2008 Chrysler Town & Country - The Ultimate in Family Transportation

The Chrysler Town & Country is a luxurious minivan with an innovative seating design that adds greatly to its versatility. It combines the practical features of the Dodge Caravan with a higher level of equipment and style. For 2008, the Chrysler Town & Country receives a complete redesign with a new six-speed automatic transmission, 4.0-liter V6 and a more refined exterior. The 2008 Town & Country was the first year to offer Swivel 'n Go, which includes second-row seats that rotate 180 degrees to face a removable table that stores in the floor. In addition to the new seating arrangement, the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country gets a new engine choice, a 4.0-liter V6 that is more competitive with the V6 offerings from other manufacturers. The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country is available in three models, base LX, well-equipped Touring and top-of-the-line Limited. It has an estimated fuel economy of 24 mpg Hwy and 17 mpg City. Overall, the 2008 Town & Country does what a minivan should. It is a great vehicle for families that need to haul kids and cargo on a regular basis.

Powering and Driving the Town & Country

The LX trim is powered by a 3.3-liter V6 rated at 175 horsepower mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The Touring model uses a more powerful 197 horsepower 3.8-liter V6 and Limited is equipped with a 251 horsepower 4.0-liter V6. Both the Touring and Limited use a new six-speed automatic. All trims come equipped with a tilting steering column, remote keyless entry and a tire pressure monitor. All have front-wheel drive. The 4.0 moves the T&C nicely, while the carryover 3.8-liter V6 is adequate for around-town duty.

Chrysler Minivan Design

For this model year the Town & Country drops its short wheelbase body style, opting for three long-wheelbase models. The vehicle's architecture is basically the same, but stretched a bit. Compared to the outgoing long wheelbase model, the 2008 Town & Country is 1.9 inches longer in wheelbase, two inches longer overall, and at least 100 pounds heavier model for model. The Town & Country's 2008 styling is boxier than that of the outgoing model, with a more pronounced front end, which offers a hint of an SUV-like appearance. The roof is wider at the top, also contributing to the boxier look.

2008 Town & Country Cabin

The Town & Country's entertainment and seating options are the best in the class, matched only by its sibling Dodge Grand Caravan. The available Stow 'n Go seating tucks the second-row seats nicely into the floor, and when those seats are up, the floor bins offer storage space. The rear seats fold into the floor on all models, allowing a perfectly flat, voluminous rear storage area that can accommodate items such as couches, 4x8-foot sheets of plywood, and most any other item you might need to transport. In addition, there is a handy well behind the third row that offers lots of storage space even with the seats up. The new Swivel 'n Go option will be great for family trips. The second row turns to face the third row with a table in between. It will help keep the kids entertained with games of checkers, a place to draw, or any number of other possibilities. And if that's not enough, the Town & Country offers single and dual screen rear DVD entertainment systems, plus newly available Sirius Backseat TV with three kid-friendly channels. The dual screens allow different viewing options for kids that can't agree on what to watch. Furthermore, Chrysler's new MyGIG hard drive radio stores up to 1600 songs.

Chrysler T&C Lineup

 The base level LX comes with Yes Essentials cloth upholstery that Chrysler says is stain and odor resistant, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, front bucket seats, front center console, second-row bench seat, third-row stowable split folding bench seat, power front windows, power door locks, remote keyless entry, four-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, conversation mirror, and P225/65R16 tires on steel wheels with wheelcovers.

The Touring model adds tri-zone manual climate control with rear controls, leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, two additional speakers, cruise control, eight-way power driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, power adjustable pedals, Stow 'n Go second-row stowable bucket seats, overhead storage bins, removable rechargeable flashlight, heated exterior mirrors, power rear windows, power sliding rear doors, power rear liftgate, trip computer, universal garage door opener, automatic headlights, fog lights, roof rack, and aluminum wheels.

The Limited model gets tri-zone automatic climate control with rear controls; interior air filter; leather upholstery; eight-way power passenger seat; heated first- and second-row seats; memory for the driver seat, mirrors, and pedals; 506-watt audio system with 10 speakers; Chrysler's MyGIG Multimedia Entertainment System with 20-gigabyte hard drive; Sirius satellite radio; removable, sliding front console; rear obstacle detection; remote engine starting; auto-dimming driver's side and rearview mirrors; outside-temperature indicator, compass; second- and third-row sunshades; xenon headlights; and P225/65R17 tires on chromed aluminum wheels.

Conclusions

In addition to the popular Stow 'n Go seating arrangement, the new Town & Country offers Swivel 'n Go, which includes second-row seats that rotate 180 degrees to face a removable table that stores in the floor. With these improvements, Chrysler bills the Town & Country as the ultimate family friendly vehicle. It may not be the best handling minivan, but what's inside makes up for any lack of sportiness. For more research visit Edmunds.com for another '08 Town & Country Review.
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