2008 Chrysler Town & Country First Drive

Minivans are the broccoli of the automotive world. They’re necessary, sure, but not really very loved, and, in some cases flat-out held in distain. That’s not a surprise: they’re big, clumsy, oafish vehicles that serve one extremely vital purpose: transport the family. And like broccoli is to good and healthy food, minivans are to families. Better, in fact, than any car, truck, SUV or crossover ever built.

Disagree? Deal with it. While you sip your latte and think that there is no way I would ever drive a minivan, consider that you may one day change your mind after banging your head on the door of your SUV one too many times or wrenching your back while stuffing a car seat in the third row. None of that happens in a minivan, thank you very much, because minivans have step-in power sliding doors, room to move and enough interior features to build an apartment around.

Seriously. There’s even a minivan with a table now, thanks to the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and its pal, the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. Virtually all new, the Chrysler people haulers offer up a long list of interior features like Swivel ‘N Go, a seating system in which the mid-row chairs move around 180 degrees to face a table and the third row. The minivans also have a spate of other cool innovative things, like LED lighting, satellite television (three channels) and a one-touch power third-row and a multi-configurable, slideable and removable center console. The only thing left to do is take the seats out and put in a dance floor. They could call it Salsa ‘n Go. Or maybe Go Go ‘n Go.  Chrysler is also sticking a new 4.0-liter V-6 engine and six-speed automatic under the hood, which all sounds yummy until you read the catch: most of the good stuff is either an expensive option or comes only on the top models. So, if you want that power third row, the Swivel, the Stow or the real Go…save up your pennies and be prepared to plunk down $36,000 and change. The best is only available with the most expensive models, which makes sense when it’s a table inside a car, or television – but not a decent powertrain. As sold, lower-priced Chryslers will battle the excellent engines powering the likes of Honda, Hyundai and Toyota with a slow, noisy and cranky old 3.8-liter V-6 that doesn’t quite get 200 horsepower. Sadly for Chrysler, that new lifetime powertrain warranty doesn't cover frayed nerves or impatient, fuming owners -- and maybe it should.

Somewhere, Lee Iacocca is smiling at the thought of a table in a minivan. It’s brilliant, innovative and just what you’d expect from the company that has made minivans its bread and butter since the early eighties. What started with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager has blossomed, and is now fading, to be sure, with sales dipping down below a million. But Chrysler’s still the king, according to them, and with the departure of Ford and GM from the minivan game there are enough sales for everyone. Ultimately, Chrysler is continuing to do what it’s done since 1983 or so: build a vehicle designed to make family travel easy and convenient. The competition has caught up to them, and in some cases, passed them by. But with this new minivan, Chrysler’s back and better than ever. All they need now is a long line of well-heeled customers, or, better yet, the wisdom to put the 4.0-liter in all its cars and really compete with the imports.