Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)

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• new cars
• minivans
• Chrysler
• Dodge

Minivans have a perception problem. But as boring and boxy as they may be, minivans provide more room and utility for a large family than just about any other vehicle. Reinventing the van takes much more than new sheetmetal and a few more horsepower under the hood. It requires clever thinking. And that’s especially true if you are Chrysler. It not only invented the minivan—it has led the segment for the past 24 years. Well, Chrysler’s new bosses can rest easy. The all-new Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country have the versatility to lead the pack. First, the new vans are longer than before and wider at the roofline by a whopping 6 in. That gave engineers the room to design an interior that’s more useful and more fun for the family. The highlight of that design is the optional Swivel ’n Go seating, which allows the second-row seats to rotate 180 degrees to face the third row. A table installed between those rows turns these minivans into mini motorhomes. If weekend trips to Home Depot are more the norm than the exception, the Stow ’n Go seats are still available to provide a completely flat load floor. There’s a rear-seat entertainment option, too, with separate video screens for the second and third rows—and each can show unique programming. The video screens not only handle DVDs but stream television channels, care of Sirius. Entertaining is only half the battle when it comes to handling a family’s needs. And the Chrysler twins provide more bins, cubbies, storage boxes and cupholders than just about any vehicle we’ve encountered. Versatility defined? Oh, yes.

	Design	Value	Energy Efficiency	Performance	Versatility
	Nissan GT-R	Scion xB	GMC Yukon Hybrid & Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid	BMW M3	Chrysler Town & Country & Dodge Grand Caravan
	Fun To Drive	Off-Road Ability	Technical Innovation	Luxury	Workhorse
	Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution	Toyota Land Cruiser	Ford Sync	Cadillac CTS	GMC Sierra 2500/3500 HD & Chevy Silverado 2500/3500 HD

9. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
The EPA changed how they do the MPG testing in 2008, running at higher speeds and higher temps in a colder environment in order to get a more realistic estimate, creating a noticable difference between EPA estimates of 07 to 08, so in a sense they get better mileage than before.

8. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
I have a 2001 T&Country that the auto side doors won't lock in on auto and they won't open when it's hot outide. How can I fix them?

7. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
very poor MPG, 16 MPG HWY. dealer says normal for vehicle. I disagre i believe the front brakes are to blame they wear out every 20 k miles like clock work. the brake shop where i have them done says rotors are gladed and warped from excesive heat from the pads always riding the rotors, causing friction and heat and RESISTANCE. i have told this to the dealer they say all is normal and do not agree. to the dealer every thing is normal

6. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility) (In resp to 2)
35 mpg isn't going to happen unless the vehicles switch to diesel powered engines. The driving public has to demand it, or else nothing will change! I'd love to see minivans with biodiesel engines and full time AWD. That would undercut the SUV market, I'd bet.

5. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
2008 dodge grand caravan sliding doors freeze solid when temps drop below 1c. whats going on? chrysler has had the vehicle since dec 5. no solutions yet. anyone have any information? help

4. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
Power or economy Our 3.8L V6 T&C get the same mpg, maybe Chrystler should consider making their vehicles not just more powerfull each year but more with better mpg...esp now with oil >$100/barrel.

3. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
Chrysler economy in line with everyone else even with the largest 4.0L V6. Chrysler 16-23 MPG w/4.0L Toyota 17-23 MPG w/3.5L Honda 16-23 MPG w/3.5L Kia 16-23 MPG w/3.8L Hyundai 16-23 MPG w/3.8L

2. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
Hey Chrysler: Why is your mileage so lousy on the Town & Country and Caravan. Those 6 cycliners should be getting about 35 mpg in the city. You need to improve the gearing ratios. You've had over 20 years to get this done! WHAT'S THE HOLD UP?

1. RE: Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan: Automotive Excellence Awards 2008 (Versatility)
Beautiful seats!

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