Originally Posted By: greenjp
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
...The Pentastar is a better engine than the Toyota, though, which would seal the deal for me.
Could you elaborate? Better in what way(s)?
I'd give it the edge on technology and "modernity" if that makes sense. Nothing WRONG with the Toyota anymore now that they fixed the PCV system, but all-around the Pentastar is a superb and very modern engine, from the core components right up to the PCM programming, accessories, coolers, oiling system (including the variable-displacement oil pump that regulates oil pressure without wasting energy bypassing pressurized oil back to the sump).
Some history on its development: Cerberus was trying to buy Nissan V6 engines instead of building their own when that engine was being finalized. The engineers working on it knew the future of the company (particularly the engine division) was riding on it and they threw everything they had at it and it paid off. It beat the Nissan- a superb engine in its own right- in a head-to-head engineering evaluation and ultimately going into production, as well as being utilized (with variations such as direct injection) by Mercedes and retained by Fiat for use in their own vehicles as well as Chrysler Group vehicles. Three different manufacturers have evaluated it and deemed it worth using. Its been reviewed and evaluated (by engineers, not magazine writers) more than your average V6.
In service, its had one issue crop up with one of the head castings, which for some reason affected Wranglers at a much higher rate than all other applications. The head was revised in August of 2012, and warranty coverage was extended drastically on all 2011-2013 models using the 3.6L version. Got my letter covering the one in Wifey's 2011 JGC in late July.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Edmunds' data looks to be measuring transmission complaints in the single digits out of every 100,000 cars sold. That's an incredibly low failure rate, and all of the major brands are enjoying that low failure rate.
My advice is to buy the minivan you like best, whatever brand that is. I like Hondas and I'd buy the Odyssey, but I wouldn't recommend the Odyssey to the OP any more than I'd recommend
against another choice.
That's a very interesting set of data, and correlates with everything I've read from reputable engineering-based sources (ie, NOT CR and JDP) as well. Chrysler's actually been winning the minivan transmission reliability war for almost 15 years (which includes the last years of the hated 41TE), but old wounds heal slowly with the average buyers who don't track the engineering changes that get made. "Chrysler minivan transmissions suck" hasn't actually been true since 1999, but it was SO true before then that a lot of people alive today will go to their graves believing its still true. Just like a lot of old guys I grew up with would tell you "all Fords overheat" because the flathead v8s were prone to it. :-/
And I agree wholeheartedly with the advice. I'd personally pick a Caravoyager solely because I really like the Pentastar engine, but truth be told they're all the same for all practical purposes. Minvians are the *ultimate* commodity product when it comes to vehicles, even moreso than economy sedans. They have all the personality of different brands of toilet paper. People don't buy them for their mechanical design or performance, they by them for their utility and ANY shortcoming relative to the competition will be pounced on and the product shunned in short order. There's no such thing as brand loyalty in that market- except maybe for the remaining people who think Toyota can do no wrong.
