Forgive me for going over this again, but if I’m made king one of the first laws will be that no one can travel outside our country until you have visited every state in America first.

And, I have personally done this in a van on a good part of those wonderful driving trips.

I may not return this weeks Dodge Grand Caravan, and just head west. Offer me a months use of a new Corvette or this van for a road trip and the Dodge Grand Caravan is the winner.

Comfort and utility is the biggest reason to own a van like this Dodge, and I have driven them all. And, the Dodge Grand Caravan and its other Chrysler siblings are the best of any make in any price range. Chrysler started out with the best vans twenty-five years ago, and they have never lost my top ranking.

About every innovation incorporated onto these vans have come from the Chrysler engineers. It seems every year they come up with something so usable that you may wonder when they will run out of ideas. The “Stow’-n-Go” feature would be the option I would need most. Being able to make the second row bucket seats disappear under the floor is one trick the other van companies are still trying to figure out how to do. Roll out your sleeping bag and enjoy a good snooze. The third row seats can be power tilted or even stowed at floor level.

Or, if you have kids maybe the “Swivel’ n Go” feature is best, but I have asked one owner with children about the “Swivel’ n Go” and he said it was not as useful as the “Stow’ n Go” feature would have been. The family van becomes a party room with the second row bucket seats are “swiveled” 180 degrees to face the third row seats, and also a small stow-a-way table can be mounted in the center of the party. This assuming your offspring all get-along.

Dual screen DVD video players with separate head phones can keep the little ones occupied or even the optional live TV Disney channel plus the cartoon and Nickelodeon channels. Other kid channels are available. Stereo and iPod connections are back there and up front too. Something I like to use on long drives. But, there is a 30 gigabyte storage hard drive inside that stereo system so I could load nearly every song I have ever heard.

Generally I don’t advise buying the factory navigation systems, but the Dodge nav with all of the other many features is $909, and that is the best price I have seen to date. Its about half of other navs that don’t offer nearly as many of the Dodge features. So, I would order it this time.

A power up and down cargo gate makes loading arms full of stuff easier. And, power sliding side doors are handy too. All can be done with the keyless remote. If the van is not big enough the SXT model can tow a 3,800-pound trailer. The base model SE can pull a 1,800-pound trailer. There are so many equipment options, plan on spending some time with the Dodge salesperson, because its a long list of  possibilities to be considered depending on how the Grand Caravan will be used.

Our test model had about every option available, and that ran the delivered price to about $40,000. The base price was $27,630. But, consider this: The SXT is the top of the line with the bigger 4-liter V-6 engine and 6-speed front-wheel drive transmission. And, if you can’t make a better deal than our test price get someone to go with you to the dealer to help.

Cruising down the road to some distant location in the Grand Caravan is a joy in itself. The ride quality is as good or better than an ultra luxury sedan. The bucket-type seats are comfortable and highly power adjustable. The pedals are even power adjustable; something my short lady co-driver needs. And, don’t forget all that room inside; plenty of elbow room for everyone. The center console slides toward the rear seats to make more room if needed. Drink holders are all over the place, and none more than a short reach away. There are six in the front passenger area. This van has more cubby holes and places to fill with travel junk than any other van known.

Pack up the family and see America in comfort.