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Sometimes you are so far ahead of the crowd, it appears that no one is following.

Sometimes the crowd is so far out front, you believe you’re running laps around it when you’re actually struggling to catch up. That’s the case with the 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan ES minivan with all-wheel drive, the premium model of the Caravan line.

Since its introduction by the former Chrysler Corp. in 1983, the Caravan has been the best-selling minivan in the United States. Today it accounts for 40 percent of all minivans sold in this country. That’s phenomenal for a product surrounded by competitors.

But leadership is more than numbers. It involves innovation and imagination. This is where the new Caravan misses the mark.

Look at the rear seats. Competitors, such as American Honda Motor Co., have taken to heart consumer complaints about the difficulty of unlatching and removing those seats to gain extra cargo room. So Honda designed its rear seats to fold down into a floor well — thereby instantly creating a flat cargo floor without straining muscles or wasting time. Consumers love it, and they’re buying every Odyssey rolling off Honda’s assembly lines.

A number of rivals are following Honda’s lead, finding ways to handle rear seats without requiring much sweat from vehicle owners. But Chrysler’s current owner, DaimlerChrysler AG of Germany, just doesn’t get it.

In the 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan ES, for example, the company gives us all sorts of wonderful whiz-bang stuff, including a rear hatch that automatically opens and closes at the push of a remote-control button. But those rear seats? Aaargghh! DaimlerChrysler thinks we should be happy with its trademarked Easy-Out Roller Seats that have little wheels on their bottoms to facilitate their removal.

The wheels are helpful. But you still have to lift the seats, about 50 pounds each for the split-rear bucket types, take them out of the minivan and find someplace to put the things until it’s time to reinstall them.

DaimlerChrysler’s resistance to ending this regimen stems from its worries that creating a well — a sizeable indentation — in the rear floor also creates a lot of noise inside the passenger cabin when the rear seats are up and the well is empty. Think of a drum pointed toward the ground, being “beaten” by rocks and gravel and the bumps and grinds of bad roads.

So, in the matter of rear-seat stowage, DaimlerChrysler has chosen passenger comfort and cabin quiet over convenience. That would be a wise choice if the minivan market were the same today as it was in early 1980s, when Chrysler launched its first soccer-mom and weekend-dad mobiles. Back then, the minivan demographic consisted mainly of young couples with children, people with strong backs and lots of patience.

But that demographic has changed. Many of those first minivan buyers have fin ished their service as famly taxi drivers. They’ve revisited sports coupes and sedans, and numerous others have tried sport-utility vehicles. Now many of them are returning to minivans — but this time to use as personal vehicles. Those aging minivan buyers want simplicity — things such as easily stowable seats. They’ll have to wait to get that from DaimlerChrysler.

In almost every other respect, however, the new Dodge Caravan ES minivan competes well against its rivals. The all-wheel-drive system works flawlessly, easily transferring drive power from slipping to gripping wheels in inclement weather. The minivan’s 3.8-liter V-6 engine is one of the best and most powerful in its class. Interior seating comfort is excellent. Safety is substantially improved with a more rigid body structure, dual-stage front air bags and optional side bags. Build quality is excellent, and overall interior space and cargo room are competitive.

But it’s the little things that un seat leaders — a missed vote here, an ignored opportunity there.

Keep in mind that Chrysler owned the minivan market in the early 1980s, meaning that practically every minivan sold then was Chrysler-sponsored product. Today it owns less than 50 percent, and competitors are nibbling away at what’s left.

Nuts & Bolts

2001 Dodge Grand Caravan ES

Complaints: Enough said.

Praise: The 2001 Grand Caravan ES is a high-quality minivan that retains high consumer appeal. It’s a buy if you don’t mind fumbling with the rear seats.

Head-turning quotient: The prettiest minivan on the road.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Easily among the best in class in all three categories. This is a genuine cross-country runner.

Capacities: Seats seven with all seats up. It has an overall cargo capacity of 167.9 cubic feet and can be equipped to tow a trailer weighing 3,550 pounds.

Engine: The tested Grand Caravan was equipped with a 3.8-liter V-6 designed to produce 215 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 245 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The engine was linked to four-speed automatic transmission (DaimlerChrysler’s optional AutoStick version, which can be operated as a full automatic or clutchless manual).

Mileage: About 19 miles per gallon in mostly highway driving.

Price: Base price is $32,235. Dealer invoice price is $28,962. Price as tested is $32,875, including a $640 transportation charge.

Purse-strings note: Compare with Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Mazda MPV, Ford Windstar, Chevrolet Venture/Pontiac Montana.