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USED CAR REVIEW

CHRYSLER VOYAGER 
1997-2005

By EWAN KENNEDY
5 December 2005

The Chrysler Voyager is a spacious people mover from the USA. The big Voyager has attractive styling, particularly in its post 2001 format, that takes away some of the stigma of owning a people mover. Indeed, this is as much a luxurious mini bus as a conventional people mover.

The change to right-hand drive is a bit half-hearted with ergonomics and ease of access both suffering. Try it for yourself on a decent test drive to see if you’re happy with the way it all works.

Voyager went on sale in February 1997 as the short wheelbase SE. Well equipped, it came with automatic transmission, central door-locking, air conditioning, cruise control and a multi-speaker sound system, as well as the additional safety of twin airbags and ABS brakes.

The long-wheelbase model, with the impressive title of Grand Voyager LE arrived in June of that same year. Its wheelbase was extended by 150mm and the length by 330mm.

Voyager was unusual in its day in having twin sliding side doors, as well as the usual side-hinged front doors and a rear hatch. The sliding door on each side makes for easier loading of passengers and cargo, but adds a worry that a small child might step out of the car on the traffic side.

With a compact V6 engine stowed in the nose driving the front wheels and mechanical components taking up as little room as possible, Voyager is an exceptionally space-efficient design.

The interior seating is unusually versatile in that the seats can be quickly moved around - or rolled out of the body altogether. The standard seating arrangements are two reclining bucket seats in the front and a three-seat bench in the rearmost position of both short and long wheelbase models. The centre seat is a reclining two-seater in the SE, or two buckets in the LE. In either case, there's a walk-through for passengers to reach the back. You can quickly switch seats to have the three-seat bench in the middle and the two-seater behind.

It is possible to move from one seat to another without having to fold anything out of the way. The rearmost seat can be folded or removed completely to increase the volume of the cargo space. Thanks to built-in wheels, removal is achieved by a quick operation requiring the release of two clips and rolling the seat to the rear. It can then be lifted out and rolled off into temporary storage.

May 2001 saw an all-new design, a sleeker smoother, Chrysler Voyager going on sale in Australia, only months after its introduction in the USA. Among the features was a power operated rear tailgate and side windows on some topline models. 

As before the Voyager was sold in short and long-wheelbase versions, the latter has an exceptionally spacious interior. Model options were the Voyager SE, which could be specified in either wheelbase, Voyager LX with long wheelbase only and the topline Voyager Limited, also only in LWB format.

These are pleasant vehicles to ride in as minimisation of noise and vibration are very good. Ride comfort gives the Voyager a most refined feeling and it handles in a competent manner. To call it sporting would be exaggerating, but keen drivers will be far less frustrated at the wheel of the Voyager than in most of its competitors.

Unlike most Japanese people movers, that run four-cylinder powerplants, the Voyager has a 3.3-litre V6 engine. Torque is strong low down in the manner that Australian drivers really like. Performance is adequate, though some may find it marginal with a full load.

In March 2002, an (expensive) all-wheel-drive variant became an option in the Voyager. It isn't intended to go off-road, but to have the ability to run securely on slippery surfaces. 

For 2005 the standard-wheelbase Voyager was discontinued and a very clever seating system, called Stow ‘n Go, was fitted to the Grand Voyager. It gives you a flat-floor, van-like interior when the seats are down. From the floor of the ‘van’ you can flip up anything from one to five seats. This can be done in less than 25 seconds with a bit of practice. When the seats are raised for normal use, the areas into which they stow can be used as storage compartments. 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Though the Voyager and is proving reliable on the Australian market, it’s still wise to have a full professional inspection to be on the safe side. 

Chrysler's Voyager is reasonably well built, but not to the standard of Japanese competitors so look it over thoroughly. 

Some may have been used commercially as small buses, by hotels and the like, so will have had a lot of use. A look for damage in the load area is often the best way of checking on this.

Even if the Voyager has only been used as a family carrier, have a good look at the interior in case bored children have given it a rough time.

Be wary of an engine that’s reluctant to start, particularly after an overnight stop. Hesitation to accelerate can be another indication of trouble, though the Voyager’s powerplant is generally long lasting.

The automatic transmission seems virtually bullet proof in the American manner, but a unit that’s slow at going into gear from Neutral could be worth a closer inspection.

CAR BUYING TIP
Do plenty of homework before settling on which car you buy, you may be surprised at just how many good models there are on the used-car market these days.