possible to do so with a minimum of physical costs.
In Voyager, the middle row of seats is made in the form of a solid sofa, also removable. But a similar procedure for the conversion of the bus to limousine is conjugate in the European version with significant physical efforts, and all interested family members should be thrown on.
In addition, Americans are much rampant feeling at the back sofa. Town & Country is 340 mm longer than Voyager, and therefore the sofa in it is located in a wider part of the body. Excessive tens of millimeters, firstly, allows three adults to relax to relax, stretching long legs into the passage in cowboy boots. Secondly, the trunk has become much spacious, and it will freely settle in it, for example, three riding saddles to justify the presence of cowboy boots. That's just the curtain is not provided - obviously, in America steal less frequently than in Europe.
No smoking. This is, of course, a trifle, but the trifle is indicative. In Town & Country there is no cigarette lighter. That is, the nest, of course, is, but it is covered with a massive rubber lid with the inscription 12V. In his struggle with smoking, America sometimes comes to the absurd!
By the way, it is almost the only difference in the inner frills. Both machines are equipped with a full electric car, onboard trip-computer, cruise control, air conditioning and audio system. For Europe with a developed FM broadcasting system, the EON-RDS function is provided in the radio.
Interesting device we found on the WOYAGER steering column. Obviously, this is a rudimentary representation of Americans about the old world with narrow medieval streets - a special switch from the driver's seat to fold and open the side mirrors.
Pretty original on both models are organized blocks of control lamps. Additional equipment indicators - ABS, open door indicator, engine life and airbag indicator, light up at the start of the engine on the usual place in the instrument combination. The remaining indicators are turn signals, oil pressure, etc. - grouped in a narrow slit over the visor of the instrument panel. The solution is rather original and, it seems correct. The lighting of a light bulb located at the bottom of the dashboard can not be seen at intensive motion, and the Chrysler has the most important indicators are located in the windshield area, i.e. Before the eyes of the driver.
Automatic equalization. Differences in the finishing and service equipment can be written off to the difference in the configuration - Town & Country was packed by the class of suite. The main thing is what is the difference between an American and the European, this is, first of all, the engine. Buying the car, and the American, and the European is asked the same question: how many liters? Only one means the engine volume, and the other is a hundred kilometers fuel consumption. Based on this, the Town & Country is installed hotly beloved on the other side of the ocean V-shaped six-cylinder engine with a volume of 3.8 liters. On Voyager - four of 2.4 liters.
And here it begins the most interesting. On both cars installed the same four-stage automatic transmission. A higher breeding European engine practically negates the presence of extra 33 horses in the American version. At least in the city cycle ride. Both cars are accelerated the same, and all attempts to compete during our test drive for a direct did not lead to anything. In the sense that it was not possible to determine the obvious champion. Both machines are accelerated equally evenly and powerfully and are gaining 60 km / h permitted within a few seconds. The essential difference is only in smoothness. Despite the spring suspension from behind (also tribute to American fashion), long-base Town & Country moves much more smoothly from the Russian bridge far from perfection.
Two against four. The explicit advantage of the American version (but not an American lifestyle) is available on the Town & Country permanent full drive. The interstrate differential with the Viscounts accurately doses the traction force between the front and rear wheels depending on the road situation. As a result, firstly, practically eliminates the wheelchair and drifts with a sharp start from the traffic light. Secondly, Town & Country is much more stable in sharp turns, if you pass them at speeds above 60 km / h and on a rather slippery road, as it was on the day of our test drive. The driver of Voyager, who constantly held the bumper in the bumper, complained that he felt not very confident in the event that, when leaving the turn, I wanted to add a brake on the road covered with a light snowball.
The third and most important thing. Our photo artist, an obsessed mania of high art, drove both minivans on a snowy virgin. The depth of snow was non-mercy - 15-20 cm, but Voyager sat there tightly. For the sake of justice, we note that both cars were shoddowed in standard highway rubber, even without labeling M + S. So, Voyager simply twisted the front wheels in one place, rolling the snow in a few seconds in naked ice. And we were able to escape only when three human were added to horsepower.
