 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Click image to enlarge |
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2010 Chrysler Town & Country
The 2010 Chrysler Town & Country has deep roots in Canada, tracing its heritage back to 1983, the year minivan production began in Canada at Chrysler’s Windsor, Ontario assembly plant with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.
The Windsor plant dates back to 1928 when Chrysler bought Dodge Brothers and moved its Toronto operations to a new factory on Tecumseh Road in South Walkerville, now a part of the City of Windsor. Over the years, a large number of vehicles were built at the plant, including a variety of trucks, Canadian versions of North American models and at various times, such iconic Dodge/Chrysler models as the Dodge Charger, Plymouth Satellite, Chrysler Imperial, Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant.*
In 1983, the original Windsor assembly plant, Plant 3, was retooled in just 16 weeks to build the new Dodge and Plymouth minivans. In 1996, with the advent of the third generation of the Chrysler minivan, Windsor Assembly began building the long wheelbase Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country. While Chrysler minivans were also built in Fenton, Missouri at Chrysler’s Saint Louis Assembly, today, all Chrysler minivans are built in Windsor. Windsor Assembly also builds the Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Grand Voyager, which is exported to Europe and the Volkswagen Routan, which is sold in North America.
 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Click image to enlarge |
This week, we take a close look at the Canadian-made 2010 Chrysler Town & Country. Next week, we’ll compare Volkswagen’s version, the Routan.
The Chrysler Town & Country is available in two trim levels – Touring and Limited – with a base price, including published discounts, of $29,845. For that base price, the Town & Country is anything but base with such desirable features as 16-inch alloy wheels, three-zone manual temperature control, fog lights, heated mirrors with integrated turn signals, roof rack, power sliding doors, power liftgate, overhead front and rear consoles, keyless entry, garage door opener, overhead LED halo lighting, auto-dimming rearview mirror, power-adjustable pedals, eight-way power driver’s seat, CD/MP3 stereo with auxiliary input, leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel with audio controls, 115-volt power outlet and tire pressure monitoring system.
To this list of standard features our Bright Silver Metallic Chrysler Town & Country Limited model added 17-inch alloys, rain sensing wipers, bright metal door handles and roof rack, HID Xenon headlights with SmartBeam high beam control, three-zone automatic climate control, CD/DVD/HDD touch-screen Infinity sound system, iPod connectivity, Sirius satellite radio, premium removable floor console, electronic vehicle information centre, eight-way driver and passenger power-adjustable heated leather seats, driver’s side memory, heated second-row seats, second- and third-row sunshades, backup camera, rear park assist, remote starter, and security alarm.
  2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Click image to enlarge |
Base price for the Limited is listed at $43,845, but a published $8,000 discount drops that to $35,845. Optional equipment – Navigation system ($1,250), dual screen entertainment system ($1,575), blind spot and cross path detection system and uConnect phone ($400), and power third row folding seat ($650) add $3,875 to the tab. Add on a $1,400 delivery charge and $100 federal A/C tax and the final tab for minivan luxury comes in at $41,220. Dealers may of course sell for less.
You could outfit your own Chrysler Town & Country with even more options. Swivel ‘n Go seating, for example, permits the second row seats to be turned around and comes with a removable table and can be combined with a rear entertainment system with displays that also swivel. Our van had standard Stow ‘n Go seating, second row seats that fold and store in the floor. It is either/or – Stow ‘n Go and Swivel ‘n Go can’t be combined. A sunroof is also available but overhead storage shrinks as a result.
The Town & Country divides interior space into adult space, child space and storage space. Up front is adult country with spacious leather covered bucket seats, both eight-way powered for driver and passenger comfort. There is a driver memory system that changes not only the seat position but the power adjustable pedals, exterior mirrors and radio pre-sets.
  2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Click image to enlarge |
The centre control panel is topped with a navigation screen that also doubles as a display for the audio system. Below that is the signature Chrysler analog clock flanked by two large vents. The amount of space that these two items take up unfortunately pushes the heating and air conditioning controls closer to the floor where they are difficult to reach and observe, particularly the rear seat controls. Below that is the DVD player, which is best left to the passenger to operate. Below that and almost out of reach completely are two cupholders that slide out from the panel and a storage bin on the floor. Two 12-volt power outlets are also located there.
The leather wrapped steering wheel has button controls for the driver information system. At first I thought steering wheel-mounted audio controls seemed lacking, but discovered that they are mounted on the back side of the wheel – an odd location in my opinion.
The gauges are the classic Chrysler look with antique style lettering and blue back-lighting. A few years ago, I thought this was very classy, but in 2010 it is beginning to look a bit dated. The navigation system is one of the easiest to operate, particularly as often used controls are always available as touch-screen buttons. But the size of the screen and the display graphics are again dated and trail the crisp, bright looks offered by competitors.
