CHRYSLER Town & Country Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Chrysler introduced the fifth generation of its Town and Country minivan at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, and the most significant change in the vehicle's lineup was the deletion of the short-wheelbase version.

While the world started to feel the effects of the financial crisis, Chrysler launched its new minivan range. Yet, the American carmaker made a smart move by offering the vehicle with only one wheelbase option, thus reducing the production costs.

Chrysler offered the Town and County in three different trim levels: LX, Touring, and Limited. Certainly, the minivan didn't look like a mundane vehicle anymore, especially on the higher trim levels. At the front, it featured a wide grille with horizontal slats. In the apron, on the lower side of the bumper, Chrysler designers placed a second grille flanked by two air intakes that hosted the foglamps as well. On its sides, the MPV featured two sliding doors for the rear passengers and regular, front-hinged ones for the front occupants. At the back, the vertical drop of the tailgate was business as usual in the minivan segment.

The interior was also garnished with upscale materials and a state-of-the-art sound system, fit to entertain the children in the back. Depending on the options, the Town and Country was available with up to eight seats. The second and third rows could completely fold into the floor, leaving an impressive, flat loading area. At the front, the carmaker installed an SUV-inspired dashboard that featured an infotainment unit with a color display atop the center stack, while the driver was spoiled with white dials in the instrument cluster.

Under the hood, Chrysler installed a range of V6 engines ranging between 176 hp (178 PS) and 253 hp (257 PS) paired to an automatic transmission.

Chrysler introduced a facelift for its Town&Country MPV in 2004 for the 2005 model year, and apart from a slightly restyled exterior, it came with intelligent interior solutions.

Back in the mid-2000s, many carmakers in the North American market highly contested the large minivan segment. Since the leading Premium brands ignored that, apart from the R-Class from Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler decided to give it a go and produced an up-market version of the Dodge Grand Caravan. And it was pretty successful.

The main difference was noticed on the outside in the headlights, which featured a larger area in front of the high-low beam lamp and narrowed on the sides. Also, the bumper had to be reshaped and received round foglights. Other than that, there were no significant exterior differences.

Inside, on the other hand, the carmaker's design team burned the midnight oil and came up with a smart solution, such as the Stow'n Go system for the seats. That allowed the user to fold the second and third rows of seats and hide them inside the minivan's floor. Thus, the car was quickly transformed from a people carrier into a utility vehicle in a matter of seconds. Moreover, the rear bench could serve as a tailgate bench for three. From a safety point of view, Chrysler added a knee airbag for the driver and, most importantly, Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, the carmaker offered a navigation system.

Under the hood, the car used some of the previously V6 engines, paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. However, it lost the more powerful 215 hp version due to the E85 fuel compatibility. It also lost the AWD option for the long-wheelbase version, which remained available only on the shorter model.

Chrysler introduced the fourth generation of the Town&Country minivan in January 2000 as a 2001 model and tried to give its Dodge Caravan an edge on the market to help it survive.

The MPV was also sold in Europe under the Chrysler Voyager nameplate, and it wasn't too well received due to its high appetite for fuel (either gasoline or diesel). In the U.S., on the other hand, the Grand Voyager was one of the best options for a seven-seater family vehicle.

With its raked front end with the hood almost continued by the windshield and the long, curved roofline, the Town&Country featured a dynamic design even though it wasn't built for speed. Its sliding rear doors allowed passengers to easily get in or out of the vehicle. Last but not least, aerodynamics played a crucial role in fuel efficiency, which was good for the American standards, but awful for the Europeans.

Chrysler built the Town&Country in three trim levels, starting with the LX, continuing with the LXi, and the range-topper Limited. For those who asked for more comfort and didn't need seven seats, the automaker offered a version with captain chairs in the middle row. Nevertheless, removing all the seats behind the first row transformed the MPV into an excellent hauler to move kids to college. On the options list, Chrysler added ceiling-mounted screens and a DVD player to entertain the kids in the back on long trips.

Under the hood, the Town&Country featured a 2.4-liter four-banger as a starting point, while the other option was a 3.3-liter V6. The former was available on selected markets with a five-speed manual. Chrysler offered a four-speed automatic as an option for the inline-four but fitted it as standard on the V6. Later on, the automaker replaced the 3.3-liter unit with a 3.8-liter powerplant.