2008 Chrysler Minivans: Interiors

Minivans may offer up a staid and boring style, but substance lasts longer – and ultimately is more appreciated. Consider: Five years from now when you walk out your front door, that minivan in the driveway will get the job done no matter how bad it looks. To that end, the Chrysler Group is also betting that the innovation inside its new minivans will keep a nice percentage of buyers from jumping over to Honda, Toyota or Hyundai.  From the looks of it, Chrysler will be selling ‘em strong for a good while.  

By Brian Chee

Photo credit: Chrysler

Page 2

Up to now, Chrysler minivans mattered mostly to vacationers, out of town business folk and other purveyors of the rental car lots. Even with Stow ‘n Go, the innovative seat storage solution that debuted in the Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country a few years ago, retail sales declined and fleet sales went up. Chrysler has plans to change that with its latest spate of minivan interior innovations. As with the Town & Country, the Grand Caravan offers swiveling mid-row chairs, a table, a five-way configurable center console and a power, one-touch third row seat. The only thing left to do is take the seats out and put in a dance floor.

Page 3

Nothing sets the mood in a minivan like greenish-blue ambient lighting, and the Chrysler minivans have got it oozing out of its new minivans. It’s soft, it’s romantic, it’s…wait a minute…romantic? In a minivan? It will also help kids get sleepy, too, and when that happens you can use the pinpoint and movable LED reading lamps.

Page 4

Included in the 2008 minivans are nine dishwasher-safe cupholders, four of which are located in the center. This console will slide rearward in two different sections far enough back to be useful to mid-row passengers. Cupholders in the top of the console can be loaded and then slid back to the second-row passengers. DVDs, headphones or other items can be stored in the lower section of the console, which also can slide rearward for the second-row passengers to access. The upper and lower sections of the console also can slide rearward independently or together. The console is also removable.

Page 5

The 2008 Chrysler minivans are the first to offer an entertainment system that can show two different movies at the same time – a major benefit for those who have watched “The Little Mermaid” enough to sprout fins. Music from MP3 players, games and other forms of entertainment are included in the dual mid- and back-row entertainment flexibility. Best of all, Chrysler offers satellite television in the Limited and the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. Three channels are available: Disney, Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network.

Page 6

When equipped with the Swivel n’ Go mid-row seat feature, occupants can turn around – up to 180 degrees – and, with the easy installation of an included lightweight table, play a game, eat lunch or have an actual face-to-face conversation. Ewwww. The table fits easily between the second and third rows, and is, according to Chrysler, fully crash tested and approved.

Page 7

The Swivel ’n Go system rotates mid-row seats 180 degrees independently of each other. The swivel feature also allows easy ingress and egress for children who need to be buckled into child seats. A removable table fits between the second and third rows. Second-row covered storage bins are included, and the third-row 60/40 bench seat folds into the floor. An integrated child booster seat is also available in the second-row quad seats.

Page 8

Both the Swivel ’n Go and Stow ’n Go seating and storage systems are available with a one-touch power-folding third-row seat that can be folded into four different positions. A third seating option on the new minivans offers second-row covered storage bins with a removable bench seat and a fold-in-the-floor third-row 60/40 bench seat. Integrated child safety seats are available with the second-row bench seats.

Page 9

The 2008 Chrysler minivans offer top and bottom glove boxes, relatively trendy on new vehicles today. Car shoppers will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to open the top compartment, and how many goodies can be stowed; it’s a strong convenience feature. Some sort of liner inside the compartment would be nice, though not needed. Other interior cargo features include a driver-side umbrella holder, mesh pockets on mid row seats and an updated overhead console.