Driving Impressions

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.

Final Word

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.