Chrysler Voyager Estate 1997-2001

The Chrysler Voyager is one of the roomiest cars among the other Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV's) category. However, the quality it offers isn't as good as its nearest competitors but it is well equipped and will provide more comfort to its passenger than its competitors.

Pros and Cons:

• Plenty of space to fit 7 passengers and their luggage
  It is well-equipped

• Weak engines
  Awful crash-test rating
  Difficult to remove the seats

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Exterior and Interior

The Voyager has an unusual layout inside compared to other MPV's as it comes with a 2-2-3 layout rather than the conventional 2-3-2 seating arrangement. This makes it easier for passengers to get into and out of the back row of seats. However, the shoulder room is tight so the back row is better left to the smaller members of the family. The back row of seats is also incredibly heavy to lift out when it comes to swapping the seats for extra luggage space. There is plenty of leg and head-room available for even the tallest of people. The SE-trim level comes equipped with air-con, heated door mirrors and remote central locking. The LE-trim has additional alloy wheels and cruise control features with the top level LX-trim having electric and leather seats but is only available with the V6 engine.

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Engines

The engines offered for the Chrysler Voyager are the 2.0-litre petrol, a 2.5-litre diesel which comes with a five-speed manual gearbox and finally the top of the range 3.3-litre V6 petrol that is linked to a four-speed automatic gearbox.

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Performance and Economy

The performance is poor whichever engine you choose due to the long gearing and heavy weight of the Voyager. The diesel engine only returns 33.6mpg and the petrol engines 23.2mpg. The wise choice would be to go for better economy offered by the diesel engine even though its quite unrefined and noisy.

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What it's like to Drive

The Voyager is a traditional American car and isn't a fan of corners, preferring to keep going in a straight line. The amount of body roll is excessive to the point of almost being scary on some corners. The steering doesn't help matters either with it being light and not giving much feedback to the driver. The steering rack is also fixed in place in the lower SE models making the driving position uncomfortable. This is improved in the more expensive LE and LX models which come with a tilt mechanism. The ride is very soft which means it gets bouncy on bumpier roads which is especially bad on the back row of seats. The ride also tends to get twitchy on rough roads. The driving position is uncomfortable whilst driving but it is comfortable to just sit in. There is ample room for even the tallest of people to sit in it with comfort.

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Faults and Repairs

Chrysler's record in the reliability surveys is not exactly cheering with owners reporting problems with the gearbox, brake and suspension. There have also been a number of recalls with early models having their parking brakes and seatbelts looked at. Vehicles built between January and December 1999 were suspected to have a possible risk of fuel leakage, which was corrected.

If any maintenance is required then expect it to be expensive at franchised dealers. The normal labour costs are also higher than those for prestige brands like Lexus and Audi. There are however Chrysler specialists that are more likely to be reasonable, in general charging half as much per hour.

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