Goalposts moved by Chrysler's people-mover  
'People mover' vehicles really began with cargo vans - bolt in some seats, and away you go. The concept has come a long way of course, and perhaps nothing has taken it further to date than the Chrysler Voyager. 

This was last year's North American Car of the Year, with a staggering 538,000 of them sold. (Just compare that with Australia's total new vehicle sales of around 650,000). 

Australia is actually the first right hand drive country to get Voyager, though ours are built not in the USA, but Austria. 

Its versatility is enhanced by the Easy Out Roller Seats™ , locked on a rail system with retractable wheels that snap down to make the rear seats easy to move or remove.  

This means it can be a full seven-seater, a choice of either four or five seater with more cargo space than a traditional wagon, or take out both rear seats and you have a two-seater van - admittedly, with a bit more luxury than most.  

In four-seater mode, the middle pair of seats have an access way for easier entry through the sliding door on the right hand side of the vehicle - fine in carparks, but a pity Chrysler could not move things around for Australia, where the roadside kerb is on the left. 

Standard gear in the base-model tested includes dual airbags, power front windows, remote power locking, heated power mirrors, air-conditioning, anti-lock brakes, cruise control, and intermittent wipers front and rear. There is also a CD-compatible radio/cassette stereo producing reasonable audio with 4-speakers, and what must be a new record in cup-holders (it never occurred to me to count them, but Chrysler says there are nine!). 

And a headlight leveling system which never lowered the test vehicle's low beam enough to stop upsetting oncoming drivers, presumably due to misaligned headlight units. 

 
Chrysler Voyager - too low and wide for a people-mover, too big for a sportscar.


Dashboard is an ergonomic delight, with everything ideally located.


A handy rear accessway - it would be even handier on the other side.
First thing that is clearly noted on the road is the hush. Whether it's good design or just good insulation, this people-mover is unusually quiet on the move. 

Looking decidedly `un-van-like' with its squat and wide-legged stance, Voyager has enough convenience gear to keep the passengers happy, and also makes good on its claim to be "a driver's car". 

The driving position is more like a car than a van, especially in terms of comfort, yet still high enough to afford a good view of traffic ahead.  

An indicator lever on the left is expected in imported cars (anyone who thinks it a nuisance when changing manual gears in corners is surely indicating too late). But it seems really odd to have the auto selector lever on the right, between steering wheel and door - though you soon get used to it. 

Its 3.3 litre V6 feeds a respectable 116kW of power and 275Nm of torque to the front wheels through a 4-speed overdrive automatic.  

.And the auto is a real smoothie, going from gear to gear so calmly you sometimes have to look at the tachometer to know what it's doing. Looking at the tacho at 110kmh reveals the engine to be doing a leisurely 2300rpm, so there is not much stress involved. 

Fuel consumption during our time with Voyager came in at an average of 12.5 L/100km, (23mpg), not bad for a vehicle over 4.7 metres long, 1.95 metres wide, and tipping the scales at 1705 kilograms. 

So it is in spite of those dimensions that possibly the biggest surprise is handling. This is no sportscar by any stretch of imagination, but it takes corners without looking - or feeling - like it wants to fall over, which is no doubt even more reassuring for passengers. 

Handling in a manner that belies its dimensions, with satisfying acceleration and pick-up ability from the V6, it can keep driver and passengers equally happy. 

People-movers generally have made some giant leaps forward in recent years, but Chrysler Voyager moves the segment goalposts out a bit. By just how much, we can probably gauge by how long it takes the competition to catch up. 

 

Nuts-N-Bolts
Engine: 3.3 litre (3301cc) V6, Sequential Multi-Point Injection, OverHead Valve.
Power / Torque: 116kW @ 4700rpm - 275Nm @ 3250rpm.
Transmission: Electronically controlled 4-speed overdrive automatic.
Suspension: Front - MacPherson struts, gas shock absorbers, coil springs, stabiliser bar. Rear - Mono-leaf springs, gas shock absorbers, link-type stabiliser bar.
Steering: Power assisted rack and pinion.
Brakes: Front discs, rear drums, with 4-wheel ABS.
Wheels - Tyres: Steel 15 inch - 215/65 15.
Warranty: 3 years / 60,000kms.
Recommended Retail (plus onroads): $44,800.

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