2001 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan Reviews & Ratings

Our LX came with bucket seats in the front and middle rows, and a bench seat for the third row. All positions were roomy and comfortable; and it seats seven. Cupholders are available at each seat and the rearmost passengers each get their own storage console, though the plastic lid is flimsy. Seat belt anchors are height-adjustable in the front and middle rows.

A low floor makes getting in and out through the side doors easy. Our English mastiff, which requires a ramp to get into an SUV, can easily step through the side door to get into the Town & Country.

Access through the rear hatch is a bit higher, however, and he'd need a ramp there. Loading groceries through here is no problem, though. Plastic grocery bags can be looped onto special hooks on the backs of the rear seats. There's a fair amount of space behind the third row. An optional cargo organizer on the floor behind the rear seat opens to provide a bin for six grocery bags; and it is adjustable.

We found the second-row bucket seats and third-row split bench easy to remove. All or any one of the four seats can be popped out and rolled away in three quick steps, providing a wide variety of seating and cargo configurations. Reinstalling them takes a little more practice, as you need to learn how to line them up before snapping them into place. Each seat is heavy enough that care should be exercised when lifting it off the garage floor. The seats can also be folded down to form a continuous load floor for 4x8-foot sheets of plywood and other large items.

There are many features available, in addition to the power doors, designed for those of us who always seem to be dealing with armloads of stuff: A headlamp-off time delay lights the way when coming home in the dark with a load of groceries. Auxiliary outlets, two up front and one amidships, provide convenient power. Four serious coathooks make picking up the dry cleaning a more elegant chore. Three dome lights illuminate the cabin well. An available overhead console houses power switches for the rear hatch and sliding doors along with compass and outside temperature readouts. Power window switches include the rear quarter windows. Dark tinting on the side windows provides privacy.

A center console houses a cellular phone holder, power outlet, storage tray, light, tissue holder and a map holder. The console is removable and can be placed between either the front or middle seats.

Small buttons make the audio system a challenge to learn and use while driving and the column shifter blocks the driver's view of the volume knob and seek button; optional steering wheel audio controls might prove beneficial. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls were functional, but rudimentary, in our LX, with his and hers sliders for temperature control. A separate knob controls the rear fan. Cruise controls were conveniently located on the steering wheel of our LX. Handsome and straightforward analog instruments use black on white graphics that reverse at night. A digital odometer doubles as the trip odometer when a button is pressed. Turn signal indicators and warning lights are in a thin hooded panel above the instruments.

Chrysler has done a great job with this new Town & Country. It rides smooth and feels very stable at highway speeds. It handles competently and seems surprisingly nimble for its size. Power-assisted steering is light, making it easy to maneuver and park in crowded lots, and the front air dam isn't so low to the ground that it scrapes on curbs. Careful suspension tuning, a new steering system and its rigid new structure have raised the Town & Country's handling prowess to that of the leading minivans.

Our LX came with the base 3.3-liter V6. It delivered lively acceleration; we felt like we had plenty of motor to jackrabbit away from standstills or pull off that big pass. The engine is smooth and quiet when cruising and makes itself be known under full throttle.

Wind noise is minimal. Chrysler engineers worked hard to ensure carrying on a conversation inside the Town & Country is easy and pleasant. And they were successful. Special gaskets, re-engineered suspension attachments and other measures have resulted in a quiet cabin when cruising along at 70 mph.

Town & Country comes standard with four-wheel antilock disc brakes and it stops quickly and without drama. Heavier duty brake rotors and new brake calipers improve braking performance, durability, and enhance pedal feel. Having ABS as standard equipment is good as it helps the driver maintain steering control in an emergency or panic stop. An available traction control system reduces front wheelspin on slippery surfaces. Better is the all-wheel-drive system, which redirects power to the tires with the best grip; all-wheel drive is a smart option for drivers who live in the Snowbelt.

Lots of glass makes for good visibility all around, though the thick A-pillars hamper front three-quarter vision. Rearward visibility is greatly enhanced with big side mirrors, though third-row headrests block the rear-view mirror somewhat.

An automatic load-leveling system is available that automatically trims the Town & Country to a level ride height.

Town & Country is available in three trim levels: LX, LXi and Limited. Front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions are available for each trim level. All are built on a long wheelbase, making these among the biggest minivans on the market.

LX and LXi models come with a 3.3-liter overhead-valve V6 that produces 180 horsepower. The Limited gets a more powerful 3.8-liter overhead-valve V6 that generates 215 horsepower. Mid-year models will offer a brand-new 3.5-liter single overhead-cam engine that delivers 230 horsepower, all the makings for one mighty minivan.

Prices range from $24,430 for the LX FWD to $37,175 for the loaded leather Limited AWD. Chrysler's Town & Country Limited is a luxury vehicle that happens to be a minivan.

In between these two levels are LXi and well-optioned LX models to fill varying needs and price ranges. The $29,175 LXi comes with popular and useful convenience features: front and rear air conditioning with three-zone automatic temperature control, an air filtration system, dual power sliding doors, garage door opener, electroluminescent instrument panel, map and courtesy lights, AM/FM/CD/cassette stereo with Infinity speakers, eight-way power driver's seat, split fold-down rear bench, and 16-inch tires.

Side-impact airbags are standard on the Limited, optional on LX and LXi.

In addition to the Town & Country line, Chrysler also markets the Voyager; Voyager is a standard-wheelbase minivan that starts at $19,160 (see NewCarTestDrive.com's review of the Voyager).