With an all-new version coming up for 2008, the Chrysler Town & Country minivan is unchanged, save for some of its exterior colours: Butane Blue and Midnight Blue are gone, while Marine Blue, Modern Blue and Cognac have been added.
An upscale version of the Dodge Grand Caravan, the Town & Country is available only in long-wheelbase configuration (a short-wheelbase model available in the U.S. isn’t sold in Canada), in Touring and Limited trim levels. Both use a 3.8-litre V6 with four-speed automatic transmission. Both models also feature Stow ’n Go seating, in which the second-row seats fold flat into the floor.
Features on the Touring include 16-inch aluminum wheels, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, cruise control, power locks with keyless entry, dual power sliding doors, fog lamps, automatic headlamps, heated mirrors with auto-dimming driver’s side, power liftgate, roof rack, power rear-quarter vent windows, three-zone automatic climate control, garage door opener, auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather-wrapped wheel, leather-faced first- and second-row seats, eight-way driver and six-way passenger power adjustment, six-CD/DVD stereo with eight speakers, rear-seat entertainment system, power-adjustable pedals, and driver’s side inflatable knee blocker.
The Limited adds 16-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels, memory for driver’s seat, mirrors, pedals and stereo, woodgrain interior trim, luxury door trim panels, heavier floor carpet, door courtesy lighting, tire pressure monitoring system and leather-faced seats with suede microfibre accents.
Most buyers will tend toward the less-expensive Dodge version of this minivan, but there’s no denying the Town & Country’s upscale appointments, including a rear DVD and leather interior, which are optional on most competitors. The Stow ’n Go seating system, exclusive to DaimlerChrysler, allows for the second row of seats to be folded into the floor, without having to remove them as with most minivans, and their bins work as storage compartments when the seats are up. The Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are more refined overall, but lack the stowable second-row seats; it should be interesting to see how the all-new upcoming Chrysler version stacks up to these models when it’s introduced.
