2011 Town and Country....not bad at all.

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Got this due to a screw up at the rental place, i was not at all happy with having to drive a minivan 400 miles back home while the radio shop worked on the plane. However, I have found the van to be surprising, both in drivability and in easy of reconfiguration. My late, unlamented lemon flavored CayenneS took 26 steps to put the rear seats down, an operation so complex as to require reference to the manual every time it was done. The T&C is a 4 step operation, and they have the four pulls numbered in the order you use them.

While I am not 100% convinced on Chrysler reliability, the car is rattle free, easy to drive and probably has the most utility of anything I have driven lately. Gas mileage was 19, but some of that is me.

Worth considering if a MV is in your future...
 
Glad you got to enjoy one.

A good friend of mine bought one as a company car for the airport runs and such, and now he drives it all the time. He loves it.
 
There have been some great reports on this new van lately. Mini vans must be expected to make a comeback soon. We used to love driving them before we switched to SUV's.

I believe this mini van has as much intereior room as a Tahoe and quite a bit better MPG.
 
I had three rental 2010 Caravoyagers in a row last year and was very VERY impressed. Right down to the multiple 110VAC outlets for laptops and other gizomology for rear-seat passengers. The 2011s get the new Phoenix v6 instead of the 3.8, and contrary to most I'm not sure that's all good- the 3.8 is just a superb powerplant and is still being used in Jeep Wranglers because it is the only thing still in production with low-end grunt comparable to the old 4.0 inline. Great for a bulky vehicle, but the Phoenix has gotten nothing but good review. And yes, I think this is another sign Chrysler is very much on the mend.
 
Originally Posted By: callbay
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I believe this mini van has as much intereior room as a Tahoe and quite a bit better MPG.


My wife and I put 450 bucks worth of groceries in it Saturday (not as much as you would think..) and I have put multiple 8-10 box shipping loads in it. I think it has more room than the bed of my truck, and it's flat AND low...
 
Go drive a minivan made by Toyota or Honda and you'd be saying "2011 Town and County....passable, perhaps."

I'm sorry, but I have yet to see proof that my tax money was well spent on Chrysler. It's the same sack of [censored] with a few facelifts.
 
Originally Posted By: JRed
Go drive a minivan made by Toyota or Honda and you'd be saying "2011 Town and County....passable, perhaps."

I'm sorry, but I have yet to see proof that my tax money was well spent on Chrysler. It's the same sack of [censored] with a few facelifts.


Really? I have driven both the Odyssey and the Sienna, although not the current versions, and a couple of previous Chrysler minivans. This one was certainly the match of the Sienna (even if I would buy one at the moment, Toyota has a LONG way to crawl through broken glass to get me back as a customer) and close to the Odyssey.

As far as it being similar to previous versions, it is nothing like the previous ones I have driven. As a past owner of Porsches and Pontiacs and a current owner of Infiniti, Mazda and Toyota products, I would call myself qualified to put forward an opinion on the fit and finish. As an engineer I would call myself qualified to put forward an opinion on the rest.

As far as the goverment aid issues, I don't believe I touched on my beliefs there, and I fail to see what a review of the car has to do with that.
 
Originally Posted By: JRed
Go drive a minivan made by Toyota or Honda and you'd be saying "2011 Town and County....passable, perhaps."

I'm sorry, but I have yet to see proof that my tax money was well spent on Chrysler. It's the same sack of [censored] with a few facelifts.


I have, side-by-side-by-side.

The T&C has the best steering of the three, excellent on road feel, and the most grunt. It is definitely the driver's van of the bunch. The 2nd row Stow N Go is still an industry exclusive. Standard blind spot monitoring and rear crosspath detection in addition to other safety technology. The only disappointment is 2nd row seat comfort; better for 2011 but not great.

The Toyota drivetrain feels comparable to the T&C but the steering and handling do not. The dash is wide and sweeping with buttons a long reach from the driver. It's plasticky and looks cheap. The Sienna's saving grace is a terrificly roomy 2nd row with sliding seat. Great for us XL types.

The Honda is nice all around on the inside, especially the super large info display. Lots of buttons give it a Acuraish/tech geek feel that some may like and some will not. The big let down to me was the wimpy motor. Honda went all eco and the V6 suffers at 248hp. Not bad on its own but pales against the more lively feeling T&C.

Each van has its strengths and weaknesses. To dismiss one offhandedly is not smart. The 2011 T&C is much improved over the 2010, and the 2010 was the #1 selling minivan on the market. With its lower price point, I do not see Chrysler giving up their dominant market position.
 
Originally Posted By: bretfraz
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The Toyota drivetrain feels comparable to the T&C but the steering and handling do not. The dash is wide and sweeping with buttons a long reach from the driver.


I will also say that the controls on the T&C steering wheel are the best setup I have ever seen, bar none. You have complete control of the radio, a full suite of information displays and odometers, and cruise control, all without ever taking your hands off the wheel. The setup beats Porsche hands down, with more control available and smarter placement as well.

Someone put some serious thought into that. I hope that wheel is going across all their product line...
 
We loved our '07 T&C, at least the vehicle itself. Reliability was poor and support from ChryCo was poor, but we loved the vehicle. Wish we could've kept it longer.

Many die-hard ChryCo fans on the minivan board dislike the controls on the new vans. They're too "Japanese-ish", with the "Toyota" cruise control stalk being the biggest complaint that I've read. I disagree with them, and agree with you, that as far as ergonomics goes, the new vans are good. And the 2011 interior is, by the longest shot imagineable, the best interior of any ChryCo minivan.

If I could be assured of long-term durability and support from the Corporation, I'd own one again.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
We loved our '07 T&C, at least the vehicle itself. Reliability was poor and support from ChryCo was poor, but we loved the vehicle. Wish we could've kept it longer.

Many die-hard ChryCo fans on the minivan board dislike the controls on the new vans. They're too "Japanese-ish", with the "Toyota" cruise control stalk being the biggest complaint that I've read. I disagree with them, and agree with you, that as far as ergonomics goes, the new vans are good. And the 2011 interior is, by the longest shot imagineable, the best interior of any ChryCo minivan.

If I could be assured of long-term durability and support from the Corporation, I'd own one again.


My only complaint was the "Turn Signal, Wiper Speed Control, Washer Control, Rear Wiper Control, Rear Washer Control" stalk. It was NOT intuitive....

The Cruise Control has been added to the steering wheel itself now, very much like the Porsche and Infiniti. Product reliability and support was Chrysler's major problem in the past. It's a different company now, but they are going to have to prove themselves....
 
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