Just a few makers of minivans remain, and Chrysler is the only one turning out a model that can truly be called plush. Both Town & Country and its Dodge Grand Caravan cousin managed to withstand the ceaseless barrage of crossovers and full-fledged SUVs, causing other minivan makers to give up the struggle.
Most of the old stigma that made minivan ownership seem like the province of suburban "soccer moms" appears to have dissipated. As a result, shoppers can look at minivans in terms of their merits: namely, bountiful interior space and practical features, priced reasonably in view of what you get.
What's New for 2016
An Anniversary Edition builds upon the Touring-L model, adding a power sunroof, bright door handles, heated first- and second-row seats, heated steering wheel, and Keyless Enter ‘n Go. A Blu-ray player is now available with HDMI input for video game systems.
Choosing Your Chrysler Town & Country
Each Town & Country holds a 3.6-liter V6 that produces 283 horsepower sent through a six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is estimated at 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway: not exactly thrifty, but appropriate for the category.
Three rows of seats offer space for seven passengers (six if captain’s chairs, instead of a bench, are installed in the second row). Chrysler has earned a lot of publicity with its cleverly designed Stow ‘n Go seats. Installed in both the second and third rows, they fold right into the floor, creating a flat cargo area.
Town & Country comes in six trim levels, plus this year’s Anniversary edition to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Chrysler company.
Starting at $30,990 (including destination charge), even the base-level Town & Country has leather seat trim, dual power sliding doors, a power liftgate, rearview camera, six-speaker audio, and 17-inch aluminum wheels.
The first step-up model adds tri-zone automatic climate control, a power driver’s seat, power controls for all side windows, heated power mirrors, and automatic headlights.
Sporty touches on the S trim level include a dark grille, a firmer suspension, Torino black leather seats with cloth inserts, a bigger console, and black aluminum wheels. A rear DVD/Blu-ray entertainment system with twin flip-down screens also is included.
Similar to the Touring, the L ($36,390) adds several safety and convenience features. They include rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-path detection, auto-dimming driver-side mirror, remote start, and rear sunshades.
For an additional $1,500 over the Touring-L, the limited edition adds a power sunroof, heated seats and steering wheel, and Keyless Entry ‘n Go.
Building upon the Touring-L, the Limited minivan gets heated first- and second-row seats, a power third-row seat with power recline, a heated steering wheel, keyless ignition/start, and a navigation system. Also standard: a premium audio system and DVD/Blu-ray entertainment system.
Topping the minivan lineup, the Limited Platinum comes with a sunroof, memory functions for side mirrors and seats, Nappa leather seat trim with suede accents, power-adjustable pedals, a nine-speaker 506-watt audio, and bright-finish 17-inch aluminum wheels.
Some safety and convenience features standard on upper trim levels are optional on lesser models. More specialized upgrades, such as the S's performance features and the Platinum van's premium additions, are exclusive to that particular trim level.
Half a dozen trim levels don’t make it easy to pick out the best Town & Country. Before doing so, you might want to consider whether the similar, but less plush, Dodge Grand Caravan would do the job. To most people, sportiness and minivan constitutes an oxymoron: two words that just don’t seem to fit together. Therefore, the Town & Country S may not be taken seriously. But, consider: in addition to an upgraded suspension, you get premium audio and video entertainment, for well under $35,000. Otherwise, we’d be tempted by the nicely-equipped LX base model, or the Touring edition.