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Roger Lister pointed out:
The awful A-604 electronically controlled 4 spd auto was introduced in 89, and the AWD was introduced in 91 with the 3.3 V6. AWD was offered on both short and long wheelbase vans, but was only offered with the 3.3 and later the 3.8) and A-604. Cool thing though, the AWD components are practically a bolt on for the 3.0 motor. The only real fabrication needed will be the bracket for the Power Transfer Unit to the the 3.0 engine block, and the rear mounts for the rear Driveline Module to fit my older van... Not a bad deal, now, if only the parts weren't so expensive...
The 3.0 V6 is no longer offered in California and I believe is being phased out completely now. A 3.8 V6 was made available in 94. This is a "grown" 3.3. I drove a 97 3.8 AWD Grand Caravan some time ago. Really an awesome vehicle. Not a pavement ripper, after all it is still a minivan, but a very competent vehicle anyway.
In 1989, a Chrysler-designed V-6, the 3.3, was added to the mix. This strong, durable engine proved to be very popular, and remains in the mix along with the Mitsubishi V-6. Roger's Note...The 3.3 and the later 3.8 are pushrod motors, and were designed by Chrysler. The 3.0 motor developed 141 horse power, while the 3.3 developes 150. Also, the 3.0 was last offered in the 2000 model vans. Finally dropped with the new 2001 models...
The first major redesign was in 1991, and included major changes to the suspension and steering, as well as optional antilock brakes, and all wheel drive. The next year, driver air bags were made standard, and an integrated child seat was offered. Roger's Note...AWD was offered ONLY with the 3.3 V6 and the A604 electronically controlled transmission. However, AWD was offered on both short and extended wheelbase models. I haven't seen or heard of a C/V (Cargo/Van) with AWD...or for that matter, I've no info on the C/V with a turbo either...
1996 brought another major redesign, which greatly increased interior space, comfort, and reliability. The 2.5 liter engine was replaced by the new 2.4 liter four based on the Neon engine. All the Chrysler-made V-6s have been receiving regular power upgrades.
Exports to Europe began in 1988, four years after the Renault Espace started. In 1992, production in Austria began, with a turbodiesel version starting in 1993. Foreign sales have generally been fairly small, despite an Austrian factory, a diesel engine, and a five-speed manual transmission. On the other hand, by 1994, Chrysler had 23 percent of the European market - it just is not a large minivan market. For some reason, only North Americans seem to really need huge vehicles. Roger's Note...A few years ago, I knew a family (military) that had bought a Chrysler Voyager while in Germany, they got the 2.5 and a 5 speed on the short wheelbase model. The longer wheelbase was extremely high priced and didn't sell well either...
Chrysler's minivans, their K roots and T-115 label long forgetten, remain the major minivan in North America, despite constant challenges from nearly every major auto company. Roger's Note...The Chrysler MiniVans remain to be the most popular, and feature the majority of MiniVan innovations. Although unsafe, I wish the large sunroofs that were available on the early Japanese imported MiniVans had been avaialble on the Chryslers...
The 2001 minivans were introduced to the world on January 10, 2000, and feature more powerful engines (180 hp 3.3 and 245 hp 3.8), no Mitsubishi engine option (for the first time ever), and many "fine tuning" improvements designed to keep Chrysler minivans at the pinnacle. We only hope that the two most basic shortcomings, wind noise and safety, have been addressed. Roger's Note...I recently had occasion to rent a 2000 Grand Caravan. While I found it an enjoyable vehicle overall, I didn't find it significantly different enough or better than my 87 Grand. While the 2000 had a bit more power, and I'm sure it handles better than mine does, I felt "disconnected" from the road. Take that with a grain of salt as I do like more roadfeel and a stiffer suspension than most. And I am always wanting more power...that 3.8 pushing 245 horse power should be fun... And I doubt anyone will truly miss the 3.0 liter V6, which remained practically unchanged through a 13 year production run. Unheard of today..