2008 Chrysler Town and Country

Much has been made about the decline in popularity of the minivan. With the proliferation of crossovers and SUV-lights, one might think that the mommy-box market was tanking. After all, GM and Ford bailed on the segment, so it must not be viable, right? Wrong. The reality is that while the minivan market has shrunk some, with over a million annual sales it’s still a big sand box with room for perennial leader Chrysler to duke it out with its remaining competitors from Asia and Germany.

Introduced at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country is more squared-off styling represents an edgy departure from the Clorox bottle shape of the previous generation. Particularly from the rear, the van’s boxy design looks as if it were artfully drawn with a rafter square.

Perennial power
Chrysler’s 3.8-liter V-6 powers the Town and Country Touring model we tested. Two other V-6s propel the trim levels that bracket the Touring; the 3.3-liter on the LX and the 4.0-liter on the Limited. Our van’s powertrain included a six-speed automatic, and the combination provided more than adequate performance for this class of vehicle. With 197 horses, power was never lacking around town or on interstates.

Surprisingly quiet at highway speeds, the engine sounded rather raucous when the throttle blades opened wide. Unlike some competitive engines that emit a powerful but muted growl when poked, the 3.8-liter was aurally unrefined. Likewise, the six-speed shifted smoothly under most circumstances, but lost its buttery feel when rushed. Of course, this is a minivan and not a BMW sedan.

Outfitted with the 3.8-liter/6-speed, the Town and Country is said to deliver mileage of 16 city/23 highway. With its 20-gallon fuel tank, one could reasonably expect to cover over 400 miles between fill ups. We found no reason to doubt this estimate.

© Source: thecarconnection
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