The Voyager has returned. In June, FCA quiet revealed the Voyager during a press event at their Chelsea Proving Grounds, immediately allowing first drives and answering questions.

What is the 2020 Chrysler Voyager and why does it matter?

First, let's take a step back. Way back. And overseas.

Up until 2001, Chrysler had never sold the Voyager in the U.S. Starting in 1988, it was sold in Europe, having been rebadged from the Dodge Caravan name in the U.S. The automaker also sold a variant of the Caravan to U.S. customers dubbed the Plymouth Voyager. When Plymouth folded in 2001, a short-wheelbase version of Plymouth's minivan was sold under the Chrysler Voyager name but after two model years, it gave up the ghost.

The new 2005 Chrysler Town and Country Minivan with the new "Stow 'N Go" feature is shown to the media at DaimlerChrysler headquarters December 8, 2003 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The minivan-first feature allows owners to fold second and third-row seats into the floor with one-hand operation.Photo by Getty Images

There were then several evolutions in the minivan name and design, most notably the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country, which kept the minivan legacy started by the 1936 Stout Scarab alive.

Then Chrysler decided to switch things up and they ditched the Town & Country for the Pacifica, a completely different and thoroughly modern take on the minivan, starting in 2017. However, Dodge continued to sell its aging minivan, the Grand Caravan.

Since the Pacifica reveal, the Grand Caravan has been a mostly stagnant model. It doesn't have most of the safety features or high-tech equipment that the Pacifica has, nor is it as nice on the inside or fuel efficient.

Because it hasn't drastically changed in so long, FCA has not had to make significant investments to its production line to keep up with the evolution, or pay for things like new molds to be constructed. This makes the Grand Caravan relatively cheap to produce.

The Dodge Grand Caravan on the assembly line at the Chrysler Windsor Assembly plant January 18, 2011 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.Photo by Getty Images

In turn, the model continues to be the cheapest minivan customers can buy. And they're still buying it. In droves. The Dodge Grand Caravan outsold the Honda Odyssey in the third quarter of 2019 with 27,456 units, sitting atop its segment in sales. Chrysler only sold 21,697 Pacificas during the same period.

However, these times they are a changing. FCA is looking to modernize its lineup without losing those Grand Caravan customers. That's where the 2020 Chrysler Voyager comes in.

On the outside and inside, the Voyager is really just a Pacifica with another name. However, this version is more downmarket than the traditional Pacifica, with more economical materials and finishes. It is still much, much nicer than the Grand Caravan, and has many of the modern safety features the Pacifica has that the Grand Caravan does not. Safety is a top concern for families when they're looking to purchase a new vehicle according to Cars.com research.

The 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan starts at $27,040. The 2020 Chrysler Voyager undercuts that, coming in with a starting MSRP of $26,985. Chrysler sells the 2020 Pacifica with a starting price of $33,495.

2020 Chrysler Voyager

Photo courtesy of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.

The Chrysler Voyager is a new addition to the FCA lineup for the 2020 model year.

It's safe to say that the Voyager is designed to be on its way to replacing the Grand Caravan. That's why it matters. It's a Band-Aid solution that gets FCA out of having to invest in designing and producing a completely new vehicle while still driving customers to their dealerships.