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Chrysler Town & Country
The Chrysler Town and Country is a minivan marketed by DaimlerChrysler. The Town and Country was introduced in 1990, while its sister vehicles, the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, had already been in production since the 1984 model year. Chrysler's success of the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager pursued the company to produce one of the first-ever luxury minivans, and General Motors was in hot pursuit by releasing the Oldsmobile Silhouette. But they arrived at dealerships the same time, which was in 1990.
Since their introduction, the Chrysler minivans have been the best-selling minivans in the United States.
Overview
The Town and Country was introduced in 1990. Before the introduction of the 1990 Chrysler Town & Country, the name had been used on several Chrysler vehicles from 1941 to 1988.
Since the beginning of production in the fall of 1983, more than 11 million Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth minivans have been sold as of mid-2005.
Special anniversary editions of the Chrysler minivans have been issued to mark significant milestones; the first, in 1994, is notable for the "10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION". The twentieth anniversary was marked in 2004 with the Platinum Series Town & Country.
1990
The Town and Country was introduced in 1990 as a companion to the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan; it was essentially a more luxurious version of the Plymouth Grand Voyager. The first Town and Country minivan used the Chrysler S platform, which was closely related to the K-cars (Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries). An electronically-controlled four-speed automatic transmission was standard.
Engines
1991-1995
The 1991 through 1995 Town and Country used the Chrysler AS platform. This was the last Town and Country that was derived from the Chrysler K platform.
Innovations
- "Quad Command" bucket seating (1991), made standard on the Town and Country (1992)
- Integrated child safety seats (1992), improved design with recliners (1994)
- Available anti-lock brakes (1991)
- First driver's side airbag in a minivan (1991), made standard (1992), and first dual front airbags (1994)
- First minivan to meet 1998 U.S. federal safety standards (1994)
Engines
Year-to-year changes
- 1992: All-wheel drive and integrated child safety seats were both options and a driver's side airbag was standard on 1992 Town & Countries. On the exterior, the vinyl woodgrain sides could be deleted and replaced by a gold pinstripe along the beltline. Also gold lacy-spoke alloy wheels were available.
- 1993: Several interior revisions, a stainless steel exhaust system, and new wheels were a few of the changes on 1993 Town & Countries.
- 1994: All 1994 Town & Countries were given a passenger's side airbag and knee bolsters. Side door guard beams were installed this year, so that they met 1998 federal side impact standards. Also made standard was a 3.8 L V6 engine.
- 1995: The fob for the standard remote keyless entry had to be pressed twice within five seconds to prevent accidental opening of the liftgate.
1996-2000
The 1996 redesign used the Chrysler NS platform and included a driver's-side sliding door, a first. The Town & Country was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1996 and 1997.
Base models of both the Town and Country were offered in most states with the 3.0 L Mitsubishi V6 engine, except in California and several northeastern states, where the Mitsubishi V6 didn't meet emissions standards. In those locales, the 3.3 L engine was offered instead from 1997 through 2000.
Engines
- 1996–2000 3.3 L EGA V6, 158 hp (118 kW) and 203 ft·lbf (275 N·m)
- 1996–1998 3.8 L EGH V6, 166 hp (124 kW)
- 1999–2000 3.8 L EGH V6, 180 hp (134 kW)
Year-to-year changes
- 1997: Permanent all-wheel drive arrived as an option for 1997 on long-wheelbase minivans, and all-wheel drive models got 4-wheel disc brakes. Front wheel drive minivans gained a new traction control system, which worked at low speeds to prevent wheel slippage. The rear driver's side sliding door was standard on all 1997 Town & Countries. The lineup now included a short-wheelbase SX model and two long wheelbase models: the LX and LXi. The 3.8 L engine was standard on the LXi and optional on the SX and LX.
- 1998: The front fascia was freshened. There was now an open grille and winged emblem. The new front fascia also featured new headlights that offered better illumination. Also, the 3.8 L V6 gained 14 hp for a total of 180 hp. Another model, the top-of-the-line Limited, was also available for 1998.
- 1999: The middle bench seat was dropped for 1999, and a child seat was now available in one of the two reclining middle-row buckets. Other additions included a small cargo net between the front seats and 16 in chrome alloy wheels on the Limited.
- 2000: The short wheelbase minivans were dropped for 2000, leaving only extended wheelbase models, along with new interior and exterior colors. All models seated seven and had sliding doors on both sides. A new Rear Seat Video entertainment system, with a VCR and 6.4 in display screen, was available as a dealer-installed option.
2001-present
The 2001 minivans used the Chrysler RS platform. The Plymouth Voyager and Grand Voyager had been transferred to the Chrysler lineup in mid-2000, and for 2001, the Chrysler Voyager was available as a short-wheelbase model only. Since 2004, a short-wheelbase version of the Town & Country has been offered as compensation for the Voyager. Foldable Stow 'n Go second- and third-row seats, available only on long-wheelbase Town & Country models, were a first for 2005 along with a host of other updates such as new larger headlights.
A 3.5 L V6 was also planned for a mid-year introduction for 2001, but this never came to fruition.
Engines
- 2001-present 3.3 L EGA V6, 180 hp (134 kW) at 5000 rpm and 210 ft·lbf (285 N·m) at 4000 rpm
- 2001-present 3.8 L EGH V6, 215 hp (160 kW) at 5000 rpm and 245 ft·lbf (332 N·m) at 4000 rpm
Town and Country models from 1998 to 2003 can use E85 fuel.
2008
The minivans are expected to be redesigned in 2007 as 2008 models by Ralph Gilles, who also worked on the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum. A six-speed automatic and a new 4.0 L V6 engine are all but certain to appear, while a diaper changing station is rumored. Chrysler has finalized a deal through which Volkswagen will receive a variant of the Chrysler RT platform van with its own styling and features. It is planned for production at Windsor Assembly alongside the Town and Country vans.
Minivan production
Chrysler Town & Country minivans with Stow 'n Go seats are built in Windsor, Ontario and Saint Louis Assembly.
Two plants have had the task of building the Town & Country, with Saint Louis Assembly building it from 1990 to 2001, and Windsor from 2001 to the present. As of May 2006, Windsor Assembly will be the lead producer of the RT, but will not fully take over until 2009 when they phase out current production of the Pacifica (CS). Saint Louis Assembly will fall in as the secondary minivan plant, and in 2009 will begin exclusive production of the new Pacifica platform (CT49).
Taiwanese-market Town & Country minivans are assembled in Yangmei, Taiwan under license by the China Motor Corporation, starting with the 2006 model year. They are similar to the North American model, with minor variations for the local market. Many other global markets receive the Chrysler Voyager/Grand Voyager assembled in Austria.
The Town & Country is also marketed in Mexico and Venezuela. Chrysler markets the Chrysler Caravan in Argentina.
External links
- Chrysler Minivan Club website
- Allpar minivan section: creation, each generation, tech, rumors
- Chrysler Town and Country
References
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- http://www.auto.consumerguide.com :Chrysler Town and Country
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