# Plymouth Caravelle
The **Plymouth Caravelle** was a mid-size, front-wheel-drive four-door sedan sold by Chrysler Corporation's Plymouth division, a rebadged twin of the [Dodge 600](https://www.edgepedia.org/dodge-600) built on the stretched K-car E-body platform. It was offered in Canada from 1983 and in the United States from 1985 through 1988, after which the Plymouth Acclaim replaced it.[1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform | Chrysler E-body, a stretched K-car with a 103.3 in (2624 mm) wheelbase, 3 in longer than the compact K sedans[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/) |
| Market run | Canada 1983–1988; United States 1985–1988, replacing the Chrysler E-Class[1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle) |
| Body style | Four-door sedan only in the E-body range; a 1983–84 Canadian two-door was a rebadged Dodge 400[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/) • [3](https://autocade.net/index.php/Plymouth_Caravelle_(1983%E2%80%938)) |
| Engines | 2.2 L I4 (97–99 hp), 2.2 L turbo I4 (146 hp), 2.5 L I4 from 1986, and a 2.6 L Mitsubishi I4 through 1985[1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle) • [4](https://www.autoblog.com/features/junkyard-gem-1987-dodge-600-sedan) |
| Production | Over 130,000 units, 1983–88, built in Detroit, Michigan[3](https://autocade.net/index.php/Plymouth_Caravelle_(1983%E2%80%938)) |
| 1987 sales | 42,465 units, up 24% from 1986[5](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-reviews/vintage-reviews-car-and-drivers-1987-new-car-issues-charting-the-changes-technical-highlights-for-domestics/) |
| 1987 base price | $9,762, slightly under the equivalent Dodge 600[4](https://www.autoblog.com/features/junkyard-gem-1987-dodge-600-sedan) |
| Successor | Plymouth Acclaim, from 1989[1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle) |
## Origins in the K-car family
The Caravelle belonged to the E-body branch of the K-car family, Chrysler's front-wheel-drive program that underpinned most of the company's 1980s lineup. The E-body sedans rode a 103.3-inch wheelbase, about 3 inches longer and 10 inches longer overall than the compact [Plymouth Reliant](https://www.edgepedia.org/plymouth-reliant) and Dodge Aries, creating a mid-size, six-passenger sedan. The E-body range debuted for 1983 with the Dodge 600, the Chrysler E-Class, the more upscale [Chrysler New Yorker](https://www.edgepedia.org/chrysler-new-yorker), and, in Canada only, the Plymouth Caravelle.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/)
The name itself had a history at Plymouth. Chrysler Canada had first used "Caravelle" on its Canadian-market M-body sedan, the car sold in the United States as the Gran Fury, and that older rear-wheel-drive model was renamed the Caravelle Salon when the E-body took the Caravelle name for 1983.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/) For 1983 and 1984 the Canadian Caravelle line also included a two-door coupe that was actually a rebadged Dodge 400.[3](https://autocade.net/index.php/Plymouth_Caravelle_(1983%E2%80%938))
## Arrival in the United States
The Caravelle came south in 1985 as a consequence of brand housekeeping at Chrysler. The Chrysler E-Class, the entry-level E-body, had not sold well; in 1984 the pricier New Yorker outsold it two to one. Chrysler therefore dropped the E-Class after 1984 and handed its body shell to Plymouth, on the reasoning that budget-minded shoppers belonged in Plymouth showrooms. From 1985, US Chrysler-Plymouth dealers offered the Caravelle alongside the New Yorker, which remained Chrysler's sole E-body.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/) The Caravelle was slotted between the compact Reliant and the large rear-wheel-drive Gran Fury in Plymouth's lineup.[1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle)
Mechanically and visually the Caravelle was virtually identical to the Dodge 600. The most apparent difference was the grille: the Plymouth carried an eggcrate grille while the Dodge used a slatted design, later blacked-out with chromed crosshairs, and the two cars also differed in taillight ribbing and minor trim. In 1985 the Caravelle's base price sat $74 below the Dodge 600's.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/) CarGurus lists the 1985 Caravelle SE's original MSRP as $9,433.[6](https://www.cargurus.com/research/1985-Plymouth-Caravelle-c13790)
## Specifications and equipment
All E-body Caravelles were four-door sedans with four-cylinder engines only. The standard engine was Chrysler's 2.2-liter SOHC four, rated at 97 horsepower and 122 lb-ft of torque in 1987; automobile-catalog lists the fuel-injected 1985 SE version at 99 hp SAE net and 164 Nm (121 lb-ft). The optional 2.2-liter turbo, the same engine used in the Dodge Daytona Turbo Z, produced 146 horsepower and cost $685 extra in 1987, though with the standard three-speed automatic it was, as one retrospective put it, not an ideal match. The 2.5-liter four, added for 1986 when it replaced the Mitsubishi-built 2.6, offered only about 3 more horsepower than the 2.2 but more torque at lower rpm.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/) • [4](https://www.autoblog.com/features/junkyard-gem-1987-dodge-600-sedan) • [7](https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/plymouth/caravelle_4d/caravelle_se/1985.html)
