The 2020 Chrysler Voyager...
06-28-19, 12:50 PM
#16
Lexus Fanatic
Well, you claim that I am not educated, but do you know for a fact that it will not meet DOT standards today?
06-28-19, 02:46 PM
#17
Lexus Champion
And at age 4 (or 40 lbs) they can move to a booster. This type of seat, even if it met current regulations, would not be suitable for long, maybe 1-2 years? And these seats, for the rest of your ownership experience, are compromised. They are stiff and uncomfortable.
From a practical side, that seat would also be tough to clean. You can’t just pull off the cover and wash it when the kid vomits. It’s inevitable.
06-28-19, 02:48 PM
#18
Lexus Fanatic
06-28-19, 03:04 PM
#19
Lexus Fanatic
06-28-19, 03:16 PM
#20
Lexus Fanatic
Agreed. They were a Godsend to many parents. I see them, every day, mostly mothers but some fathers, too, spending more time getting Junior in and out of conventional child seats (and those seats secured and unsecured in the vehicle) than they probably do getting to their destination LOL.
Anyhow, back to the minivan itself, I'd also like to see the Town & Country name come back. Nothing really wrong with the name "Pacifica"....but the Town & Country moniker had a really nice classy ring to it. My late uncle owned one of the last big full-size Town & Country wagons back in the 1970s...it was enormous, but, like most Chrysler products of that period, poorly-built.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-28-19 at 03:21 PM.
06-28-19, 03:26 PM
#21
Lexus Test Driver
I couldn't find regulations about how the seats need to be constructed, but here's a couple of NHTSA pages for reference:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-...-booster-seats
https://www.nhtsa.gov/car-seats-and-...se-after-crash
The seats I recall were Volvo's built in booster; which isn't a safety seat at all. A booster seat just raises the child up so that the belt isn't around their throat. I don't think that's offered anymore either.
Considering car companies will sell you a car with a vacuum in it, if this was safe and legal, I'm highly confident some car maker would offer these child seats.
Last edited by tex2670; 06-28-19 at 08:18 PM.
06-28-19, 08:06 PM
#22
Lexus Champion
I would not call a child safety seat a "godsend"; it is more of a necessary evil. I say this from recent experience.
Child safety seats are definitely designed and built to be robust; they are big, heavy and would seemingly stand up in a (side) collision with a much larger vehicle.
They are heavily bolstered along the sides of the seat and the sides of the backrest to keep the baby/child in place laterally (both the body and especially the head). The seat is designed so that the hip is lower than the knees to spread the child's weight along the back rather than down through the spine. The 5-point harness is meant to be adjustable for height to prevent strangulation and then cinched tight to prevent any forward pitching movement. I know that many parents do not like to cinch tight, worried that the child will feel uncomfortable, but a loose harness can be dangerous if the child pitches forward violently into the harness. Those old built-in child seats do not seem like they were designed for proper weight distribution and do not look like they would prevent lateral and forward pitching movement of the child.
The seats are difficult to place in the vehicle (even the angle has to be correct) and difficult to strap in, even with the ISOFIX/LATCH attachment points. It is difficult to get the lower attachment strap tight enough to prevent lateral and longitudinal movement. The top tether (for the forward-facing seats) is even more difficult to tighten and can easily place indentations in the cushion of the seatback or rear headrest. Rear seats that have fixed headrests will mean that the tether goes over and is tightened over the top of that headrest, compressing the cushion. Those old built-in child seats do seem to be quite flimsy and not designed to coddle the little bundle they hold.
Placing the aftermarket child safety seat in a vehicle is definitely a chore but it has been designed to hold your precious bundle in place should something unforeseen happen.
Child safety seats are definitely designed and built to be robust; they are big, heavy and would seemingly stand up in a (side) collision with a much larger vehicle.
They are heavily bolstered along the sides of the seat and the sides of the backrest to keep the baby/child in place laterally (both the body and especially the head). The seat is designed so that the hip is lower than the knees to spread the child's weight along the back rather than down through the spine. The 5-point harness is meant to be adjustable for height to prevent strangulation and then cinched tight to prevent any forward pitching movement. I know that many parents do not like to cinch tight, worried that the child will feel uncomfortable, but a loose harness can be dangerous if the child pitches forward violently into the harness. Those old built-in child seats do not seem like they were designed for proper weight distribution and do not look like they would prevent lateral and forward pitching movement of the child.
The seats are difficult to place in the vehicle (even the angle has to be correct) and difficult to strap in, even with the ISOFIX/LATCH attachment points. It is difficult to get the lower attachment strap tight enough to prevent lateral and longitudinal movement. The top tether (for the forward-facing seats) is even more difficult to tighten and can easily place indentations in the cushion of the seatback or rear headrest. Rear seats that have fixed headrests will mean that the tether goes over and is tightened over the top of that headrest, compressing the cushion. Those old built-in child seats do seem to be quite flimsy and not designed to coddle the little bundle they hold.
Placing the aftermarket child safety seat in a vehicle is definitely a chore but it has been designed to hold your precious bundle in place should something unforeseen happen.
06-29-19, 07:59 AM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
Kids now have to be rear facing until at least age 2. The child in the picture you posted could not legally sit in that seat today.
