KevinMD

2015 Chrysler Town & Country Touring
17/25 mpg
MVAR
FWD
3.6L V6
283 hp
8 way power driver seat
4 way manual passenger seat
Leather
Rear view camera
AM/FM with DVD, AUX, USB, SXM and Bluetooth
Internal hard drive can hold music as well
HDMI and RCA inputs for Video screen
Six total speakers
6.5" touchscreen
Cargo capacity all seats in place 33 cubic feet
Cargo capacity with 3rd row down 83.3 cubic feet
Cargo capacity behind front seats 143.8 cubic feet

Pros
DVD player
Stow & go seating
Leather seating on Touring trim

Cons
Most settings including Bluetooth setup done with voice response
Sluggish engine
Lacking features found in many other vehicles
Can be filled with E85

Summary
A good vehicle that excels in a few areas, and struggles in others



The 2015 Town & Country has been a solid rental for years. Even the base Touring trim has come with DVD player and leather seating. Unfortunately while other vehicles have been adding new features, the Town & Country has remained relatively unchanged. To make matters worse, Chrysler has introduced a lower trim for 2015, the LX. The LX trim does not have the DVD player, fog lights, auto headlights, power front seats, and automatic climate control. I do not know if National is ordering the LX trim, but it is something to be on the lookout for.

One of the things the T&C does well is its Stow & go middle seats. The third row like other vehicles will easily fold flat into a rear well. To fold the middle seats, the front seats must be up as far as they will go. The mat easily moves revealing a latch. Pull up on that will expose the large well for the seat. There is a latch on the seat that when pushed forward will easily fold the seat, and will easily slide into place. The floor will be placed above. In less than five minutes a seven passenger van will easily convert to a cargo van. The Dodge Caravan has the same system in place as well.



Another thing the T&C does well is in the entertainment. The touring trim and above comes standard with a DVD player and fold down screen. Besides playing DVD's there are also inputs for HDMI and RCA so gaming systems can be plugged in. By those inputs is a standard 110v AC plug, so no converter is necessary. The T&C is supposed to come standard with 2x wireless headphones to enable those watching a DVD or game to hear the audio and others to listed to the radio or SXM. I have seen the headphones with some rentals and not on others, so if required I would check before leaving the location.

The T&C comes with a 3.6L V6 capable of 283 horses. It is a similar size to other vehicles in its class, but is sluggish on acceleration and the transmission is not as smooth shifting through the gears. The engine gets similar MPG's as other vans and crossovers, but the fuel can be filled with E85, so expect a hit if the last renter filled the tank with it.



Within the last week I rented the Sienna, and it made for a good comparison. The Sienna is a much better ride and a more refined ride. The seats are far more comfortable and supportive in the Sienna. The Sienna had rear parking sensors and blind spot monitoring. The Sienna also has six more cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, and more space behind the front seats, though it's seats must be removed, unlike the stow & go of the T&C. I did find the audio quality better in the T&C, and it has the DVD.

If you are looking to move some cargo, the T&C is a fine choice and so is the Caravan. If you must have the DVD player, the T&C is an ok choice. If looking for a vehicle to move six or seven people I would pick the Sienna or one of the many fine crossover or large SUV's that can be found. If you like features like blind spot monitoring, forward collision alert, rear cross traffic alert, front or rear parking sensors, then look elsewhere.

tkyoshi

BTW I noticed in your pictures you had "ECON" mode enabled, that makes the throttle response quite lethargic (and slightly harsher shifts due to gear skipping).

Other than that nice review, overall not surprising as the design is getting quite dated so naturally some of the features are kind of lacking now. Though it's nice to see they at least added USB charging and HDMI for the rear.

I think the new model refresh isn't due until 2017 MY though (so probably mid-next year)

KevinMD

Thanks for noticing. I had tried it with both modes, and it was still lacking. I can run the CG in Eco mode and it slows down the acceleration, but it is still smooth.

Yeah the new T&C is due in MY'17.

piper28

I think one reason they might have added that lower trim LX version is I thought I heard something about the Dodge version ultimately going away, and that it would only be Chrysler offering the minivan, with more trim levels to account for some of those more basic Dodge versions. This is only a vague recollection, but I think it was something that they were talking about as part of their vision for how to align the brands going forward. (A plan that pretty well made people in Detroit confirm their opinion that Fiat is completely out of touch with their Chrysler properties.)

KevinMD

It will be an interesting few years for Chrysler. The Durango is going away, an possibly moving to Jeep. The Caravan minivan is going away. Dodge and Chrysler will be getting new crossovers similar to the Traverse. The redesigned T&C comes out in 2017. Here is some reading if interested in more:

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/201...ls-emerge-news
http://blog.caranddriver.com/the-gra...ted-nameplate/

qs933

Drove one of these in Las Vegas recently -- it was a 2015 Touring model in silver with a black leather interior.


The last minivan I drove was a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan -- and, after driving the Town & Country, nothing much has changed. The Town & Country Touring is better equipped than the Grand Caravan SXT that's typically in the rental fleet, with leather and a rear entertainment system coming standard on the Touring.



The Town & Country easily accommodated 6 adults and a day's worth of shopping bags as we drove around Vegas. The large sliding doors and folding captain's chairs in the middle row made third row ingress and egress as graceful as one could be while hunched over. I still feel that a cross-over -- even a larger one, like the Buick Enclave -- is no match for a minivan like the Town & Country when it comes to hauling 6 or 7 adults.



As noted above, the Town & Country is due for a replacement for 2017. As with the 200, I'm sure the next-generation will make a huge leap over the current generation's cabin quality including interior materials and infotainment system. This should make it very interesting over the next few years, with redesigns of the Sienna and Odyssey approaching as well.