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Friday, March 08, 2002

By Don Hammonds, Post-Gazette Auto Reviewer

When you've got it, you've got it. And the minivan standard-bearers for DaimlerChrysler have got it.

		2002 Chrysler Town & Country EL Price: $24,330 Gas mileage: 18 city, 24 highway

I've tested many minivans over the last two years, and the only thing I've driven that even comes close to the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country is -- surprisingly -- the Kia Sedona, with its compact size, beautiful appointments unbeatable warranty and perky handling. But when it comes to equipment, the Sedona lacks the same level of amenities, including the automatic sliding door.

Oh, there are other good minivans out there. Take the Ford Windstar. Terrific product with classy styling and an enviable safety record. General Motors? Much-improved minivans from both Chevy and Pontiac over the last generation with good looks, more durable materials and competitive equipment levels. The Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are tough to beat in quality, too.

	2002 Dodge Grand Caravan ES is still hard to beat.

Given all that, why do I place Dodge and Chrysler on top? Handling and performance. All of the other above-mentioned minivans feel heavy and ponderous in traffic.

The Dodge and Chrysler brands, in contrast, are carlike in their handling, feel eager to go and accelerate responsively, at least with the 3.3-liter, 6-cylinder version I tested. And, yes, you can actually drive "enthusiastically" if you wish around corners and on the open road. All this makes these two minivans the most "fun to drive" of all the models out there. One more thing -- both the Dodge and the Chrysler are church-mouse quiet in operation, so Junior can slumber away peacefully in his car seat as you play Mario Andretti behind the wheel. None of the competition comes close on this score.

Inside, Chrysler and Dodge have all these little thoughtful touches that you simply don't find on all minivans. There are hangers on the backs of the seats in the rear for grocery bags. If you've ever had a bag of kumquats or whatever fall over in the back of your minivan or had some loose item rolling underfoot as a result when you hit the brakes, you'll appreciate the importance of that little feature.

You also can get a console that is movable and can be relocated throughout the car as needed. The seats are a snap to get out of and back into the car.

You also get lockable underseat storage drawers, rear seat video if you want it, even a suede interior on some models, as well as map lamps, compass and innumerable seating combinations. There's even a pop-up rear cargo organizer.

What's more, there's a wide range of pricing on Dodge and Chrysler minivans, from $19,800 for the basic Voyager to $38,165 for the all-wheel drive Chrysler Town & Country Limited.

One of ours, for example, was a Town & Country EL with all the options, such as power everything and a customer preferred package, and the bottom line still was a reasonable $24,330.

No matter whether you order a Dodge or a Chrysler, all the controls in both cars, which have similar dashboards, are within easy reach -- no stretching or pulling.

The only demerit is the parking brake, which was awkwardly placed. I found myself groping for it too much.

The biggest decision you'll have to make is whether to get the Dodge or the Chrysler. Let's talk a bit about the marketing position of those two makes and that may help.

Dodge, over the years, has been a less expensive brand than Chrysler, and it has evolved into the sports make in the Chrysler camp. It's the brand most associated with racing and sporty driving, and the styling of the Grand Caravan -- with a Viper-like grill -- reflects that.

Chrysler has historically been the luxury brand -- or back in the old days, it was known as the upper medium-priced class with such brands as Buick and Oldsmobile. As a result, the Town & Country has a more stately, elegant look about itself, with a more dignified grille topped by the historical winged Chrysler seal emblem that has marked the brand since the beginning.

You can get a higher level of equipment in the Chrysler, and unlike the Dodge's black-on-white versions, Chrysler's gauges go for the nostalgic look, with old fashioned lettering that lights up with a moon-glow shade of blue.

Now, two words about quality control: zero defects. I didn't detect a single glitch or paint glop on either of my test vehicles, suggesting that the old reputation that Dodge and Chrysler products had for sloppy construction -- particularly with previous generations of minivans -- is becoming a thing of the past.

Even more promising, DaimlerChrysler has extended the powertrain warranty on all of its new models, suggesting both confidence in the product and an awareness that competitors such as Kia can take a chunk out of sales with the lengthy warranties they are offering. The standard warranty now for the minivans is seven years or 70,000 miles, whichever comes first.

It's pretty clear that DaimlerChrysler is still at the top of its game when it comes to minivans.