2008 Dodge Grand Caravan

Wheelbase is stretched nearly two inches, track is widened 2.5 inches up front and 1.5 inches in the rear, and overall length has grown two inches. Standard tires are now 16-inchers (versus 15s), and the suspension is thoroughly revised (struts up front, a rear twist beam with coil springs, and a larger front stabilizer bar for improved control). The new Caravan/Town & Country are also the only minivans to offer self-leveling shocks.

Dodge has smartly axed the previous four-cylinder base engine and now offers a choice of three V-6s: a flex-fuel 3.3-liter (175 hp), a 3.8 (197 hp), and a new, 24-valve 4.0-liter unit serving up 251 horses and 259 pound-feet. The 3.3 mates to a standard four-speed automatic, while the two larger engines connect to the first six-speed auto offered in the category.

Inside, the Grand Caravan is roomier and more feature-filled than ever. In addition to the aforementioned Stow 'n Go seats, newly optional "Swivel 'n Go" second-row chairs flip around 180 degrees-creating club seating with a removable table so everyone can eat their drive-thru burgers or play Scrabble together. Convenient LED reading lamps dot the cabin, and there's an available overhead "halo" light that bathes the interior in soft blue. The Grand Caravan also brims with safety features, including standard all-row side-curtain airbags, standard electronic stability and traction control, tire-pressure monitoring, and optional rear park assist and a newly available backup camera. Due sometime after launch is an optional integrated child-booster seat, a minivan first.Now, the fun stuff. A new, optional dual DVD system can play two different DVDs (on two separate overhead LCD screens) at once. Or one row can watch a DVD while the other row plugs in a gaming console (there's a power outlet built right into the C-pillar). Or perhaps either or both rows would like to watch live television: the Grand Caravan offers three channels of Sirius Backseat TV: Disney, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon (sorry, Dad: no ESPN). To ensure that the big folks up front retain their sanity, all the audio can be fed through wireless headphones (video can also be viewed in the dash-mounted LCD when the vehicle is in park).

Other available goodies include a 20-gig hard drive for storing MP3s and photos (viewable on the LCD screens); a 506-watt, 7.1 surround-sound audio system (including a minivan-first subwoofer); Sirius Satellite Radio; voice-activated navigation; heated front and second-row seats; Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity; key-fob-activated remote-starting capability; and-perhaps most welcome-an integrated, drop-down "surveillance" mirror so the driver can monitor the goings-on in the entertainment megaplex behind. (The only missing detail is an onboard popcorn machine.)