chicagotribune.com's view

Chrysler mini-vans offer the best combination of good looks, abundant room, better-than-average ride, handling and mileage.

Seats are comfortable and can hold up to seven people; view is spacious to the front, side and rear; no pole vaulting is required to get in or out; there are lots of cup holders and hidden compartments to store things on trips; you can park without having a passenger get out and direct you; and winds don`t toss you around the way they do in a rival Toyota mini-van or full-size Chevrolet, Ford or Dodge van. It has the practicality and function of a big van without the penalties involved in maneuverability and mileage.

If there`s a question mark, it`s engines.

When the mini-vans were introduced in 1984, they came with Chrysler`s 2.2-liter 4-cylinder as standard and the Mitsubishi-built 2.6-liter 4 as optional. Chrysler dropped the 2.6 for a Mitsubishi 3-liter V-6 in 1987, when it also added 15-inch stretched versions carrying the Grand designation. A Chrysler-built 2.5-liter 4 became available in the `88 model year.

For `88 the 2.5 is standard in regular and stretched Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan. The 3-liter V-6 is a $660 option, except in Premium models, in which it`s standard.

The question being asked: “Will the 2.5 handle the van`s size and weight or is the 3-liter necessary?“

To those who complained that the 2.2 and 2.6 were underpowered and assumed the 2.5 must also lack pep, a test drive dispels those fears.

The 2.5 in the Voyager we drove handled the size and weight admirably. Is a V-6 needed? If you fill the van to the brim with people and luggage and head for the mountains, you might want the added boost. But how often does that happen?

More importantly, what will be the longevity of the 3-liter Mitsubishi- built V-6 after 1990 when Chrysler comes out with its own 3.3-liter V-6? We suspect the 2.5-liter 4 will be the base engine, the 3.3-liter V-6 the optional powerplant and the 3-liter V-6 will join the Mitsubishi 2.6-liter in retirement.

We`d choose the 2.5-liter 4 for now.

Base price of the regular mini-van is $10,887, the stretched Grand version $12,502.