By Jeffrey Zygmont
Motor Mouth
April 27, 2008 04:00 am If ever you find that you absolutely must have about three hours of uninterrupted solitude, but you're stuck with the kids, dash out and buy a 2008 Town & Country minivan. The model delivered for my evaluation last week occupied 3-year-old John and 7-year-old Madeleine for at least that long. They might be playing in it still, if the Town & Country was still parked in my driveway. Of course, for maximum diversion you'll need to shell out very close to $40,000 for a top-line Town & Country Limited with every available option. That's more than $16,000 above the model-line's starting price of $23,595. It's more than $17,000 pricier than a standard Dodge Grand Caravan, a sibling model sold by Chrysler's Dodge division for $22,700 before any extras. But with a full-dress Town & Country, your children will have "Swivel 'n Go" captain's chairs in the second row. The chairs turn to face the rear bench seat. A pedestal table between the rows converts the passenger van to a rec room. For added distraction, button-operated motors automatically fold the split rear bench and stow it flat in the floor. Children also get retractable window shades, a rechargeable flashlight and adjustable reading lamps coupled with glowing, blue, ambient mood lighting that outlines the long console overhead. They get a sliding front-floor console. They get a push-button power liftgate in the back and power sliding side doors left and right. They get two fold-down 8-inch video screens that show not only DVDs, but also television broadcasts of three children's networks via satellite from Sirius Backseat TV. Madeleine declared it is the best car ever for kids. "It's like a house," she said, "cause you can play in it and there's all sorts of places to put your toys and everything and you can even eat in it if you want to because there's a table and everything. You couldn't really live in it because there's no beds or bathrooms or anything but you can take naps in it and you can spend all your time out here playing." John, less articulate at age 3, registered his approval by bleating, "Papa, look at this," and, "Papa, look at this," as he tumbled from feature to feature. Jim Dimopoulos, co-owner and general manager of Seacoast Motors of Salisbury, sees his three children react much the same to the model his family drives. "They feel like they're at home in a big playroom," he said. At Seacoast Motors, which sells Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles (the three brands made by the Chrysler company), minivan popularity is declining, just like it is all across America. Dimopoulos blames changing fashion: People no longer want the domestic super-mom image that family vans impart. Instead, he said, more buyers are going for crossovers, such as the Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Journey and Jeep Compass. Part passenger car and part sport-utility, crossovers today are considered hip. They provide some of the spacious hauling capacity of a van. But they don't look so dowdy. Because they're generally smaller, crossovers can get better fuel economy. They also offer all-wheel drive, a popular feature here in the Merrimack Valley. Chrysler's response to the anti-minivan tilt was to make its two popular models both less like minivans and more like minivans. The Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan are all-new models this year, redesigned for 2008 with a new, 4.0-liter V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission available in more expensive versions of the vehicles. (More basic models get smaller V6 engines.) The new models are styled more muscularly than traditional minivans. They're more angular and upright, with bold creases along their sides and a longer, more blunted front end than customary minivans. The styling makes the new models look a little more like SUVs, at least in attitude. But their minivan character is also more enhanced this year. That effort to make the new models ultra-minivans includes all the family-friendly features that keep kids enthralled. In its publicity material, Chrysler calls Grand Caravan and Town & Country a "family room on wheels." The company also eliminated a shorter version of the vehicle this year. Before now, Dodge sold a standard Caravan that lacked the extra cargo room created by extending the backs of Grand Caravan and Town & Country. Today you can buy only the extended versions. Minivans never were very mini, but these ultra-minivans seek to maximize the hauling capacity that makes the vehicle type so attractive to drivers in the first place. Make no mistake, a lot of people still prefer minivans. With low floors, wide sliding doors and cavernous interiors, they remain a top choice for families with three or more children, said Dimopoulos of Seacoast Motors. They're also a favorite for people who regularly haul bulky loads. For example, retirees who retreat every winter to Florida, he said, like models with Chrysler's Stow-'n-Go seats. Instead of swiveling backwards, the second-row chairs hide in the floor, producing an enormous open space behind the front riders. Aside from its worth as a baby sitter, I found the Town & Country Limited invaluable when I hauled around guests last weekend, visiting to watch Janya Camann, a niece, run the Boston Marathon. To and from Logan Airport, back and forth from hotels, all around the town, I trundled seven people, luggage, and other varieties of bulky stuff in comfort and ease. Quite a few quick card games kept passengers entertained in the back. By the time the race ended, I had covered 350 miles, averaging 21.5 miles per gallon in fuel economy. That's not bad considering the service Town & Country rendered. Anyone who regularly hauls around crowds and their cumbersome accessories should consider that, no matter what image they want.
2008 Chrysler Town & Country
Vehicle type: Front-wheel-drive, 7-passenger minivan Price range: $23,595 to $36,755 (plus options) Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic warranty; lifetime powertrain warranty; 5 years/100,000 miles corrosion warranty Base engine: 3.3-liter V6 Power: 175 horsepower at 5,600 rpm; 205 lb.-ft. torque at 5,600 rpm Transmission: 4-speed automatic Fuel economy: 17 mpg city; 24 mpg highway Wheelbase: 121 inches Length: 203 inches Width: 79 inches Height: 69 inches Weight: 4,335 pounds Fuel capacity: 20.0 gallons Turning circle: 39.1 feet
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