Used 2015 Chrysler Town & Country

A minivan’s mission is to shuttle families and their stuff, and if it can accomplish that while providing reasonable comfort and amenities for their precious passengers, all the better. Just as it has for decades, the 2015 Chrysler Town & Country fulfills that main objective while going one better with its emphasis on sophistication. With standard features like leather seating, power-operated doors and available amenities that include Blu-ray video entertainment and a heated steering wheel, the Chrysler Town & Country remains the quintessential luxury minivan. Not surprisingly, the Town & Country’s extras come at a cost. At roughly $31,000, the Chrysler minivan’s starting price is slightly higher than that of the Honda Odyssey and far beyond that of its plainer cousin, the Dodge Grand Caravan.

It’s been a few years since the Town & Country was revamped, but this premium minivan’s road demeanor holds up well. The suspension is especially notable and combined with the 7-passenger minivan’s precise steering and minimal body roll, translates to a comfortable ride. The sole engine choice, Chrysler’s lauded 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, has power in reserve and can easily move a fully loaded model. The Town & Country’s engine and 6-speed automatic transmission work fairly seamlessly, never feeling overburdened or indecisive, and the dash-mounted gear selector is easy to master. Chrysler’s minivan is quiet enough to make conversation easy across all three rows. Among this 7-passenger minivan’s few faults are a touch-screen audio system that requires quite a reach and a somewhat-wide turning radius that makes the Town & Country feel less nimble in parking lots, especially when compared to the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.

The 2015 Chrysler Town & Country minivan has seating for seven across three rows. The second row consists of two captain’s chairs and the third row is a 3-passenger bench. Both rear rows feature Chrysler’s ingenious Stow ‘n Go system that enables the seats to fold into the floor to create a flat cargo area. The 3rd-row seats can be flipped outward when the car is parked for tailgating. Premium touches include soft-touch trim, chrome-trimmed instrumentation and standard leather on the first two rows. The top-line version includes power-adjustable pedals to enable drivers of various heights to find a better fit.

Believe it or not, minivans have taken on somewhat polarizing designs, but you won’t find much controversy in the Town & Country. So while the Honda Odyssey stands out with its "lightning-bolt" window treatment and the Nissan Quest reminds some of a rolling brick, Chrysler’s minivan is classically conservative. The Town & Country instead features rounded lines and wide panels of glass. Some flash is granted thanks to chrome bodyside molding on all but the base model, as well as brightwork on the grille (black chrome on S versions). Power-operated sliding side doors allow easy access, and a power liftgate is a real arm-saver.

REAR-SEAT ENTERTAINMENT
Every 2015 Chrysler Town & Country comes ready to keep kids entertained. Even lower trims include a 9-inch high-resolution video screen over the second row, a DVD console, USB charging ports and wireless headphones. Higher trims include an additional screen above the third row and a Blu-ray disc player.

SAFETY FEATURES
No cargo is more precious than people, a fact that makes safety features vital in a family vehicle such as the Town & Country. Among them are blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-path detection and rear park assist, all bundled into the SafetyTec group that’s standard on higher trims and available on lower ones.

The 2015 Town & Country family van spans six trim levels, including the new LX base model and top-line Platinum version. Even if you spend the least on an LX, you’ll get power-operated side and rear doors, leather-trimmed 1st- and 2nd-row seats, AM/FM/CD/hard-drive entertainment system with 6.5-inch touch screen, Bluetooth wireless communication, tri-zone air conditioning and rearview camera. In addition to an entertainment screen above the second row, all Town & Country minivans include an HDMI port that allows you to plug in devices like game systems and tablets. All models include a 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and roadside assistance of the same duration.

Options and extra features for the 2015 Town & Country vary by trim, with some, such as navigation, standard on the top model and optional in lower trims. Other upgrades include power sunroof, Wi-Fi hot-spot Internet access, upgraded rear-seat entertainment system with 3rd-row screen and Blu-ray player, heated 1st- and 2nd-row seats and high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights. Power-folding 3rd-row seats are also available in top-trim versions of Chrysler’s minivan, as is a heated steering wheel. Safety upgrades include blind-spot monitoring system and the ParkSense rear park-assist system.

All models of the 2015 Town & Country are front-wheel drive and use a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Pentastar is easily Chrysler’s most enjoyable V6 to date and with 283 horsepower it leads the class. When equipped with the Trailer-tow Prep Package, Chrysler’s minivan can pull up to 3,600 pounds. In addition to accepting regular unleaded gasoline, the Town & Country’s engine is Flex Fuel-compatible, meaning it can run on a combination of gasoline and E85 ethanol.

3.6-liter V6
283 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
260 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/25 mpg (gasoline), 12/18 mpg (E85)