It was very easy to set up my phone with the optional uConnect phone system. Once connected, you can use voice commands to make calls. However, with incoming calls you must press the connect button which is located on the right side of the display – a long reach for a smallish button. The uConnect button should be mounted on the steering wheel mounted control or at least placed closer to the driver.
    2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Click image to enlarge |
The cabin décor is pleasing to the eye. Our Bright Silver Metallic minivan had a light grey interior and light grey carpeting and floor mats and was trimmed with wood-like panels on the dash and doors, while the centre stack had a brushed aluminum look. The only disappointment, to my mind, was the quality of the plastics used on the dash and centre stack. They are hard to touch and feel flimsy and easily breakable.
Between the front seats is a removable console that contains storage bins and cupholders. This can be moved to the second row if you desire. Speaking of storage, the Town & Country has more cubbies and bins than the locker room at the gym. There are nine cupholders and four bottle holders, two glove-boxes, bins in the console and centre stack, two large in-floor storage areas where the second row seats also store and a large luggage area behind the third row seats with grocery bag hangers. Mounted in the side wall of the luggage compartment is a rechargeable flashlight! Overhead storage depends on options selected and can include as many as four storage bins above. Our Town & Country had two storage bins as well as two entertainment display screens.
On the driver’s side of the second row there are two sets of input jacks for game systems as well as a 115-volt outlet perfect for plugging in a laptop or camera. The audio system will also accommodate an iPod and display its contents on the front display screen. There is no need for anyone to get bored on a long road trip in the Town & Country or even share their entertainment with the choices available.
Our Town & Country tester was equipped with a power folding, third row, 60/40 split bench seat. The controls are located just inside the liftgate and allow either side or both to be lowered automatically into the rear storage area. The second row Stow ‘n Go seats fold manually, but very easily into the floor area. After wrestling with second row seats in other minivans, I can appreciate the Stow ‘n Go seating. The only drawback is the size of the captain’s chairs. They are small and less comfortable than the seats found in most competitive vans, but children probably won’t complain, especially since the Town & Country seats are heated!
  2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Click image to enlarge |
When all the rear seats are stored, the cargo area inside the Town & Country is huge. We used our tester to move our daughter into her new apartment. The amount and size of stuff that will fit inside is simply amazing. We placed a double size mattress flat on the floor! The only caution is to take care not to overload the vehicle with heavy cargo. Depending on cargo weight, the Town & Country could clearly hold more than it is designed for.
With an optional towing package the Town & Country can tow up to 1,633 kg (3,600 lbs), perfect for towing a small boat or trailer. For heavy loads, an available load-levelling and height control rear suspension raises the vehicle back close to its original unloaded height to maximize loaded ride comfort and handling performance.
Powered by a 4.0-litre V6 engine that produces 251 horsepower and 259 lb.-ft. of torque, the Town & Country has plenty of power for towing or just going. No one will smirk at your minivan when you pull away from a stoplight or quickly get up to speed to merge into freeway traffic. Passing power is just fine. You won’t have to wait for the slowpoke in front to pull off the highway.
Fuel consumption is better than you might expect. Transport Canada rates the Chrysler Town & Country at 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway and 12.2 L/100 km in the city. As usual, we couldn’t match these Energuide figures, but our recorded fuel consumption of 8.9 L/100 km on the highway and 13.5 in the city are good for a vehicle of this size.
   2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Click image to enlarge |
Handling is good for a minivan, which is to say you won’t be carving up corners with this vehicle, but that is not what a minivan is intended for despite what some manufacturers say. The suspension in the Town & Country is designed to be a bit soft, to provide a comfortable ride for its passengers and in daily driving a soft suspension can be appreciated.
Should you get into a tight situation, the Town & Country has a number of active safety features designed to keep you out of trouble including anti-lock brakes, traction control and electronic stability control which is not shy to intervene when needed.
The Town & Country is a large vehicle and drivers will appreciate the optional blind spot monitoring system and cross path detection system. This latter feature detects and alerts the driver to vehicles crossing the path of the van when reversing out of a parking spot. The Town and Country is also equipped with ParkSense rear parking assist which detects objects behind the vehicle and uses visual and audible warnings to alert the driver to the proximity of objects behind the vehicle. A rear backup camera is also included with either of the screen-based audio systems.
Safety is a primary concern for minivan buyers and builders and the Chrysler Town & Country is one of the safest vehicles built. The US-based National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the Town & Country a top five-star rating for both frontal and side impacts. Side curtain airbags to protect front and rear seat passengers are, of course, standard.
With its emphasis on safety, comfort, convenience and on-road entertainment, the Canadian made Chrysler Town & Country (or Dodge Grand Caravan and Volkswagen Routan) should be on the list of any minivan buyer who would like their money to support Canadian jobs. But price has to be a factor in any buying decision. With the current (at date of publication) $8,000 discount off the list price AND 0 per cent financing for 36 months, as well as any additional incentives you might receive from a Chrysler dealer, the Town & Country could be a very good deal.
