Car Test
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R0249 | |
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June 2002 |
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| Chrysler Voyager | ||
| Printer Friendly Page | Featured Model: 2.4SE | |
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No, The Renault Espace wasn’t the original MPV - Chrysler launched the Voyager two years before it, in 1983. And it’s now sold nine million of them.
This fourth generation model (available in long- or this short- wheelbase form) boasts more space and greater refinement. It also promises improved crashworthiness, and sensibly so, because the previous models fared poorly in Euro-NCAP tests. This latest version has yet to be “NCAPed”, but we can vouch for the Voyager’s refinement, particularly in the engine department. The “big four” up front is certainly no ball of fire (be prepared to make plenty of use of the sometimes obstinate gearchange when overtaking or hill climbing), but Chrysler has done an excellent job in quelling noise, vibration and harshness. Motorway cruising is quietly relaxed. The same goes for the ride. It’s only on broken-topped roads that the suspension becomes somewhat agitated. The Voyager handles well enough, too, with decent grip and not excessive cornering roll. There’s a lifeless feeling to the light steering, though, and the deftness of touch of the Chrysler’s close European counterparts is lacking. Access to the airy, walk-through interior is made easy by a pair of smoothly sliding side doors. This SE version is the poor relation of the wide Voyager range, however, and lacks a lot of the equipment and surprise and delight features that enhance the costlier LX and V6. There’s no height adjustment to the steering or the front captain’s chairs, for example, so you could be unhappy with the driving position. Otherwise, the seat is comfortable, the dials are clearly calibrated and all round vision is excellent, provided you remove all the head restraints when driving solo. Think Voyager and you’re thinking big. This shorter-wheelbase model is the same length as a Renault Grand Espace. It’s surprising, therefore, that rear occupants aren’t exactly spoilt for space. Kneeroom in the center-row armchairs, which are removable but don’t slide, is only adequate, while the reclining, three-seater rear bench has only just sufficient leg and kneeroom for adults. It slides, but only to the benefit of luggage space which, with seven up, is poor. This removable, hernia-inducing settee is mounted on wheels so that it can be rolled away into storage once taken out. With all the seats removed, load space is enormous. |
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