Auto Fans Club

The 2011 chrysler town and country minivan is offered in three trim levels: Touring, Touring-L and Limited.

Inside you'll find air-conditioning, cloth upholstery, a power driver seat, power-adjustable pedals, Stow 'n Go second-row seats, cruise control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, full power accessories (including second-row power windows and third-row power vents), a conversation mirror, a back-up camera, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 115-volt AC power outlet, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and a six-speaker CD sound system with a 6.5-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, an auxiliary audio jack and digital music storage.

Moving up to the Touring-L model gets you 17-inch alloy wheels, auto-dimming side mirrors, remote ignition, leather upholstery, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, heated front seats and second- and third-row window shades. Other major options include dual sunroofs, a power-folding third-row seat, second- and third-row window shades, Bluetooth, Sirius Travel Link satellite data service, a rear-seat DVD entertainment center with dual video screens and Sirius Backseat TV.

The 2011 Chrysler Town & Country is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine that puts out 283 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque. The 2011 Chrysler Town & Country comes with antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, active front head restraints, full-length side curtain airbags, front seat side-impact airbags and a driver knee airbag. For 2011, the Chrysler Town & Country's interior gets a major makeover. With all three rows of seats in use, the Town & Country offers a healthy 33 cubic feet of cargo room. The multiple mechanical changes make the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country a contender.

The previous Town & Country's ride quality brought to mind a big American car from the '70s; it rode softly, with a bit of wallowing thrown in. The previous Town & Country was a creaky beast — you could hear the body flexing when traveling on uneven pavement. Both of those problems have been remedied in the 2011 Town & Country's substantially updated cabin.

Chrysler has updated one of its signature minivan features for 2011: Stow 'n Go second-row seats. Traditional second-row bucket seats are optional.

Nearly all the 2011 Town & Country's safety features are standard. That includes antilock brakes, side-impact airbags for the front seats, side curtain airbags for all three rows, an electronic stability system, active head restraints for the front seats and power-adjustable pedals.

In addition, the Town & Country comes standard with "SafetyTec," which encompasses a number of driver aids. As of publication, the 2011 Town & Country hadn't been crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Grand Caravan is to be the automaker's minivan value leader, and wears price tags of less than $30,000. Chrysler is betting that a more refined look inside and out will help the T&C's luxury message reverberate with minivan shoppers faced with new vans from Honda, Toyota and Nissan. The Grand Caravan remains a more upright, square-jawed vehicle, while the Town & Country comes up with a softer approach. There's a broad chrome band gussied up with the latest Chrysler logo, and a smaller grille than last year. The styling tweaks are the most noticeable change from the Dodge minivan. The new "Pentastar" powertrain feels fine for tugging a full crew around from shopping spot to shopping spot.