And at age 4 (or 40 lbs) they can move to a booster. This type of seat, even if it met current regulations, would not be suitable for long, maybe 1-2 years? And these seats, for the rest of your ownership experience, are compromised. They are stiff and uncomfortable.
From a practical side, that seat would also be tough to clean. You can’t just pull off the cover and wash it when the kid vomits. It’s inevitable.
And at age 4 (or 40 lbs) they can move to a booster. This type of seat, even if it met current regulations, would not be suitable for long, maybe 1-2 years? And these seats, for the rest of your ownership experience, are compromised. They are stiff and uncomfortable.
From a practical side, that seat would also be tough to clean. You can’t just pull off the cover and wash it when the kid vomits. It’s inevitable.
07-15-19, 09:00 AM
#24
2020 Chrysler Voyager priced at $28,480
Entry-level Voyager replaces Pacifica L and LX trims
CarsDirect got eyes on early order guides for the 2020 Chrysler Voyager, revealing the minivan's MSRP in base L trim as $26,985 before a $1,495 destination charge, for a total of $28,480. The only other trim available to the public, the Voyager LX, rings up at $31,290. That means that not only will the Voyager L and LX replace the Pacifica L and LX trims, the Voyager will start out $250 cheaper than the 2019 Pacifica models before incentives. The Voyager LXi, reserved for fleet customers, charges $34,490, which is $500 less than the Pacifica Touring trim.
The figures make the Voyager L $215 less expensive than the Kia Sedona, $3,205 less than the Honda Odyssey, and $4,430 less than the Toyota Sienna. The closest price competitor sits on the other side of the dealership, that being the Dodge Grand Caravan SE priced just $65 above the Voyager L. With Chrysler becoming the people-mover brand, many expect the Voyager to replace the hoary Grand Caravan, so buyers shouldn't need to suffer analysis paralysis for too long. We still aren't sure why Chrysler needed to create a new model to replace trim levels, but perhaps it was to break buyer perception that the Grand Caravan was the first and last stop for an inexpensive minivan. Transaction prices are so high on Pacificas — and frankly, the Pacifica looks so nice — that casual shoppers might have thought why bother investigating the Chrysler.
Chrysler worked to keep things financially frugal on the Voyager by omitting splashier options from the menu. Infotainment begins and ends with the seven-inch Uconnect touchscreen, the larger 8.4-inch screen forbidden. Driver assistance tech will be limited to the cost-extra rear park assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic detection; items like adaptive cruise control and autonomous braking aren't offered. And only the fleet model gets ritzy treats like leatherette seats, second-row Stow 'n Go chairs, and remote start. The LX only goes so far as second-row quad seats and in-floor storage bins. Yet with the same sheetmetal and the same 287-horsepower Pentastar V6 and nine-speed transmission under the hood, only the black door handles and badging will give Voyager owners away, and they can always buy one in black to help the illusion along.
The figures make the Voyager L $215 less expensive than the Kia Sedona, $3,205 less than the Honda Odyssey, and $4,430 less than the Toyota Sienna. The closest price competitor sits on the other side of the dealership, that being the Dodge Grand Caravan SE priced just $65 above the Voyager L. With Chrysler becoming the people-mover brand, many expect the Voyager to replace the hoary Grand Caravan, so buyers shouldn't need to suffer analysis paralysis for too long. We still aren't sure why Chrysler needed to create a new model to replace trim levels, but perhaps it was to break buyer perception that the Grand Caravan was the first and last stop for an inexpensive minivan. Transaction prices are so high on Pacificas — and frankly, the Pacifica looks so nice — that casual shoppers might have thought why bother investigating the Chrysler.
Chrysler worked to keep things financially frugal on the Voyager by omitting splashier options from the menu. Infotainment begins and ends with the seven-inch Uconnect touchscreen, the larger 8.4-inch screen forbidden. Driver assistance tech will be limited to the cost-extra rear park assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic detection; items like adaptive cruise control and autonomous braking aren't offered. And only the fleet model gets ritzy treats like leatherette seats, second-row Stow 'n Go chairs, and remote start. The LX only goes so far as second-row quad seats and in-floor storage bins. Yet with the same sheetmetal and the same 287-horsepower Pentastar V6 and nine-speed transmission under the hood, only the black door handles and badging will give Voyager owners away, and they can always buy one in black to help the illusion along.
07-15-19, 11:40 AM
#26
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
chrysler 'upmarket'? 
um, no. 
um, no.
07-15-19, 12:14 PM
#28
Lexus Fanatic
They already sell the vehicle at the same price point just as a low trim Pacifica lol. Theres no new ground being made here.
07-15-19, 12:20 PM
#29
Lexus Test Driver
07-15-19, 01:41 PM
#30
Lexus Fanatic
Um, yes, if you consider that it is upmarket to Dodge and the (former) Plymouth and Eagle divisions. The Chrysler division once offered Imperials that completed with Cadillacs and Lincoln, and, even today, the 300 sedan, though RWD/AWD like the Genesis G80, also competes with other upmarket FWD sedans like the Buick Lacrosse and Lexus ES.