The 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan (and its Chrysler sibling, the Town & Country), though somewhat outclassed by the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Chevy Uplander, still provides a vanload of value. Dodge’s Grand Caravan benefits from a few changes in ’09, including more standard features for the base SE trim and additional options for the high-end SXT. Each of the Grand Caravan’s trim levels will have better brakes for 2009, and those who purchase SXT with the 4.0-liter V6 will get a Euro-style sport-tuned suspension.

Outstanding safety ratings, roominess, imaginative rear seating configurations, and a potent available 4.0-liter V6 offset the boxy exterior, lazy 3.3-liter V6, and somewhat shoddy workmanship and materials noted in the 2008 Grand Caravan. The result is a minivan praised for its value but a tad short on verve.

The Grand Caravan’s base SE trim for ’09 features a 175-hp, 3.3-liter OHV V6 with a four-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is about average for its class at 17/24 mpg. The list of standard equipment for the Grand Caravan SE is impressive, including air-conditioning; cruise control; power windows, mirrors and locks; keyless entry; tilt-wheel steering; a CD/MP3 player; 16-inch wheels; and Sto ‘n’ Go second-row seating. Options for the SE are numerous and, in the Dodge tradition, convoluted. Depending on the option package selected, options might include the Parkview backup camera system, power-sliding doors and liftgate, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with Bluetooth-enabled hands-free communications technology, a hard-drive nav system, rear A/C and heat, rear-seat DVD entertainment, Sirius satellite radio, and Easy Clean seat fabrics and floor mats.

The 2009 Grand Caravan SXT comes with a standard 3.8-liter, 197-hp OHV V6 which, in conjunction with a six-speed automatic, will get 16/23. Standard features for the SXT include a roof rack, 16-inch alloy wheels, a power-opening rear quarter windows, an eight-way powered driver’s seat, and a six-speaker stereo with Sirius satellite radio. Options for the SXT include 17-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a power-folding rear seat, Rear CrossPath and blind-spot sensors, a nine-speaker audio system, and, of course, the 4.0-liter, 251-hp 24-valve SOHC V6 with the six-speed automatic that impressed so many owners of the 2008 SXT. The 2009 Grand Caravan SXT also offers an available new sport-tuned suspension with the 4.0-liter V6 package.

Safety and security features standard on all ’09 Grand Caravans include four-wheel ABS; emergency brake assist; stability control; passenger airbag occupant-sensing deactivation; keyless entry for the SE and SXT; electronic brakeforce distribution; front, rear, and third-row head airbags; auto-delay-off headlights; and an engine immobilizer. The NHTSA gave the ’09 Grand Caravan a five-star crash test rating.