Plymouth Voyager is a nameplate for a range of vans that were marketed by Plymouth from 1974 to 2000. One of the few light trucks marketed by the division, the Voyager was initially a full-size van, later becoming one of the first minivans successfully marketed in North America.
For its first generation, the Voyager was a full-size van, serving as the Plymouth counterpart of the Dodge Sportsman (renamed Dodge Ram Wagon for 1980). For 1984, the Voyager was reintroduced as a minivan, becoming a divisional counterpart of the Dodge Caravan. For 1987, the model line was expanded with the extended-wheelbase Plymouth Grand Voyager and the luxury-trim Chrysler Town & Country for 1990. Three generations of the model line were sold until the closure of the Plymouth brand during the 2000 model year.
The Voyager nameplate has also seen use multiple times under the Chrysler brand. From 1988 to 2016, the Chrysler Voyager nameplate was used for export-market minivans. Following the demise of Plymouth, Chrysler reintroduced the Voyager as a Chrysler for North America, discontinuing the model after 2003.
The Chrysler minivans (including versions sold under Chrysler, Ram, Lancia, and Volkwagen nameplates) are a model family that collectively rank as the 13th best-selling automotive model line worldwide. The Plymouth Voyager minivan was assembled by Chrysler at its Windsor Assembly facility in Windsor, Ontario, Canada; from 1987 to 2000, the Voyager was also assembled at Saint Louis Assembly in Fenton, Missouri (North plant from 1987 through 1995; South plant from 1996 until 2000). The full-size Plymouth Voyager van was assembled from 1974 until 1983 at the Pillette Road Truck Assembly in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant in Fenton, Missouri.
Full-size van (AB; 1974–1983)
For the 1974 model year, Plymouth debuted light trucks under its own brand (for the first time since 1942), introducing the Voyager full-size van and the Trail Duster SUV. The Voyager was a Plymouth counterpart of the Dodge Sportsman van, while the Trail Duster was derived from the Dodge Ramcharger. In contrast to Dodge, Plymouth only marketed the Voyager as a passenger van; as with the Sportsman, the model line was offered with seating options for up to 15 passengers (depending on body length);Readers' Rides; 1974 Plymouth Voyager (Grassroots Motorsports) the 18-inch longer Extended Body Voyager was derived from the Dodge MaxiWagon.
1974-1977 Plymouth Voyagers were visually similar to their Dodge counterparts, centering Plymouth badging within the grille (a design shared by Fargo vans and 1971-1973 Dodges).
Dependent on body size, the Voyager was sold in PB100, PB200, and PB300 series. In 1976, the Voyager was joined by the Voyager Custom and Voyager Sport (to better match its Dodge counterpart). For 1977, the single-panel rear door (introduced in 1975 as an option) became standard (trading places with the two-panel rear door). The rear seat mountings were redesigned, allowing for easier removal.
For 1978 and 1979, the Voyager followed its Dodge counterpart through a two-year transition of the model line into its second generation. 1978 brought major structural changes, as a redesigned B-pillar on long-wheelbase models saw the deletion of the filler panels between the front doors and side doors (on the driver side, one fewer window); On extended-length vans, the body was fitted with wraparound rear corner windows to improve rear visibility. The interior underwent a redesign with all-new trim and seats, with the dashboard redesigned to increase parts commonality with newer Chrysler vehicles (Dodge would use this design through 1997). 1979 brought a taller, longer hoodline and a larger grille (though large-block V8 engines were retired by Chrysler), and redesigned headlamp clusters (in contrast to Dodge, the Voyager was fitted with four headlamps as standard). With the exception of its Plymouth badging, the Voyager was essentially indistinguishable from its Dodge Royal Sportsman counterpart.
For 1981, the Plymouth Voyager gained a degree of brand differentiation as Dodge dropped the Sportsman/Tradesman branding in favor of Dodge Ram Wagon/Van, featuring large RAM badging on the door. In contrast, the Voyager retained the badging introduced in 1979.
Following the 1983 model year, Plymouth discontinued the full-size Voyager van, transferring the nameplate to its 1984 minivan. As the Trail Duster had been discontinued after 1981, the full-size Voyager would become the final full-size truck offered by the Plymouth brand.
Background During the early 1970s, Ford and Chrysler had begun work on smaller passenger vans as "garageable vans"; the vehicles were intended to feature a lower height (though taller than a station wagon, the design would be easily accommodated within a standard-height garage). Also, the smaller vans were intended primarily to carry people, not cargo, so design and comfort were prioritized over payload.
The Ford project led to the 1973 Ford Carousel, a running prototype deriving its body and chassis from the Ford Club Wagon then in development for 1975; the Carousel was restyled with its own body, lowered to a height of approximately 6 feet. Though supported by both Lee Iaccoca and Henry Ford II, internal opposition from other Ford executives led to the cancellation of the Carousel project during 1974.
