Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Bountiful

Editor:

Kirk Bell

Price As Tested:

$42,160

“America's family friendly minivan.”

The Chrysler Town & Country, and its sibling, the Dodge Grand Caravan, are the most family friendly minivans on the market, if not the best driving. The many unique and handy seating and storage options make them worth a look. Drivers hoping for a carlike ride, sporty handling, or state-of-the-art engines will be best served by the Japanese competitors. Prices are up for 2009, and adding options can push the price over $40,000, so equip yours carefully.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Kirk Bell filed this report from Chicago.

Editor:

Kirk Bell

Price As Tested:

$42,160

“America's family friendly minivan.”

The Town & Country's competitive advantage can be found on the inside. While ambiance and materials quality are not tops in the class, thoughtful features are. The Chrysler Town & Country is brimming with them.

First the mundane. Hard plastic dominates the dash and doors. The only padded surfaces are found on the captain's chairs' fold-down armrests, and they are an unimpressive looking rubberized material. The gauges are easy to spot and the various controls are clearly marked.

The radio and/or UConnect Tunes/GPS system is set high on the center of the dash for easy access. With either system, the controls are easy to use, but those on the right side are a bit of a reach for the driver. The CD/DVD changer is also set low, making it a possible distraction to use while driving. The gearshift is mounted between the radio and the instrument panel. It's an odd position, but it works and there is an electronic gear readout in the instrument cluster.

Buyers can opt for UConnect Tunes or UConnect GPS, that latter adding a navigation system with voice activation and real-time traffic. Both systems have a 30-gigabyte (up from 20 gigs last year) hard drive to hold music, pictures, and, with the navigation system, navigation map information. Both systems are capable of holding hundreds, and even thousands of songs.

Front-seat room and comfort are typical for a minivan. The front captain's chairs afford an upright driving position with an SUV-like view of the road. There is plenty of head room, and leg room will only be lacking for the tallest drivers. A tilt steering wheel and available adjustable pedals should help most drivers tailor a comfortable seating position, but we'd still ike the steering wheel to telescope.

The clever features start with the storage solutions. Chrysler provides two glove boxes and some cubbies in the center stack for small items storage. A total of 13 cupholders are found throughout the van, so the whole team has a place to put their A&W Root Beers after the little league game. The standard console has four integrated cupholders and a small storage bin. The premium center console is more impressive. It has four cupholders and a small bin on top. This top level slides back to reveal a larger storage bin below it. The lower bin also slides back. With both layers pushed back, the top level moves back a total of 21 inches, which allows parents up front to prepare lunch for the kids and pass it back in a safe manner. The premium console is also removable so you can make good on your threat to go back there when the kids need to be forcefully separated.

The rear seating solutions are better yet. All Town & Country models have a deep well behind the third row, which is a great place put groceries so they won't slide around. With the rear seats in place, there is an impressive 32.3 cubic feet of cargo room. All models have a 60/40 split folding third-row bench seat that folds into the floor. Three straps are attached to the back of each seat and they're marked 1, 2 and 3. To fold the seats into the floor, first pull strap 1, then pull strap 2. You have to give strap 2 a good yank and help the seat along with your other hand. It can require leverage that some moms might not have. Strap 3 pulls the seats back up. A better option is the power folding third row seat, which can be set to four positions, including what Chrysler calls the tailgating position. In this position, the seatbacks act as seat bottoms and the bottoms act as backs facing the rear of the van for those parking lot tailgate parties at sports functions.

For 2009, Chrysler has made Stow 'n Go seating as standard for the base model, and it continues as standard for the Touring and Limited. The Stow 'n Go setup has second-row bucket seats that fold into the floor. The front seats must be moved fully forward to allow the second-row seats to fold into the floor and folding the seats requires two hands and a little dexterity, but it's hard to argue with the result. When not in use for the seats, the under-floor bins can be used for storage.

With the second- and third-row seats folded, the Town & Country has a flat load floor, an impressive 140.1 cubic feet of cargo volume, and enough space to fit a 4x8-foot sheet of plywood.

The optional Swivel 'n Go seating also uses second-row buckets. These seats can rotate 180 degrees via a lever at the base of each seat to face the third row. A removable table is also provided that can be installed between the second and third seating rows. The table is stored under the floor and is fairly easy to access. The Swivel 'n Go feature also has the under floor storage bins, but the seats don't fold into the floor. This type of table has been used in campers for years, and now it works well in a minivan.

