Before the Grand Caravan

• In its early years, the Dodge Caravan was usually divided into base, sporty SE, luxury-oriented LE and top-level ES trims. The trims had "Grand" versions to denote a bigger and heavier van. The "Extended" designation was introduced in 1989 with a middling size, placing the "Grand" as the largest Caravan available.
  
  

Growing Prominence

• With the debut of the Caravan's third generation of production in 1996, the "Extended" version of the van was discontinued, whittling the number of vehicle size choices to two. The vehicle's all-wheel drive, which had been introduced in the previous generation of production from 1991 to 1995, had a front-wheel counterpart as from the 1998 model year onward. The "Grand" version then became standard with all-wheel drive.
  
  

From Caravan to Grand Caravan

• Dodge continued to offer their AWD Caravans with only the "Grand" size throughout the minivan's third generation, from 1996 to 2000, and fourth generation, from 2001 to 2007. When the fifth generation debuted for the 2008 model year, Dodge made only one size of the vehicle--designing it to be larger than ever before--and renamed it the Grand Caravan.
  
  

Caravan vs. Grand Caravan

• Besides its larger size, the 2008 Grand Caravan had enhanced features such as more powerful engine choices, the choice of a 6-speed automatic transmission in addition to the standard 4-speed, and the upgrade of curtain airbags as a standard feature. The all-wheel drive option, however, was eliminated, leaving the Grand Caravan with only a front-wheel drivetrain.
  
  

Pricing

• As of June 2010, the current model 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan has a manufacturer's suggested retail price that starts at $24,095. According to Kelley Blue Book, you can get a Caravan from the 1990 to 2007 model years within the value range of around $1,200 to $14,000.