2011 Chrysler Town & Country

The 2011 Chrysler Town & Country continues to be one of the best minivans on the market.  The 2011 changes make the Chrysler Town & Country much better. It's quieter, more powerful, more controlled, nicer inside and likely more fuel efficient. Yet the Town & Country is still one of the most family friendly minivans on the market. Other benefits are the many unique and handy seating and storage features, and an impressive array of entertainment options. The 2011 Chrysler Town & Country features revised styling, a new engine, an upgraded suspension, and a reworked interior. This represents an extensive mid-cycle update for the 2011 models, improving them substantially over previous models. The Town & Country is the perfect family hauler with an upscale flavor. It has always offered a lot of interior utility, but the 2011 changes make the environment more pleasant, the handling more controlled, and power and fuel economy better.

Town & Country Power

The 2011 Chrysler Town & Country is available in three models, Touring, Touring L and Limited. All use a 283-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 engine that drives the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 2011 engine has improved over previous years. Instead of three V6s, the 2011 Town & Country offers just one, the new Pentastar 283-horsepower 3.6-liter V6. It has 32 more horsepower than the most powerful of the 2010 engines. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 17/25 mpg city/highway. Chrysler provides a fuel economizer switch that will change the shift points for optimum fuel economy. The new 3.6-liter V6 is now class competitive, while only the 4.0-liter V6 on the 2010 model was close. Chrysler has come up with a fine new engine. It's smooth and quiet, offering decent punch from a stop and enough in reserve for passing. However, it doesn't feel as powerful as the 283-horsepower figure would suggest. That's odd because this same engine feels stronger in the rear- and four-wheel-drive Jeep Grand Cherokee. Perhaps the 6-speed automatic transmission is the culprit. The transmission doesn't seem to communicate well with the engine or react very well to the driver's right foot.

Design of the '11 Chrysler Minivan

The Town & Country, which got a total redesign in 2008, has sliding side doors on both sides and a rear liftgate; power operation for all those doors is available, and the sliding doors have roll-down windows. The 2011 styling revisions make it look a little better. Up front, the hood is new, as is the grille and front fascia, which adds a chrome strip above the lower air intakes. The grille is more attractive, taking on a new corporate look that also appears on the Chrysler 300 sedan. Along the sides, the Town & Country gets new chrome moldings and available bright polished 17-inch wheels with a different design and painted pockets. At the rear, the glass has more curvature, and there is a standard roof spoiler that aids aerodynamics. The rear also adds LED taillights, a new shape for the fascia, a bright metal step pad, and a chrome trim to strip echo the front end.

Inside the Chrysler Town & Country

 Inside this minivan is where it shines. It offers every feature that a family on the go could need, along with plenty of space, and flexible seating configuration, and plenty of cargo space. New for 2011 is the steering wheel. It has controls for the trip computer, phone, audio system, cruise control, and, when ordered, navigation system. The trip computer controls are especially welcome because the last model had them inaccessibly placed behind the steering wheel on the left. The wheel now telescopes as well, making it easier to find an ideal seating position. You can even order a heated wheel, which is welcome on cold winter mornings.

Currently standard or optional, depending on model, are separate climate control for each seating row, multi-screen DVD video and satellite TV, mobile Internet Wi-Fi, USB iPod and Bluetooth phone linking, and voice-activate navigation. Town & Country can also be ordered with blind-spot sensing systems to warn of unseen vehicles in adjacent lanes or approaching from the sides in parking lots. Stain-resistant cloth and leather are upholstery choices. The third-row seat will fit three kids or two adults with room that's par for the class. The third-row folds into a well behind it, either manually or by power, to create a flat load floor. With the seat up, the well provides great storage for groceries, with 33 cubic feet of space. Overall interior and cargo volume is class competitive. With all the seats down, it has a spacious 143.8 cubic feet of cargo volume and can accommodate a 4x8 sheet of plywood. There is still 83.3 cubic feet with the rear seat folded, about as much as a Ford Explorer.

Conclusions

The 2011 Town & Country is the upscale version of the minivan also sold as the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. They share powertrains and seven-seat interior layouts. Visit the official Town & Country site for all of the latest updates on this Chrysler model. Basically, the Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands, along with the newly spun-off Ram truck brand, are now controlled by of one of Europe's largest automakers. The alliance is likely to eventually return Fiat-branded cars to the U.S. market, and almost certainly will bring Fiat-engineered small and midsize cars to the U.S. as the basis for new, fuel-efficient Dodge and Chrysler models.  For now, though, the Town & Country has survived into 2011.  An interesting note is that Chrysler lent its minivan design to Volkswagen, which retrimmed the interior and exterior and marketed the result as the Routan. For any families looking for the ultimate family mover in total comfort and ease, the Town & Country does the job.