Chrysler has revealed the European variant of its latest, upgraded Grand Voyager. This is the version that would naturally make its way to South Africa, although Chrysler SA cannot yet confirm when the people mover will arrive here.
Favoured by over 13 million buyers since the launch of the original in 1983, Chrysler has not made any drastic changes to its 2011 model, Chrysler opting to leave the more drastic forms of plastic surgery to some of the soccer moms that buy them.
The most obvious visual changes include a more elegant grille as well as revised bonnet, lower facia and new winged badge upfront.
The back end also gets a slight tinkering with enhanced LED taillights, new bumper and revised tailgate.
There is also a new Stow 'n Place roof rack system, standard on Touring and Limited models. Stow 'n Place offers the added convenience of allowing the vehicle's roof crossbars to be stowed longitudinally alongside the roof rails when not in use.
Inside, the new Grand Voyager has improved Stow 'n Go seating, with larger second-row perches and more comfortable front seats (featuring a new 'fold-into-the-floor' one-touch mechanism).
New features also abound in the cabin, with the baseline LX getting a new leather wrapped steering wheel, steering wheel audio controls and cruise control as standard.
Touring versions now receive Uconnect Phone bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, auto dimming rear view mirror, AM/FM/CD/DVD radio with a 6.5-inch touch screen, 30Gb hard disk drive and rear reversing camera.
Furthermore, Limited models gain blind spot monitoring, crosspath detection and new Nappa leather upholstery.
All Grand Voyagers, on the European market, are powered by a 2.8-litre CRD diesel engine, good for 120kW at 3800rpm and 360Nm. Our market could also retain the 142kW/305Nm V6 petrol version.