But the behavior of Town & Country was above all silence. With a slight yu on the most slippery sites, the clouds of snow, he raised the clouds of snow, he not only with ease overcame a snowy virgin, but also jumped over a rather an impressive snowdrift, listed on the side of the road to the cleaning of the capital from snow.
Autopilot thanks Major Auto, (095) 492-4607, 497-6840, for the cars provided for test. For the period of testing, cars were insured in the company's re-guarantee, (095) 250-3600, 255-6834.
 
Model / Modification of Chrysler Voyager SE Chrysler Town & Country Limited
Manufacturer DaimlerChrysler
USA Manufacturer Country
BODY
Minivan minivan type
Number of doors / seats 5/7 5/7
ENGINE
Type gasoline with electronic injection gasoline with electronic injection
Front location transversely
Working volume (cube. Cm) 2429 3778
Number / Cylinder Location 4 / Angle 6 / V-Fig
Cylinder diameter x Piston stroke (mm) 87,5x101,0 96,0х87.0
Compression ratio 9,4: 1 9.0: 1
Power, kW (hp) with rpm. / Min. 110 (150) at 5250 134 (183) at 4400
Moment (nm at rpm. / Min.) 229 at 4000 325 at 3150
Number of valves
on cylinder 4 2
TRANSMISSION
Drive on the front wheels, self-locking reverse bridge differential Permanent full, inter-axis differential with the Viscounts
Transmission automatic, four-stage
SUSPENSION
Front spring, triangular transverse levers, transverse stability stabilizer
Back Spring, Independent Suspension Wheels, Panar Spring, Straight Bridge Beam, Panar Tract, By request - Transverse Stability Stabilizer
STEERING
Type of gear-rail with hydraulication
The diameter of the reversal (M) 11.5 12.0
Torkemose
Front disc ventilated
Rear drums
ABS three-channel
Wheels
Tire size 215/65 R15 215/65 R16
6J, 6.5J discs, light alloy
Sizes / Obeham / Weight
Length / Width / Height (mm) 4730/1920/1790 5070/1920/1790
Wheel base (mm) 2880 3030
Front track / rear (mm) 1600/1630
Clearance (mm) 130 140
Radag volume (L) 450/4140 670/4880
Mass Curb (kg) 1760 1810
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed (km / h) 180 Over 170
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h (sec.) 12 12
Economy
Fuel consumption (l / 100 km):
Highway 8.3 9,8.
Urban cycle 14.2 13.8
Price in Moscow $ 35,000 $ 49 000
And who else is Ivan Rossheveyev, director of a private security agency: We needed very roomy, but at the same time a powerful, high-speed and maneuverable car on the TOWN & Country Choir should not accidentally. Often you have to accompany customers with large sums or at the same time carry a large group of employees. All-wheel drive minivan seemed more convenient for me than a traditional jeep, we do not ride the fields. Over 100 thousand kilometers rolled, there were no serious breakdowns.
Vasily Levitsky, Director of the Center for Informatics: Minivan For me was a pink dream of youth actually, this is the second car in the family and I use it mostly in the summer, I love to travel by car in a good company. I have been driving for more than 20 years, I tried a lot of cars. Voyager I like primarily the fact that in it, as they say, and the table and the house, and it is no more difficult to ride on it than on a simple car. Gasoline, however, he loves to eat, but how much fun and benefit.
Paul Claspper, manager of the Russian-Dutch Firm: For us, such a car is not a whim, but we have to travel to Russian cities, and to neighboring countries. Voyager comes almost perfectly, just an office on wheels. That's just the Chrysler service in your country is weak, almost everyone has to do in Finland.
Text Nikolay Kachurin, photo Dmitry Novokreshchenov
 

A source: "Autopilot"