The Dodge Caravan was certainly not the first compact van to ever travel the roads in America, but it was the one that made the term “minivan” a household name. In 1994, the Caravan lineup featured four engine options that ranged from a 100-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder in the base Caravan to a 162-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 in the top-line Grand Caravan. With each upgrade in engine size, fuel economy dropped slightly and the addition of optional all-wheel drive dropped these ratings even further.
Fuel economy numbers that the EPA provides are purely for estimating and comparison purposes. Variables like maintenance, tire condition and inflation, driving style and conditions, and quality of fuel all can affect the mileage results of your Caravan.
With the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, new EPA ratings put the Caravan at 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined with a five-speed manual transmission, and the three-speed automatic transmission received ratings of 18 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined.
A 3.0-liter-equipped 1994 Caravan with a three speed automatic received a 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined rating from the EPA. When hooked up to the four-speed automatic transmission, the EPA rated the 3.0-liter-equipped Caravan at 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined.
With the four-speed automatic transmission, the 3.3-liter engine allowed the Caravan to get 16 mpg city, 21 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined. Optional all-wheel drive on the 1994 Caravan with a 3.3-liter engine dropped its fuel economy ratings to 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway and 17 mpg combined. If your Caravan happened to be a natural gas model, it received a rating of 15 mpg city, 21 mpg highway and 17 mpg combined.
The 3.8-liter V-6 engine was rated at 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway and 17 mpg combined. All-wheel drive dropped the 3.8-liter-equipped Caravan to 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway and 16 mpg combined.
