The scene could be a parking lot near you. The local Wal-Mart, Costco, or Super Target. What do these mega-marketers have in common? Their parking lots are still populated by minivans, despite the fact that naysayers have claimed the market has gone away.
What Is It?
The Chrysler Town & Country Limited is the fifth-generation of Minivan as set forth from Chrysler Corporation, then DaimlerChrysler and now Chrysler Motors LLC. Despite the “stigma†associated with the category, and the mass exodus of consumers for the more “butched-out†feeling of an SUV, Chrysler has taken a design that fell into stale waters, and refreshed it to make one of the most capable offerings in years.
First introduced in 1983 as a 1984 model, the Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler T & C, and Dodge Caravan were based on the Chrysler S-Platform, itself a derivative of the old K-Car platform made famous by then Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca. The current lineup is available in LX, Touring, and top-of-the-line Limited editions. They are all reasonably well equipped, just some better than others!
What’s It Up Against?
The T&C’s competitive set includes the Honda Odyssey , the Hyundai Entourage, The Nissan Quest , and Toyota Sienna . Of this group, the T&C slots in closest to the Odyssey and Sienna.
Any Big Breakthroughs?
A new, more efficient powerplant leads the redesign, in the form of a 4-liter 6-cylinder that is the standard engine choice in this family hauler. Add to that, a power fold-flat rear seat in the way back, “Swivel ‘n Go” captains chairs that rotate from a forward to rearward facing position offer an included table to set up for lunch in the backseat.
Breakthroughs continue into the electronic offerings. A Chrysler and Dodge exclusive in their minivans is the optional availability of the Sirius Backseat TV system which includes a dual-screen system with individual 8-inch monitors for both the middle and rear seating areas AND wireless headphones in case Disney TV is not your cup of tea.
How Does It Look?
In a few words: Longer, leaner, sleeker.
To our eyes, the Town & Country and its sister the Caravan appear to have had a little work done by the plastic surgeons on F/X TV’s Nip/Tuck. In fact a full-blown liposuction seems to be just what the doctors ordered. Sharp, crisp lines show a proper waist, a cleaner, more business-like front end and a taut rear flank.
Back to that front end. More conservative, and less frilly would be the keywords today. Maintaining the trademark Chrysler “wings†as a main element of design in the grill area was a smart beginning, followed by updated headlamp housings and new front fascia, get the T&C off to a good start.
Fit and finish is surprisingly good, but not quite in the same realm as that of its Asian competitors. Almost, but not quite. Smart use of blackout paint on the B and C pillars gives an extended view of a vehicle that is long and stretched thin. We can’t say that it would look as good with the same pillars in body color.
And Inside?
We were quite impressed with all the inside amenities in the new Chryslers. Having been out of the minivan market for some time now, we were interested to see how far the niche has progressed. Interior trim levels have moved upmarket with extensive use of faux wood and leather throughout the T&C Limited. We do wish the silver surround of the center stack were replaced with a higher quality material to bring it up to the level of the rest of the interior trim pieces.
Extra lighting packages give virtually every seat their own reading lights, and the MyGIG multimedia system allows you to download mp3 tracks, and jpeg photos (for screensavers and picture viewers) to an internal hard drive for output through the monitor of the Infinity nine-speaker audio system with sub-woofer and Sirius-equipped head unit. We also like the thoughtful inclusion of a 115-volt inverter outlet to run a household item like a PS2 or laptop computer. Think of it now: Mobile Guitar Hero!
The Swivel ‘n Go middle seating arrangement allows for seats to turn and face the passengers in the rear and with the optional removable table allow for face to face game playing, or lunch taking while on the road. Conversely, the power folding rear seat can be faced backwards for rearward crowd watching at the local soccer tournament.
The Town & Country is filled with scads of other useful items. Among them, the drivers’ side sliding power door, the numerous cupholders located throughout, the built-in flashlight for late-night searches of missing kids toys from the rear cargo area, the umbrella holder, the flip-down rear-view kiddie mirror. Add to these adjustable pedals and a tilt (but non-telescoping) steering wheel with redundant controls. The one thing that concerns us though, is the high mounting of the seats, brackets and hardware and a few sharp edges associated with them.
But Does it Go?
Our Limited model was powered by Chrysler’s all-new 4-liter transverse-mounted six-cylinder engine, standard. Mated to their new six-speed automatic transaxle, the T&C is neither the fastest, nor slowest sled on the slope. At 251-horsepower, and 259 lb-ft of torque, it is sufficient to power around the motliest of crews during family excursions or grocery-getting at the local Kash & Karry.
The base-version T&C LX model is equipped with a 3.3-liter V6 and four-speed automatic transaxle making 175-horsepower, while the Touring’s standard engine is the 3.8-liter V6 with six-speed automatic transaxle, which delivers197-horsepower.
EPA mileage ratings peg the 3.3-liter V6 at 17mpg city/ and 24mpg hwy, while both the 3.8 and 4.0-liter engines yield ratings of 16mpg city/23mpg hwy.
Having said all that, Chrysler engineers have reduced interior noise while underway, through the use of better and thicker glass, sound insulation and carpeting. We would like a little more road feeling translated up through the padded steering wheel, though.
Why You Would Buy It
It is the perfect go-getter for families with active broods and full daily schedules which include school, soccer, friends, piano lessons, shopping, play dates and so on.
Why You Wouldn’t
If you can’t bear to live with the stigma of what others think when you tool up in your mobile command center on wheels, this is not your ride.
What Does it Cost?
MSRP Base Price: $35,670
Price as tested $39,785
(See our full pricing guide.)
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
