The Chrysler Voyager is the name under which Chrysler sold its minivan in Europe, starting in 1988 with a rebadged Dodge Caravan. Long-wheelbase cars were sold as the Grand Voyager, and European versions differed from American ones with diesel engines, manual gearboxes and six-seat layouts. The name was revived in the United States for 2021 below the Pacifica.
Chrysler Voyager at a glance
| Introduced in Europe | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Based on | Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager |
| Long-wheelbase name | Chrysler Grand Voyager |
| European engines | 2.2 and 2.5 K fours, 3.0 Mitsubishi V6, VM Motori diesels |
| Diesel | 2.5 L VM425 turbo-diesel from 1994 |
| Gearboxes | manual available in Europe; foot-operated parking brake |
| US revival | 2021 model year, replacing the Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Canadian name | Chrysler Grand Caravan |
| European rebadge | Lancia Voyager, 2011–2016 |
| Family sales | over 12 million minivans across the nameplates |
History of the Chrysler Voyager
A European Caravan
The Dodge Caravan was introduced in North America in November 1983 for the 1984 model year, alongside the identical Plymouth Voyager. Its interior trim, controls and instruments came from the Chrysler K platform, and the lower floor made possible by front-wheel drive gave it car-like access. The line reached Europe in 1988, with Dodge Caravans rebranded as Chryslers. Europe’s Chrysler Voyager was almost identical to the American Dodge Caravan, except that the turbocharged four-cylinder engine and the 3.3-litre Chrysler EGA V6 were not offered, the range being limited to the 2.2- and 2.5-litre K fours and the 3.0-litre Mitsubishi V6.
Later generations for Europe
The second generation arrived for 1991 and remained identical to the American Caravan apart from the absence of the 3.8-litre V6; it was the last generation sold in the United States with a manual gearbox. From 1994 a 2.5-litre VM Motori turbo-diesel four became available, and South African cars could be ordered with military modifications including 240- and 360-litre fuel tanks. The third generation from 1996 kept rebadging the Caravan for Europe, where it offered 2.0-litre SOHC and DOHC fours and the 2.5 VM turbo-diesel, manual transmissions and a six-passenger layout with six captain’s chairs that was not sold elsewhere. Base cars in most American states used a 2.4-litre four or the 3.0 V6, though California and several north-eastern states took the 3.3 instead because the Mitsubishi V6 could not meet their emissions standards.
The name in America and its end
In the United States the Chrysler Voyager replaced the short-wheelbase Plymouth Voyager after Plymouth was closed in 2001 and lasted until 2003. In continental Europe the Voyager was rebadged as the Lancia Voyager from 2011 to 2016, the last European Grand Voyagers being close to the 2008 and later Town & Country and sold only in long-wheelbase form, with VM Motori common-rail diesels as standard. Following the fifth generation the Grand Voyager name was dropped in all markets. The Voyager nameplate returned for 2021 after the Dodge Grand Caravan ended production in 2020, positioned below the Chrysler Pacifica and sold in Canada as the Chrysler Grand Caravan. Together with its nameplate variants, Chrysler’s minivans rank as the thirteenth bestselling vehicle nameplate worldwide, with more than twelve million sold.
Design and features
- European specification: diesel engines, manual gearboxes and a foot-operated parking brake.
- VM Motori diesels: the 2.5 turbo-diesel arrived in 1994 and later common-rail units became standard in Europe.
- Six captain’s chairs: a European-only six-passenger layout from the third generation.
- Grand Voyager: the long-wheelbase version sold in Europe and North America.
- Long-lived nameplate: from 1988 in Europe to a 2021 revival in the United States.
Chrysler Voyager versions
- First generation (1988–1990): rebadged Dodge Caravan with 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0 engines.
- Second generation (1991–1995): the first with a VM turbo-diesel option.
- Third generation (1996–2000): European 2.0 engines, diesels and six captain’s chairs.
- Grand Voyager: the long-wheelbase version, sold in Europe until 2016.
- Lancia Voyager (2011–2016): the continental European rebadge.
- Voyager (2021–): the American revival below the Pacifica.
The Voyager shared its body with the Chrysler Town & Country and was replaced in the range by the Pacifica. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.
Video: Chrysler Grand Voyager 2005
Video by gbrohier on YouTube.
Sources
- Chrysler Voyager, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, European and American markets
- Chrysler Voyager, Wikimedia Commons: photographs
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