If there's one model that has kept Chrysler going over the years, it has to be its mini-vans. Year in - year out, come hell or high water, the company's people-carriers have been a mainstay and consistent best-seller. You could even argue that the original "Magic Wagons" - Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan - changed the face of the automotive industry when they debuted, in 1984, and Chrysler has never relinquished its grip on this end of the market. Ford has walked away from mini-vans and General Motors is putting on its shoes, but Chrysler is still going strong and pumping them out by the thousands from their plants in Windsor and Missouri.
The Plymouth version was deep-sixed in 2000, but the Dodge Caravan carries the flag in long wheelbase form, and is joined in the company's line-up by the Chrysler Town And Country, which received a complete makeover for the 2008 model year and is offered in two trim levels: Touring and Limited.
Featuring much chunkier and purposeful styling as well as a revised drivetrain, the Town And Country is the company's flagship mini-van and now has a six-speed transmission to go with its 3.8 and 4.0 litre V6 engines. The smaller powerplant is used elsewhere in the company's line-up and in this configuration, develops 197 horsepower and 230 foot-pounds of torque. The 4.0 litre V6 engine, meanwhile, comes with the Limited model, but my Touring tester had the smaller of the two, and, quite frankly, it needs more power. It's an overhead valve unit with two valves per cylinder, which, in this day and age, makes it something of a dinosaur, and it seems to be working kind of hard to get the 2044-kilogram Town And Country moving at any speed..
If you look at rivals such as the Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage or Kia Sedona, they all have smooth-running, powerful, overhead cam V6s that bang out at least 250 horsepower and offer a refined driving experience with bags of reserve power. I can't say the same for the Town And Country Touring. As well as being sluggish, it's also loud and kind of wheezy and makes more noise than it should. Having said that, the 4.0 litre engine has an overhead camshaft set-up, with four valves per cylinder, and is good for 251 horsepower. All things considered, it's probably the better choice here.
It's good to see that Chrysler has added a six-speed transmission to the Town And Country, but why, oh why did the designers have to put the shifter up on the dashboard? I constantly struggled with the shift lever during my time with the Touring and cursed it time and again for its sloppiness, inaccessibility and....well...wrongness. The steering-column shift lever that came with the old model worked just fine, and if you must have the shifter on the dashboard, at least get it right. Really annoying.
On the other hand, the middle "Stow ‘n Go" seats work a treat. Pull on a couple of straps and, hey presto, they disappear into a little compartment under the floor. And, once stowed, the floor is completely flat. Do the same with the third row seats and you have 3968 litres of total cargo space, and room enough to carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood with the back door closed.
Speaking of which, the remote key fob will open both side doors as well as the back door - pretty standard fare in this market these days - but I found it to be almost more trouble than it's worth, at least as far as the side doors are concerned. In a nutshell, it takes too long and most of the time, it's faster to just open and shut the doors manually. This isn't a flaw in the Town And Country; the same is true of all mini-vans with this feature.
Like any self-respecting family hauler, the Town And Country Touring has all kinds of available electronic goodies, such as a back-up camera, Sirius satellite radio, wireless headphones, and second and third row fold-down video screens with remote control. All of these extras are part of the Entertainment Group #2, and will run you an additional $2400. My tester also had the "Family Value Group", which included second and third row window shades and a removable centre console. Add $375 for this package.
Standard equipment includes three-zone air conditioning, power door locks, cruise control, tilt steering, eight-way power drivers seat, power adjustable pedals, and a power rear liftgate. Safety equipment is the usual four wheel disc brakes with ABS, electronic stability control, and front side and side curtain airbags for all three rows of seats.
Aside from the comparatively anemic V6 engine and recalcitrant shifter, the Town And Country Touring is still a heavy hitter in this market. Its seating arrangements are second to none and it's easy to get along with, comfortable, and stable on the highway. And with a price tag of just under $41,000, loaded, it's still cheaper than most of the competition.
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