Read More Customer Reviews

2011 Chrysler Town and Country Palm Beach

See Our New 2011 Chrysler Town and Country Palm Beach, FL

2011 Chrysler Town and Country Design

The 2011 styling revisions make it look a little better. Up front, the hood is new, as is the grille and front fascia, which adds a chrome strip above the lower air intakes. The grille is more attractive, taking on a new corporate look that also appears on the Chrysler 300 sedan. Along the sides, the Town & Country gets new chrome moldings and available bright polished 17-inch wheels with a different design and painted pockets. At the rear, the glass has more curvature, and there is a standard roof spoiler that aids aerodynamics. The rear also adds LED taillights, a new shape for the fascia, a bright metal step pad, and a chrome trim to strip echo the front end.

The Town & Country's styling is somewhat boxy, with a pronounced front end that offers a hint of an SUV-like appearance. The roof is wide at the top, also contributing to the boxy look.

The Chrysler Town & Country is offered in one long-wheelbase body style, and its size is comparable to several competitors. Cargo room is comparable as well. It comes with two power sliding side doors and a power rear liftgate, all of which are easier to open for moms with armfuls of kids and groceries

Handling of the 2011 Chrysler Town and Country

The new 3.6-liter V6 is now class competitive, while only the 4.0-liter V6 on the 2010 model was close. Chrysler has come up with a fine new engine. It's smooth and quiet, offering decent punch from a stop and enough in reserve for passing. However, it doesn't feel as powerful as the 283-horsepower figure would suggest. That's odd because this same engine feels stronger in the rear- and four-wheel-drive Jeep Grand Cherokee. Perhaps the 6-speed automatic transmission is the culprit. The transmission doesn't seem to communicate well with the engine or react very well to the driver's right foot.

The Rear Cross Path system is activated when the van is in reverse. It uses radar sensors to detect vehicles crossing behind the Town & Country and warns the driver with lights in the side mirrors and that same chime. The system won't detect small objects, like pedestrians, so it's still important to proceed slowly. It does, however, detect vehicles up to 20 meters away, and is programmed to recognize the speed of oncoming vehicles and alert the driver only if they are traveling at a speed that could lead to an accident (in other words, stationary and very slow moving vehicles probably won't register). We like this system. It works well and we found it especially useful in parking lots.

The ride height has been dropped one inch and the suspension has been retuned. The spring rates are firmer front and rear, new low-rolling resistance tires have been chosen, the bushings and shocks are firmer, and the steering is quicker. If you drove the last one, you won't recognize this one, and that's a good thing.

2011 Chrysler Town and Country Lineup

Town & Country Limited is loaded with Nappa leather upholstery with suede inserts, Garman navigation system, 506-watt, 9-speaker audio system, USB port, keyless access and starting, HID headlights, UConnect hands-free phone, Bluetooth telephony, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel, auto-dimming mirror with in-glass turn signals.

Town & Country Touring L adds leather upholstery, 8-way power front passenger seat, heated front seats, remote starting, second- and third-row manual sunshades, power folding exterior mirrors, auto-dimming driver's side mirror, security alarm, and P225/65R17 tires.

Town & Country Touring  is well equipped with cloth upholstery, air conditioning with three-zone automatic climate control, interior air filter, cruise control, tilt/telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, 8-way power driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, Stow 'n Go second-row bucket seats with underfloor storage, split-folding third-row seat, power-sliding side doors, power locks, power windows, power heated mirrors, remote keyless entry, power adjustable pedals, auto-dimming rearview mirror, conversation mirror, trip computer, six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo, Sirius satellite radio with 12-month subscription, auxiliary audio input jack, 6.5-inch touchscreen, 30-gigabyte hard drive with music storage, power rear quarter windows, universal garage door opener, 115-volt power outlet, roof rack with stow-in-place crossbars, power rear liftgate, removable/rechargeable flashlight, rain-sensing wipers, fog lights, automatic SmartBeam headlights, and P235/60R16 tires on alloy wheels.

Interior of the 2011 Chrysler Town and Country

All radios in the Town and Country come with a 30-gigabyte hard drive to hold music files plus GraceNotes music identification. The base radio can hold about 6700 songs, and the two higher-end radios can hold about 4250 songs because some of the space is devoted to navigation map information. The first step-up navigation system is an integrated Garmin unit, and the high-end nav system has voice recognition, Sirius Travel Link and Sirius Traffic. Songs can be ripped from CDs, and music and pictures can also be downloaded from thumb drives via a standard USB port.

the Town & Country has a number of entertainment features in addition to the radios. It offers single and dual rear DVD entertainment options. The single screen is located in the second row. The dual-screen version adds a screen for the third row. Both are available with Sirius Backseat TV with three kids' channels, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon. Four sets of headphones are provided, and with the dual-screen system, one screen can be tuned to TV while the other can play a DVD or video game. Front passengers can listen to the radio while rear occupants watch a DVD or TV, and with the van in Park, front passengers can watch TV or a DVD on the dashboard screen. (FloTV, which was offered last year, is no longer available as the company that provided it has gone out of business.) For additional connectivity, Chrysler offers Uconnect Web, a mobile wi-fi router, as a Mopar accessory.

New for 2011 is the steering wheel. It has controls for the trip computer, phone, audio system, cruise control, and, when ordered, navigation system. The trip computer controls are especially welcome because the last model had them inaccessibly placed behind the steering wheel on the left. The wheel now telescopes as well, making it easier to find an ideal seating position. You can even order a heated wheel, which is welcome on cold winter mornings.

Conclusion

The 2011 changes make the Chrysler Town & Country much better. It's quieter, more powerful, more controlled, nicer inside and likely more fuel efficient. Yet the Town & Country is still one of the most family friendly minivans on the market. Other plusses are the many unique and handy seating and storage features, and an impressive array of entertainment options. Pricing is high on the Town and Country, so buyers looking for a more affordable alternative should consider the Dodge Grand Caravan. The Town and Country is the nicest and most luxurious, however.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com