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What's New: Chrysler's top-of-the-line minivans are all new for the 2001 model year, with an available 3.5-liter engine that'll make you the envy of every minivan driver at the PTA and new gewgaws such as a power liftgate and a removable center console with three power outlets. Type: Minivan Pros: A nice marriage between a luxury vehicle and minivan functionality, torquey powerplants, lots of new toys. Cons: As list of features grows so does price, still no stowable third-row seat. Review Elegance and expressiveness. Grace and grandeur. Welcome to the Town & Country. Oh sure, you get the same fresh shape and interior space in a lower-priced Caravan or Voyager, the same carlike ride and handling qualities, the same practical virtues as a people and cargo hauler. What Chrysler adds to that mix is luxury, and plenty of it. That's enough to attract a fair share of extra customers to the Chrysler end of the minivan spectrum. But be prepared to pay extra for all the goodies, as there's a widely divergent features list between the different trim levels. For 2001, Chrysler will offer six extended-wheelbase minivans: the front-wheel-drive Town & Country LX, Town & Country LXi, and Town & Country Limited, and their all-wheel-drive counterparts. What sets them apart are the powerplants sitting under the hood, all of which have been refined from last year. The LX and LXi front-wheel-drives come standard with a 3.3-liter V6 with 180 horses, up from 158, but the LXi crowd can opt for a 3.8-liter V6, which gets a 35-horsepower boost to 215, or they could just go ahead and buy the all-wheel-drive model in order to get the 3.8-liter V6 as standard equipment. Limited models score the 3.8-liter or the new 3.5 V6 with a 230-horse output, the most of any minivan, available in March. Still with us? All varieties are hooked to a four-speed automatic transaxle, but only the front-wheel-drives wear four-wheel ABS with discs and drums, while the all-wheel-drives have ABS and discs at all corners. The LXi has low-speed traction control, which the Limited gets as standard, but this is relevant only for the front-wheel-drive versions. Get the base LX and you'll receive little more than a souped-up Dodge Caravan with power windows and wood grain trim. Step up to the LXi and you'll be treated to a standard overhead trip computer, HomeLink, three-zone air conditioning, CD player, remote keyless entry, and power adjustable seats. Leather and heated seats are optional. At the top end is the most luxurious, most prestigious minivan available today, the Chrysler Town & Country Limited. For 2001, Town & Country Limited offers even more features including dual power sliding doors, power liftgate, heated leather memory seats, a four-disc, in-dash CD audio system, and side airbags. Town & Country Limited aims to offer all of the comforts of a luxury car along with the convenience of a minivan. As the self-proclaimed king of all minivans, the Town & Country is sure to make people think twice before renting a stretch limo. Oscar attendees always need the extra space to tote all those golden statuettes. Styles & Prices at Edmunds.com | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
