Chrysler's new Stow 'n Go seating system is the best on the market. The second and third rows of seats fold flat into the floor leaving a perfectly flat platform for cargo. Folding and unfolding the seats is a quick three-step process. Pull one strap to drop the seatback, then pull two other straps to tuck it into the floor. This leaves a perfectly flat platform. Very few seats fold perfectly flat and no one else (except Dodge) has a second row that does this. The system is also flexible. The third row is split and either or both of the second-row captain's chairs can be stowed. So, for example, you could stow the right one-third of the third-row bench and the right-hand second-row seat for loading something long, while still leaving seating for yourself and three or four passengers. Alas, the front passenger seat does not fold down, so you may want to secure that kayak to the roof rack. All of the long-wheelbase Town & Country models come standard with Stow 'n Go.
Our 16-year-old third-row tester said getting into the third row was a little awkward, but she didn't appear to have that much trouble, routinely choosing to walk between the second-row captain's chairs rather than flipping the seats out of the way as Chrysler intended. Once back there, she said the seating was very comfortable. She then put on her headphones and that was the last we heard from her.
The low floor makes getting in and out through the side doors easy. Caesar the 160-pound mastiff requires a ramp to get into an SUV, but he stepped easily and without hesitation through the rear and side doors of the Town & Country without such assistance. The low load height also makes loading cargo easier, and the Town & Country can carry more stuff and bigger items than any SUV. There's a fair amount of cargo space behind the third row. When the seats are in place for passengers, there are wells behind the third-row seats that are perfect for groceries. A pair of cargo nets can be hooked onto hooks, providing well-designed bags to keep your melons from rolling around. Another net can be secured between either the second-row or front-row captain's chairs. Hooks on the backs of the seats are useful for hooking plastic grocery bags and other items. There's also space in front of the center console for a purse or tote bag. When it comes to moving combinations of people and stuff, the Chrysler Town & Country has no peers.
Many other features add day-to-day convenience. A time delay switch leaves the headlights on while you walk from the van to your door. Auxiliary outlets, two up front and one amidships, provide power for gadgets. Four big coat hooks make picking up the dry cleaning a more elegant chore, and the coat hooks fold away when not in use; few manufacturers do coat hooks this well. Three dome lights illuminate the cabin well. An available overhead console houses power switches for the rear hatch and sliding doors, along with compass and outside temperature readouts. The rear quarter windows are power operated. Dark tinting on the side windows provides privacy. A center console houses a cellular phone holder, power outlet, storage tray, light, tissue holder, and a map holder. The console is removable and can be placed between either the front or middle seats. The center console, improved over last year's, is relatively small but unusually deep and can hold lots of stuff. A removable upper shelf holds small items, but wasn't big enough to hold my hard sunglasses case. A mount for a cell phone flips out conveniently. The cup holders work well and are conveniently located.
Small buttons make the audio system a challenge to learn and use while driving. Setting presets required pressing multiple small buttons rather than simply holding down the desired preset button. Steering wheel audio controls are available on selected models and help address this. Sirius satellite radio is available, a great feature for news hounds, sports junkies, comedy fans, and cross country travelers.
The available navigation system has a relatively small screen, using a 4.2-inch color display where the industry standard is 7 inches. And the system suffers from the aforementioned small buttons, all symptoms of Chrysler having to stuff a navi in a vehicle designed before these systems were common. Those criticisms aside, however, the system works extremely well. It's easy to program destinations, easier than many other systems, in fact, and the directions, given audibly and displayed on the monitor, are clear and accurate. We really enjoyed using it and it flawlessly directed us around Los Angeles. The display is bright and crisp. However, the brightness of the display at night was annoying and even a little distracting while driving, and it cannot be dimmed, only turned off.
Automatic temperature controls on Touring and Limited models work quite well and offer adjustments for three zones: driver, passenger, and rear passengers. A separate knob controls the rear fan, a great feature for kids and pets on hot days; it can be controlled by the all-powerful front-seat occupants or set to allow rear-seat passengers to control their own destiny. Separate High- and Low-Auto settings are provided and are a great feature for those of us who don't always want the fan blasting at full volume when it's trying to cool or heat the cabin. Details like this can enhance fondness for a vehicle overthe years. Heating and air conditioning controls on the base and LX models are functional but rudimentary.
The instruments have been redesigned for 2005 and are attractive and highly legible. An electronic odometer doubles as the trip meter when a button is pressed. Cruise control buttons are conveniently located on the steering wheel.
Lots of glass means good visibility all around, though the thick A-pillars hamper front three-quarter vision. Rearward visibility is greatly enhanced by the big side mirrors. The high beams didn't seem effective on our 2005 model, however, lacking fill at closer ranges.
The base, short-wheelbase model still has the traditional seating setup, so the seats must be removed to turn it into an effective cargo hauler. We found the second-row bucket seats and third-row split bench easy to remove. All or any one of the four seats can be popped out and rolled away in three quick steps, providing a wide variety of seating and cargo configurations. Reinstalling them takes a little more practice, as you need to learn how to line them up before snapping them into place. Each seat is heavy enough that care should be exercised when lifting it off the garage floor. The seats can also be folded down to form a continuous load floor for large items. Next Page