At the same time, Dodge Truck Engineering began design work of its own "garageable van" (to market a small van as a practical second car). Though the Volkswagen Microbus had established popularity, designers sought to develop a safer and more practical vehicle. To utilize then-existing Chrysler powertrains, a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout was selected. In 1972, designers began developing clay models of a potential exterior design (along with interior layouts). However, the Chrysler small van project was shelved, as Chrysler management cited the lack of funds and that it was a design that had no competition from either Ford or GM.
At the end of 1977, Chrysler started development on a new small van project that would ultimately become the Chrysler minivans. Following the firing of both Lee Iacocca and Hal Sperlich from Ford, the two joined Chrysler in similar capacities during 1978. Beginning life as a modified version of the Dodge Omni, the new vans adopted a front-wheel drive layout. The models grew in size as designers determined the Omni/Horizon chassis would be too small with an underpowered powertrain. Following the project approval, the "T-115" small van program was funded through a large portion of the Chrysler federal loan guarantees.
The Chrysler minivans launched a few months ahead of the Renault Espace (the first MPV/minivan in Europe)— effectively creating the modern minivan segment in the United States, followed by the introduction of the Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari and the Ford Aerostar.
First generation (S; 1984–1990)
For 1984, Plymouth released its first new Voyager for the first time in 10 years, making it the counterpart of the all-new Dodge Caravan minivan. Though the two vehicles shared a distinct (larger) model architecture, the minivans shared design commonality with the K-Cars; along with portions of the interior, the Voyager shared its instrument cluster and some dashboard controls with the Plymouth Reliant.
Similar in length to an Aries/Reliant station wagon (though several inches wider), the Voyager was designed with a passenger-side sliding door, but its front-wheel drive chassis gave it a much lower floor height than its full-size namesake. Similar to a hatchback or mid-size station wagons, the rear door was a single-piece liftgate. Three trim levels were offered: an unnamed base Voyager, mid-grade Voyager SE, and deluxe Voyager LE; the Voyager LE was offered with optional simulated woodgrain paneling.
The Voyager was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1985.
For 1987, the Voyager received a mid-cycle update (switching from four headlights to two), allowing for better brand separation between the Voyager and Caravan. The extended-wheelbase Grand Voyager was introduced (slightly shorter than the Dodge Dynasty) for SE and LE trims, adding 7 inches of wheelbase for additional rear seat and cargo space.
For 1989, the flagship two-tone Voyager LX trim was added, sharing many of its features with the monochromatic Dodge Caravan ES. Safety features included 3-point seat belts for the front two passengers and lap belts for rear passengers. Standard on all Voyagers were legally mandated side-impact reinforcements for all seating front and rear outboard positions. Safety features such as airbags or ABS were not available. The Voyager, along with the Dodge Caravan, are considered to be some of the earliest mass-produced vehicles to include dedicated cup holders outside of the glovebox.
Original commercials for the 1984 Voyager featured magician Doug Henning"1984 plymouth voyager commercial", retrieved on 2010–08–25. as a spokesperson to promote the Voyager "Magic Wagon's" versatility, cargo space, low step-in height, passenger volume, and maneuverability. Later commercials in 1989 featured rock singer Tina Turner."1989 Tina Turner Plymouth Voyager Commercial", retrieved on 2010–08–25. Canadian commercials in 1990 featured pop singer Celine Dion."Celine Dion: 1990 Dodge Caravan & Plymouth Voyager", retrieved on 2010–08–25.
Seating 1984-1986 Voyagers could be equipped for five, six, or seven passengers, with an eight-passenger variant available only in 1985.Chrysler Corporation Factory Sales Brochure "1986 Plymouth full-line" Five-passenger seating, standard on all trim levels, consisted of two front bucket seats and an intermediate three-passenger bench seat. In 1985, on base and SE models, the front buckets could be replaced by a 40/60 split three-passenger bench seat, bringing the total number of occupants to six. Seven-passenger seating was an option on SEs and LEs, with dual front buckets, an intermediate two-passenger bench, and a rear three-passenger bench. Eight-passenger seating was available on SE models only, with both the additional middle two-passenger bench and the three-passenger front bench. Depending on the configuration, the base model could seat up to six, the SE could seat up to eight, and the LE could seat up to seven.
The two bench seats in the rear were independently removable (though not foldable), and the large three-seat bench could also be installed in the second-row location via a second set of attachment points on the van's floor, ordinarily hidden with snap-in plastic covers. This configuration allowed for conventional five-passenger seating with a sizable cargo area in the rear. The latching mechanisms for the benches were very intuitive and easy to operate.
On base models, the front buckets were low-back items, upholstered with plain cloth or vinyl. On SEs, the buyer could choose between low-back buckets in deluxe cloth or high-back buckets in upgraded vinyl. LEs came standard with high-back front buckets, upholstered in either luxury cloth or luxury vinyl.
In 1985 and 1986, there was also a five-passenger version with a back seat that could be folded flat with the pull of a handle into a bed that filled the rear compartment from the back of the front seats to the rear. This option was known as the Magic Camper. The Magic Camper back seat had an extra rear-facing cushion that formed the back-most section of the bed when folded flat and the seat, though very heavy, was removable. The Magic Camper option included a tent that attached magnetically to the side of the vehicle allowing access in and out of the sliding side door.