If you want to use your van to haul cargo, the Stow 'n Go setup is your best option. Swivel 'n Go, on the other hand, is the choice if you use your van for a lot of long trips with the family.

The Town & Country offers single and double rear DVD entertainment options. The single screen is available only in the LX model and is located in the second row. The double screen version adds a second screen for the third row. Both are available with Sirius Backseat TV. The TV has three channels, all aimed at kids: Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon. Four sets of headphones are provided, and with the dual-screen system, one screen can be tuned to TV while the other can play a DVD. Front passengers can listen to the radio while rear occupants watch a DVD or TV, and with the car in Park, front passengers can watch TV or a DVD on the dashboard screen.

Editor:

Kirk Bell

Price As Tested:

$42,160

“America's family friendly minivan.”

The Chrysler Town & Country is tall, heavy and long, and it drives like you'd expect given those characteristics. Drive it hard into a turn and it prefers to keep going straight rather than reacting quickly to steering inputs. Turns and changes of direction prompt copious body lean. In a word, the Town & Country feels cumbersome. Still, it never feels like it's going to tip over.

The steering is somewhat vague. It has enough play on center to keep the vehicle moving straight when you inadvertently jerk the wheel while spinning around to yell at the kids. The Town & Country is in no way sporty. The Honda Odyssey and Nissan Quest are considerably more fun to drive.

The ride quality, on the other hand, is quite good. The Town & Country irons out most bumps well, and only the sharpest of ruts will crash through to give the passengers a start. The long wheelbase helps prevent larger humps from causing up and down motions. However, it can feel somewhat floaty at highway speeds. While certainly comfortable, the Town & Country isn't as smooth as the Toyota Sienna, which has an almost luxury car feel.

The Town & Country's best engine is found in the Limited model. Its 4.0-liter makes 251 horsepower, which puts it in the ballpark with the V6s offered by Nissan, Honda and Toyota. The 4.0 gets the Town & Country moving nicely from a stop and teams with a six-speed automatic transmission to provide decent passing response. With the 4.0-liter V6, the Town & Country has EPA fuel economy ratings of 16 mpg City and 23 Highway. Properly equipped, the Town & Country is rated to tow up to 3600 pounds with the 4.0, enough for personal watercraft or a small boat.

The available 3.8-liter V6 makes 197 horsepower, and it offers plenty of pep for daily commutes and most needs. Teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission, this powertrain is fairly responsive, but the problem still lingers that this engine is just not as modern and powerful as many others from the competition. The 3.8-liter V6 has the same EPA ratings as the 4.0.

The base 3.3-liter V6 makes 170 horsepower and uses the old four-speed automatic. While the EPA fuel economy numbers of 17 mpg City and 24 Highway are respectable, they are little better than the bigger engines and the 3.3 is overmatched in this large vehicle.

On the road, the Town & Country cruises quietly, especially with the 4.0-liter V6. All of the engines can intrude on conversation under full throttle, but tire noise and wind noise generally don't.

The biggest news for 2009 is the addition of two new safety systems. The new Blind Spot Monitoring system uses radar sensors to detect vehicles in the van's blind spots and warns the driver with lights in the side mirrors or a driver-selectable chime that sounds like the seat belt chime. I found it works well, but like similar systems offered by other manufacturers it can sometimes give false readings. It's still important to look before you change lanes.

The new Rear Cross Path system is activated when the van is in reverse. It uses radar sensors to detect vehicles crossing behind the Town & Country and warns the driver with lights in the side mirrors and that same chime. The system won't detect small objects, like pedestrians, so it's still important to proceed slowly. It does, however, detect vehicles up to 20 meters away, and is programmed to recognize the speed of oncoming vehicles and alert the driver only if they are traveling at a speed that could lead to an accident (in other words, stationary and very slow moving vehicles probably won't register). I like this system. It works well and is especially useful in parking lots given the proliferation of SUVs and minivans on the road today.

Editor:

Kirk Bell

Price As Tested:

$42,160

“America's family friendly minivan.”

The 2009 Chrysler Town & Country is available in three models, base LX, well-equipped Touring and top-of-the-line Limited. The LX model comes with a 175-hp 3.3-liter V6 engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The Touring model has a 197-hp 3.8-liter V6 and a six-speed automatic transmission. The Limited upgrades to a 251-hp 4.0-liter V6 with the six-speed automatic. All have front-wheel drive.

