Chrysler Voyager / Grand voyager - views please?

sarahg1969

They are no good if you want to transport five people with luggage, because you only have 2 seats in the middle row. And isn't the rear row of 3 just a bench on the older ones? The only option would be to remove the middle row and put the luggage in front of them! Not very safe.

I've had an Espace and a Galaxy, and would go for either of those again - along with a roof box.

malc_b

sarahg1969 wrote: »

They are no good if you want to transport five people with luggage, because you only have 2 seats in the middle row. And isn't the rear row of 3 just a bench on the older ones? The only option would be to remove the middle row and put the luggage in front of them! Not very safe.

On my 1997 (not grand) voyager the seats are 2, 2, 3. The 2 are captain chairs with fold down arm rests. The 3 is a bench (centre is just lap belt). If you remove the middle 2 you can roll the back 3 bench forward to the middle space. I've done this when moving kids to uni as you get a solid back to the "boot area". Or for max space I take out one of the middle and the 3 bench. That gives 3 seats and room for a small fridge freezer, plus other stuff. I have a large roof box too.

With all the seats in I've got 6 adults + luggage, with the roof box. In the rear boot space the best option is roller style cases which will take 4 on end. Lugage tetras.

lauren_1

I don't really want to get a roof box as all the carpasrks here are height restricted inc lkea, shallow i know.

We basically need it to fit in 2/3 kids, up to 5 on the rare ocasion, up to 2 buggies and a wheelchair (doesn't fold but wheels come off)plus all the junk that goes with them

Practical_man

Hi lauren. congrats on baby joy ) hope all goes well. Now to buisiness. The Chrysler Grand voyager. In my opinion the best of the MPVs. The earlier diesel model is by far the best ( anything upto 1999- Early 2000) I have owned a grand voyager for 10 years and am now in the process of fitting a brand new engine ( not reconditioned ) after having covered 135000 miles since I got it. I suspect that the original millage when I bought it may have been wound back so it`s more likely 200000 miles. These cars are a terrific family car and for the size pretty good on fuel. Driven sensibly you can expect aroud 600 miles to a tank with the diesel. Other plus points, the load lugging capacity with the seats removed is huuuuge! i got a three seater sofa in the back and shut the lid!( you can`t do that in a smart car!!)Down side of seat removal is the rear bench seat weighs in at about a teenager, the middle seats are not too bad perhaps an O.A.P each. Machanically , the 2.5 TDSE is very reliable ,although something to look out for is stiff gear change when cold. This is down to the soft metal baulk rings in the gearbox wearing out. (a recon` box about £600) Or less if you know anyone handy with the spanners that can do the repairwork. The VM 8 valve engine is pretty bullet proof really just check the oil level regularly . Ride comfort is excellent , plenty of leg room up front , the middle row likewise but if you want to get 3 tall adults in the rear bench then it can be a bit of a squeeze but compared with other mpvs on the market this is still the best.I guess you have looked at other makes, but the thing that sticks out in my mind is the proximity of the rear seats to the tailgate! In the grand voyager you have at least 2Ft of space between anything that might shunt you and the people sitting in the back! Other MPVs have nothing!!!!! This was the main factor that made me choose the Grand voyager. Just make sure you get the 2.5 TD And not the 3.3 V6 petol. Aside from the fact that you will be forever filling the tank, the diesel is faster and will tow a horse box ( and horse ) with ease. I hope this has been helpful to you. Happy motoring. Practical man.

michelleliverpool

Hi Lauren,

I am currently selling this exact car. I am in liverpool. Are you nearby and I can send you the details and see if you are interested?

Michelle

bigjl

From my mates that still work in the private hire game.

They are a bit on the juicy side, even when you get a diesel one.

The build quality isn't perfect but not too bad.

They are very expensive to maintain.

The only people that still use them for work do Executive work with the higher mileage rates, so csn offset most of the bad points.

Everybody else just buys a Sharon/Galaxy/Alhambra.

From what i have been told the 2.5 was underpowered and the 2.8 much improved. Though to be honest they are getting rarer even in the exec circuits, they have moved over to even more Merc Viano's.

Practical man obviously likes his, but even though I like the look of them, I prefer substance over image, you won't fill any MPV to the brim very often and to buy one with the dynamic weaknesses to save making two trips twice a year is not my idea of money saving.

A diesel Voyager will struggle to break 30 mpg round town, though may get 35mpg on a run.

A manual Sharon/Galaxy/Alhambra will crack 40mpg round town and will get nearer to 50 mpg round town.

The older models are fine with the 115PD engine, the autos are a bit less economical.

The best way to quantify the true running costs of an MPV and what is proved to be a good vehicle is that Addison Lee, the biggest private hire company in the UK, used the Sharon for years as the standard company vehicle, they have a fleet of well over 3000 MPV's, they are slowly getting rid of the last of the Sharons this year, and they are replacing them with the new Galaxy, they sell them at around 100k or three years, for around £6/6500 from their own sales site in London.

One company had Voyagers, they bought them for a few years, had about 20 then replaced them with Galaxy's.

Any well maintained diesel Sharon/Galaxy/Alhambra will do 200k easily, there are many around with 350k on the clock, still on the original engine.

You can do what my sister did for years when she had her old Alhambra, removed one rear seat and put it in the shed, thus ensuring plenty of room for luggage or your wheelchair and buggies, it means it is only a six seater for some of the time, but then put the seventh seat back in when needed.

bigjl

Hang on a sec, this is a thread dug up from 2008 by somebody saying they are the best thing in the world, with the next post saying somebody is selling one, what a load of crap.