And when it came purely to utility, the van received endless praise. "There's nothing like a minivan when it comes to moving stuff," wrote Jennings. "This weekend, our cargo included several suitcases and garment bags plus Bob, our caged, 72-pound Chesapeake Bay retriever." The logbook is filled with tales of similarly impressive payloads, including from Blackwell, who carted home bulky antique furniture and was compelled to ask, "Who needs an SUV when you can have a minivan?" In fact, with its flat, low loading floor and clever packaging, the Town & Country made for a better family and cargo hauler than most similarly priced crossovers or full-size SUVs. And overall fuel economy, at 21 mpg, handily exceeded that of our most recent long-term three-row warriors.
So what's the problem, you ask? In a word: manners. First, there are the driving dynamics. "The Town & Country just feels too soft and floaty going down the road," opined one staff member. The top-spec, 4.0-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic proved plenty quick - 0 to 60 mph took 8.2 seconds - but few drivers felt compelled to try even moderate acceleration thanks to unexpected wheel spin and excessive torque steer, which are further evidence of an outdated, overly soft suspension. Towing brought out the worst in the van, despite our $600 towing package. "There's simply no way I'd be willing to tow 3600 pounds with the Town & Country, even though that's the published towing capacity," complained Blackwell after hitching his 2000-pound pop-up camper for his Fourth of July vacation. "Exceptionally bumpy road surfaces caused the trailer to pogo the van, and successful passing maneuvers required lots of planning and a bit of luck."
Once upon a time, we were willing to put up with such flaws because no vehicle that drove better offered nearly as much utility. No more. Now we live in a world where even some SUVs drive like sport sedans. The Town & Country needn't be a canyon carver, but a minivan these days should offer carlike refinement.
The interior likewise could use a trip to finishing school. Our van was filled with economy-car plastics dressed up with faux wood trim that, in Blackwell's words, "reminds me of the trim in my 1993 Plymouth Sundance Duster." Staff members also complained about difficult-to-read climate controls and hard, uncomfortable armrests. The shortcomings are made all the more frustrating by the fact that under the unattractive facade lies thoughtful, likely costly, functionality. "It's almost as if Chrysler has two groups of interior design engineers, one of which comes up with all kinds of clever ideas, and another that undermines them with relentless cost cutting," noted senior editor Joe Lorio. ...next page >>