The LX ($26,430) comes with cloth upholstery, air conditioning with three-zone manual control, tilt steering wheel, front center console, stowable second-row bench seat, stowable third-row split folding bench seat, power first- and second-row windows, power third-row vent windows, power door locks, power exterior mirrors, remote keyless entry, four-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, trip computer, conversation mirror, outside temperature display, and P225/65R16 tires on steel wheels with wheel covers.

The Touring model ($29,395) adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, two additional speakers, Sirius satellite radio, eight-way power driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, power adjustable pedals, overhead storage bins, 115-volt power outlet, heated exterior mirrors, power sliding rear doors, power rear liftgate, universal garage door opener, automatic headlights, fog lights, roof rack, and aluminum wheels.

The Limited model ($36,530) gets tri-zone automatic climate control with rear controls; interior air filter; leather upholstery; eight-way power passenger seat; heated first- and second-row seats; memory for the driver seat, mirrors, and pedals; 506-watt audio system with 10 speakers; Chrysler's UConnect Tunes 30-gigabyte hard-drive radio; removable, sliding front console; rear park assist; remote engine starting; auto-dimming driver's side and rearview mirrors; second- and third-row sunshades; mirror-mounted turn signals; rain-sensing wipers; rearview camera; xenon SmartBeam self-dimming headlights; and P225/65R17 tires on chromed aluminum wheels.

Options start with Chrysler's Flexible Seating (Swivel 'n Go) group ($495), which includes second-row bucket seats that swivel and a removable table that can be installed between the second and third seating rows. Also offered are Chrysler's UConnect Multimedia Suite ($1,300) with a rearview camera, Chrysler's UConnect Phone hands-free cell phone link and Chysler's UConnect GPS, which adds a navigation system with real-time traffic and voice activation to the UConnect Tunes 30-gigabyte hard-drive radio. Three rear DVD entertainment systems are offered. The LX model is available with Entertainment Group 1 ($2,120), which has a single rear DVD screen, and also comes with Sirius satellite radio, a rearview camera, and a 115-volt power outlet. Entertainment Group 2 ($2,200) for the Touring model has two 9-inch rear video screens, UConnect Tunes hard-drive radio and a rearview camera. Entertainment Group 3 ($2,020) for the Limited model has two rear video screens with two DVD players, plus Sirius Backseat TV. A Trailer Tow Group ($600) includes heavy-duty engine cooling, trailer wiring harness, and load-leveling rear air suspension. Stand-alone options include two integrated child seats ($225) for the second row, a sunroof ($895), a power-folding third-row seat ($595), and Sirius Backseat TV ($495). Several of the higher line standard features are also available for the lower line models.

New for 2009 are Chrysler's Rear Cross Path and Blind Spot Alert systems. Both are offered, along with UConnect Phone, in a Safety Group for the Limited ($825). They are also included in the Touring's Security Group ($1445), which also includes UConnect Phone, auto-dimming driver's side and rearview mirrors, mirror-mounted turn signals, rear park assist, and an alarm.

Standard safety equipment for all models includes dual-stage front airbags, head-protecting curtain side airbags, ABS with brake assist, traction control, tire-pressure monitor, traction control, and electronic stability control.

Editor:

Kirk Bell

Price As Tested:

$42,160

“America's family friendly minivan.”

The 2009 Chrysler Town & Country is offered in one long wheelbase body style. The short wheelbase body style was dropped with the 2008 redesign. Sizewise, the Town & Country's size is comparable to several competitors. The Nissan Quest, Kia Sedona, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Sienna are all within two inches, plus or minus, in overall length. Cargo room is comparable as well.

The Town & Country's styling is somewhat boxy, with a pronounced front end that offers a hint of an SUV-like appearance. The roof is wide at the top, also contributing to the boxy look.

The snout features a large grille heavily influenced by that of the Chrysler Sebring and Pacifica. The body sides have a clean, simple design, as the last model's side strakes have been eliminated. The rear liftgate is available with power operation, which is handy, but the rear glass doesn't open separately, which isn't. Chrome accents on the front and rear fascias, door handles, belt molding, and mirrors lend an upscale appearance.