European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A thursday january-24, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 13 car Corner top grades awarded for redesign Effort new Dodge minivan rates High by Warren Brown the Washington Post cd Rylsky chairman Lee a. Iacocca. Americans Industrial Caesar is a hit defensive nowadays. People have been heating him up for losing car Market share Quot chewing him out for not introducing new products fast enough and generally giving him a hard time so Iacocca is sort of walking around with his eyes East Over his shoulders watching out for the next Back Stab or the latest unkind Cut. This review is not one of them. We come to Praise Caesar or at least to say a Lew Good words about his excellently restyled 1991 Dodge caravan is minivan. A. S ,. The new caravan has some flaws of course. It also has some pretty Tough Competition from new entries such As the a Toyota Previn in an increasingly crowded minivan Market. But after driving the Previn and a Bunch of other minivans we be got to toss a Laurel to the Chrysler gang. They Cre a cd the minivan Market in 1984 with the introduction of their Plymouth voyager and Dodge caravan models that Market was theirs to keep or lose. With the 1991 caravan is a nifty piece of work it looks like  keep it. Background fifty five percent of the 850,000 minivans sold in the United states in 1989 came from Chrysler corp. And about the same percentage was recorded in 1990. Why because despite some fit and finish problems and a certain Lack of imagination in their Interior layout the Chrysler minivans did a terrific Job of filling a variety of family transportation needs easily and reliably. The new Chrysler minivans then Are a substantial improvement on the theme. The interiors Are downright attractive and practical. Cup holders and Box drink holders Are now located throughout the Cabin. Seatbelt and shoulder harnesses Are exactly where they should be the in Dodge caravans body lines Are smoother Interior is redesigned. Str ment panel is a pleasure to look at and a cinch to use. And for 1991, four wheel drive versions of caravan and voyager minivans Are also available. Praise top grades for redesign Effort. The tested caravan is was equipped to carry seven people. Our test Van carried five passengers on a round trip of 600 Miles with nary a squabble or complaint about passenger Comfort a not even from the Back seaters. Complaints we had no transmission problems on the trip but there have been some owner complaints about the tendency of their four Speed automatic a Ultra drive transmissions to a gear Hunt a arbitrarily shift up and Down a in 1990 and 1991 Chrysler minivans with that optional equipment Standard on the . Chrysler needs to get cracking on this to see if there is a real fire beneath that smoke. We did have an electrical problem though a blown fuse that crippled the Horn. Licad turning quotient it was hard to get out of shopping centers in this thing. People kept coming up to the caravan is wanting to peek inside. Ride acceleration and handling ride was terrific. Ditto handling. Remarkably the new caravan is does no to Sway in the wind the Way its predecessor did. Credit a reworked suspension on this front wheel drive vehicle. Acceleration was smooth and trouble free. Credit the fuel injected 3-liter v-6 engine rated 141 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. Sound system am pm stereo radio and cassette with graphic equalizer four speakers Chrysler Infinity system. Mileage about 20 to the gallon 20-gallon tank estimated 390-mile Range on usable volume of 87-octane unleaded mostly Highway with six occupants and Light cargo Price base Price of the front wheel drive Dodge caravan is discussed in this report is $19,140. Dealers invoice Price is $17,023. Price As tested is $19,660, including a $520 transportation charge. Purse strings note a very definite buy that becomes an even better buy at midyear when Chrysler makes a Drivers Side air bag available As optional equipment. For full details on the 1991 Model Chrysler Dodge Plymouth minivans their special military prices etc., prospective buyers May Contact Chrysler military sales representatives at the cafes new car sales Points on the various bases in Europe Mercedes idea car is big hit at Detroit show shaped in the form of a futuristic station Wagon the Mercedes Benz f100 concept car proved to be one of the major attractions at the recent North american International Auto show in Detroit. Mercedes says the f100 is More of a test bed or a idea car than if is a possible future Model. It incorporates new technologies aimed at alleviating problems that have been created by the automobile a such problems As traffic congestion accidents and pollution. A fully drivable station Wagon the aerodynamic five door five passenger f10 has a drag co efficient of Only 0.24. It features a cockpit like Central Drivers position for better visibility and better Protection in both frontal and Side Impact accidents. Four removable seats arranged in two rows of two behind the Driver provide flexibility for carrying cargo. The Large electrically operated front and rear doors swing Forward and slide Back and they allow easy entry and exit. There is no Central pillar because its. Structural function is supplanted by the say the closed doors engage the body. But the f 100�?Ts other features Mercedes says Are not so obvious. These include what Are today rather far out ideas but with computers apparently anything is possible. Mercedes says the floors total approach to traffic allows both Independence of action and integration with the How. A a an inboard computer employs satellite transmitted information that shows Central driving position has safety advantages futuristic wagons sliding doors Are electrically operated. The Driver where he is in traffic and also How to get to his destination. A data link also aids in finding parking places Gas stations and the Best Way around traffic congestion. A cruise control system automatically maintains a pre set distance from the car ahead while both rear video and radar with Small radar screens in each Side Mirror eliminate Blind spots. Among safety features Are Side Impact crumple zones four wheel steering that can compensate for sudden Side winds and Active suspension that controls both vertical and horizontal ride motions. Solar panels mounted in the roof Are used to Power the ventilation system a even while the car is parked. The f100. A idea car is adaptable to a full Range of drive systems and fuels Mercedes says from electric to Hydrogen. The car at the Detroit show was powered by a transversely mounted 195-horsepower, 2.6-liter v6 engine with a Quick heating exhaust catalyst. One of the propulsion approaches w hich the Ohk can accommodate is modular drive this drive utilizing two motors one front and one rear. The motors can be used separately or together. Another approach is hybrid operation combining an electric motor with an internal combustion engine that can be fuelled by either methanol or Hydrogen. The f100 is also designed to be easily adaptable to front rear and four wheel drive systems. Mercedes says its engineers in the Lon term it00 a idea car research project feel that it is vital to come up w Ith suitable answers to such problems As traffic accidents pollution and the use of Energy and raw  the next 10 to 15.years. These solutions Mercedes says will prevent significant impairment to the Quality of life and to better assure  role of the personal  Randy Barnetts amps Auto columnist