Topic: 2015 Chrysler Town & Country

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: NAUMAN FAROOQ
The Chrysler Town & Country a luxury family car with more than enough space, but it costs a pretty penny.

In 1983, Chrysler became the first North American manufacturer to introduce the modern minivan under the Plymouth and Dodge banner. While there were vans that hauled people around before, the new minivans were based on car platforms, so they rode and handled much better.

Because they weren’t expensive to buy, were reasonably fuel-efficient and offered lots of space, they soon became popular. This prompted just about every auto manufacturer to come up with their own version. However, for many companies the minivan was a passing fad superseded by the crossover, which is currently popular.

While Chrysler also has crossovers in its portfolio, the company that invented the modern minivan still makes one, and the most posh of them all is called the Town & Country.

The Town & Country first showed up in 1990 as the top trim version of the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager and has always been marketed as an alternative to a luxury car. You got leather seats, powered everything – and nowadays, separate infotainment systems for the front and rear seat passengers.

The Chrysler Town & Country doesn’t have many competitors – Kia, Toyota and Honda still produce minivans, and they will spec one up with all the luxury you want too. Plus, the current Town & Country has not evolved all that much since the 2008 model year, when this fifth-generation model hit the market, so what has changed and how does it fare?

The styling has tweaked a bit, thanks to a redesigned grill and front bumper. It is a smart-looking van but certainly not the kind of shape that’ll drop your jaw.

The interior I don’t think has changed at all in the last seven years – the car does not have the more modern Uconnect 8.4N multimedia system found in other Chrysler products; instead you get the old 430N system, which looks to have been developed when Atari was the best-selling gaming system on the market. Technology aside, the interior does score big points in my books for lots of storage spaces, plenty of room for people and clever folding Stow’N’Go seats.

What about the drivetrain? While in the past, the Town & Country was available with 3.6 l and 4.0 l engines, for 2015, you only get one engine, which is the familiar Pentastar 3.6 l V6 motor that produces 283 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, sending power to the front wheels.

As you would expect, this is not a sporty vehicle to drive by any means. It is designed to haul a family with their shopping, and from that point of view, it is quite good. The ride is quite supple; soaking up bumps and cracks well. It is also fairly quiet – most vans or SUVs or crossovers have lots of interior noise, but not the Town & Country. It is a good vehicle to take on a road trip.

The only issue you will have on that road trip will be its fuel economy, I averaged 13.4 l/100 km in a week, which means this minivan drinks more like a truck than a car.

It’ll be a bit expensive to run, and it sure isn’t cheap to buy either.

The base price is $34,195 – the loaded Town & Country Limited tester was worth close to $50,000. Chrysler always has incentives on these vehicles, certainly at this time of the year, so don’t go by just MSRP, deals are there to be had.

The Chrysler Town & Country certainly doesn’t have the market to itself, but judging by the numbers I see on the road, it surely still resonates with a lot of Canadian buyers. Plus, if you don’t want all the bells and whistles, the Dodge Grand Caravan is still available in the market, and can be had for a whole lot less.