"Grandad's not quite what they call compost memphis," explained my friend, nodding towards an old boy sitting behind me. "Why not put on a Dad's Army video, he'd probably like that." "I'd rather watch Amy Winehouse," piped a querulous voice from the back row, "Or Karima Adebibe wouldn't go amiss. I like that Laura Croft."
Contrary to popular belief, today's senior generation has largely moved with the times, and my elderly passenger seemed entirely sanguine about the prospect of watching a DVD whilst travelling in the back of a car travelling at 70 miles per hour (honest) on the M3. Yet, in the days when he first began driving, simple car radios were a novelty, and MPVs were unheard of, unless you count the futuristic Scout Scarab, which was launched a few years before the second World War.
In fact, if you do count the Scarab, it becomes evident that it is advances in electronics as much as developments in vehicle architecture that have led to the modern MPV, of which the latest Chrysler Grand Voyager is a definitive example. Some 70 years ago, the Scarab featured a one-box monocoque body, all-round independent suspension, variable seat configurations, a cab-forward layout, optional tables, and room for seven adults. That just about describes the Grand Voyager.
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the new design appears to have taken a step backwards |
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Much of what makes the Grand Voyager modern falls into the category of infotainment, coupled with powered operation of things already thought of by the Scarab designer. But of course, the latest Grand Voyager is a platform for many more advances than DVDs and powered seats, which makes all the more curious the fact that the new design appears to have taken a step backwards, away from the smooth curves of the previous model, towards rather rectilinear lines that are reminiscent of the original American minivans of the 1980s.
And the rather bluff appearance was compounded, in the case of the test car, by a diesel engine that sounded as if it belonged in a commercial vehicle. Except under light-throttle cruising, its sound signature penetrated the cabin in a manner quite out of keeping with the claimed luxury of the vehicle. And even that, I would challenge. There is a certain cheapness to the design of the new interior that belies its high specification. And that cheapness extends to a flimsy gaiter for the handbrake mechanism, enabling inquisitive little fingers to explore places that could cause an injury. This is unacceptable in a car designed with families in mind.
Compared to the outgoing model, the fascia design of the new Grand Voyager looks like the work of an industrial designer, or at least one transferred from the commercial vehicle department. The angular lines and widespread use of brittle plastic are a far cry from the softly contoured luxury of the car it replaces. Having said that, there is no denying that Chrysler has equipped its run-out model (rumours are that there will be no more Grand Voyagers after this one) with a very high specification: even the Touring model, which is not the range-topper.
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