DCX minivans appear online ahead of Detroit
UPDATE: At the request of the Chrysler Group we've removed the photos of the DCX minivans from Autoblog. In our quest to be seen as a legitimate and professional automotive news outlet, we strive to play this game above board as much as possible. These pics appeared on the forum of a Spanish website, which drew suspicion that someone might have posted them there with the intent they be discovered and widely distributed, which they were. It's one thing if a site breaks an embargo and the rest of the internet community follows suit, but whoever broke the embargo should stand up and take their punishment rather than hiding behind a Spanish forum, if that's the case. Regardless, these minivans are a big deal to The Chrysler Group, and rightly so they are taking action to ensure that their unveiling is protected. Good for you if you got to see the pics while they were up on the site, but if not then don't worry. We'll have dozens and dozens of high-resolution live and official shots when the embargo for these vehicles lift on Sunday.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
steve s 1:20PM (1/04/2007)
Not impressed but then I wasn't expecting much either.
Reply
djz 1:35PM (1/03/2007)
Looks just like the current 2006 model only less round but not too much so. i dont see how this is ground breaking and butting the minivan on its ear if you will
Reply
Owen 12:40PM (1/03/2007)
Very uninteresting, and that makes me very sad. A nice interior could be enough to save them from the competition, but from the outside, these look too chunky to be taken seriously. They look like the same old, same old.
Reply
Jason 3:04PM (1/03/2007)
They are not that good looking. I think the Odyssey is still a better buy. I hope they come with good engines. Seriously, get rid of the Pushrods. Put a 3.0 liter DOHC 230hp and a 3.5 liter DOHC 270hp in there. That would go a long way to helping these minivans sell at a profit and not just give them away.
Reply
David 12:43PM (1/03/2007)
Note to DCX.... I think GM learned the hard way that the general minivan buyer does not want a hood like a car or SUV.
Why have you all done this? Is this supposed to be reminicent of the 300? You'll loose market share...that I can assure you.
Reply
fordman 12:43PM (1/03/2007)
I think there is a 4.0 coming in these vans. Thats too bad. Thats too big an engine. Detroit still thinks there is no substitute for displacement. There is. Its called technology.
Reply
Michael Karesh 12:44PM (1/03/2007)
The styling is perhaps overly conservative, and has none of the impact the 1996 had in 1995, but should appeal to the minivan faithful.
The big story will be the functionality of the interiors. I look forward to checking them out.
Of course, with any new DCX product people wonder about reliability, especially in the first year. I'll likely have initial reliability results around the end of February 2008, about five months after they go on sale. If CR sticks to their traditional schedule, they'll provide a dot in November 2008.
http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php
Reply
Tim 12:47PM (1/03/2007)
And then a large sigh of relief came over the Honda and Toyota design studios. (Too Bad, what happened to the good designs from DCX)
Reply
cowboy bob 12:47PM (1/03/2007)
Not so bad. Sure, it's not a blinger, but the market that this is aimed at used to run a stationwagon. Come to think of it, perhaps a new real stationwagon wagon is the "retro" next step. Wait, They did that with the Magnum. They just didn't make it utilitarian enough. Market share in this segment has shrunk, but there will always be buyers for some of these. It just won't be me.
Reply
Alex Nunez 12:59PM (1/03/2007)
The styling is clean and inoffensive -- which is what the minivan buyer probably wants anyway. The story isn't the outside, though. The flexibility of the interior is what'll sell vans to families. That's the stuff we really want to see.
It's not as if any other currently available minivan's a style leader. They're all big boxes out of necessity.
Reply
Michael Karesh 12:49PM (1/03/2007)
Underpowering a heavy vehicle can actually harm fuel economy. And the 4.0/six-speed combo is STRONG. I was surprised how large a difference it made with the Pacifica, as the official specs show only another five horsepower.
My review of the Pacifica:
http://www.epinions.com/content_262400806532
Where Chrysler really needs the 4.0 is in the 300, Charger, and Magnum. The 3.5 is just adequate, while the Hemi is overkill for most people. The 4.0 would strike a good balance.
Reply
Thomas Lynn 12:51PM (1/03/2007)
There is clearly no middle ground where styling is concerned at DCX. Their products are either way over the top or far too conservative. These minivans look fine, but there is nothing special about them. At least "Team Sebring" didn't get tapped for the job!
Reply
DarkKnight67 12:50PM (1/03/2007)
I don't see what everyone's complaining about. It looks no worse (or better) than the boxes from Kia/Hyundai, Honda or Toyota.
Reply
Mo 12:52PM (1/03/2007)
2008 Chevrolet Venture.
Reply
TIMOTHY 1:08PM (1/03/2007)
I'm sure the 4.0 V-6 is an enlarged 3.8 pushrod engine that they've had around since the late eighty's. While Honda and Toyota ofcourse use technlogy from this century, not the last one.
Reply
starlightmica 1:01PM (1/03/2007)
For minivans, it's the interior that really matters. Let's see what 2nd gen Stow N Go can do, I'm expecting an impressive upgrade.
Reply
thatjerryguy 1:03PM (1/03/2007)
Note to the critics: These are minivans. They are more about utility than anything else. Wait and see what kind of nifty toys Chrysler's new minivans offer. In the meantime, name one minivan, just one, who's striking style is setting the automotive field on fire. They're all boxes.
Reply
jgp 12:55PM (1/03/2007)
It's...clean. The design is pretty simple, without complex details, and I like that. I was afraid it would be an overstyled mess, and it actually looks quite nice.
I also like the chunkier look--I'm rather sick of the overly-rounded, bulbous look most minivans today have, so this is a welcome change of pace.
Reply
JSG 3:45PM (1/03/2007)
Well, you'd hope their research showed there was a big market for traditional American-style vans. Then again these people also built the Sebring...
Reply
Eric 1:53PM (1/03/2007)
Very bland and boring. To compete with foreign competition, they will need to do better than this. Take a page from Ford's playbook and quite while "ahead."
Reply