Transmission choices included three-speed automatics (the A413 and A470) and five-speed manuals (the A520 and A525).[1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle) The 1985 SE came generously equipped for its class, with AM/FM stereo, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, cruise control, air conditioning, and a 50/50 split-folding front bench seat with dual recliners.[1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle) Dimensionally the sedan measured 185.7 in (4717 mm) long, 68.4 in (1737 mm) wide, on the 103.3 in wheelbase, with a base curb weight around 1175 kg (2590 lb).[7](https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/plymouth/caravelle_4d/caravelle_se/1985.html)
The 1986 model year brought a facelift that smoothed the E-body's styling, with more contemporary headlight treatment, the loss of the stand-up hood ornament in favor of a Pentastar in the grille, and the swap of the Chrysler 2.5 for the [Mitsubishi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitsubishi) 2.6.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/) • [3](https://autocade.net/index.php/Plymouth_Caravelle_(1983%E2%80%938)) An SE trim added a split bench seat, stereo, intermittent wipers, and similar extras; about 45% of 1986–88 Caravelle buyers chose it.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/)
## Sales and market position
Production over the 1983–88 run exceeded 130,000 units.[3](https://autocade.net/index.php/Plymouth_Caravelle_(1983%E2%80%938)) In 1987, a year in which Plymouth was the only domestic brand to post a sales increase, at 11%, the essentially unchanged Caravelle nonetheless rose 24% to 42,465 units.[5](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-reviews/vintage-reviews-car-and-drivers-1987-new-car-issues-charting-the-changes-technical-highlights-for-domestics/) Contemporaries noted that Caravelles typically cost less than GM A-body sedans such as the [Chevrolet Celebrity](https://www.edgepedia.org/chevrolet-celebrity), but the absence of a V-6 and a shorter options list limited its appeal against those rivals.[2](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/)
## Recalls and end of the line
In November 1988 Chrysler recalled more than 580,000 turbocharged 1985–87 cars, including the Plymouth Caravelle, over fuel-hose and related turbocharger concerns.[8](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/11/23/Chrysler-is-recalling-more-than-580000-of-its-1985-87/9355596264400/) A separate 1988 recall covered defective power seat frames on the model.[9](https://workshop-manuals.com/plymouth/caravelle/l4-135_2.2l_sohc/body_and_frame/seats/seat_cushion/component_information/technical_service_bulletins/all_technical_service_bulletins_for_seat_cushion/nhtsa88v061000/apr/88/recall_88v061000_power_seat_frame_defective/)
The Caravelle and the Dodge 600 sedan were discontinued after 1988, with the sedans running into mid-1988. Plymouth's E-body slot was filled from 1989 by the Acclaim, and the Caravelle name did not return.[10](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-curbside-classic-comprehensive-chronology-of-the-chrysler-k-car-family-tree/) • [1](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle)
## References
1. [Plymouth Caravelle, Dodge Wiki](https://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Plymouth_Caravelle)
2. [1987 Plymouth Caravelle SE: Remember Me? – Curbside Classic](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1987-plymouth-caravelle-se-remember-me/)
3. [Plymouth Caravelle (1983–8), Autocade](https://autocade.net/index.php/Plymouth_Caravelle_(1983%E2%80%938))
4. [Junkyard Gem: 1987 Dodge 600 SE Sedan, Autoblog](https://www.autoblog.com/features/junkyard-gem-1987-dodge-600-sedan)
5. [Vintage Reviews: Car And Driver's 1987 New Car Issues, Curbside Classic](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-reviews/vintage-reviews-car-and-drivers-1987-new-car-issues-charting-the-changes-technical-highlights-for-domestics/)
6. [1985 Plymouth Caravelle: Prices, Reviews & Pictures, CarGurus](https://www.cargurus.com/research/1985-Plymouth-Caravelle-c13790)
7. [1985 Plymouth Caravelle SE 4-Door Sedan specs, automobile-catalog](https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/plymouth/caravelle_4d/caravelle_se/1985.html)
8. [Chrysler is recalling more than 580,000 of its 1985-87 cars, UPI Archives (November 23, 1988)](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/11/23/Chrysler-is-recalling-more-than-580000-of-its-1985-87/9355596264400/)
9. [Recall 88V061000: Power Seat Frame Defective, Plymouth Caravelle workshop manuals](https://workshop-manuals.com/plymouth/caravelle/l4-135_2.2l_sohc/body_and_frame/seats/seat_cushion/component_information/technical_service_bulletins/all_technical_service_bulletins_for_seat_cushion/nhtsa88v061000/apr/88/recall_88v061000_power_seat_frame_defective/)
10. [The Curbside Classic Comprehensive Chronology of the Chrysler K-Car Family Tree](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-curbside-classic-comprehensive-chronology-of-the-chrysler-k-car-family-tree/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Automobiles › American automobile models › Full-size and family sedans*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license