2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited

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The danger in reviewing a vehicle with as many features as the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited is that your review will look more like a list than an analysis. It might be easier to talk about what this minivan doesn't have, rather than what it does have. The 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited FWD carries a base price of $35,060 ($41,415 as tested), a 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty, a 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty and EPA fuel economy estimates of 17 city/25 highway. Let's drive.

Larger Exterior Photos: Front Rear

The minivan craze began with the introduction of the Chrysler Town & Country as a 1990 model. The T&C was a variant of the Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager, and now in its fifth generation, it still shares most of its major parts and mechanicals with the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Volkswagen Routan (Plymouth went the way of the Pontiac back in 2001). Between the T&C, the Grand Caravan and the Routan, the Chrysler platform sold almost 190,000 vehicles in 2009, close to half of all the minivans sold in the US. It is definitely the platform to beat if you're a minivan designer.

The Town & Country's success is no mystery. It is an iconic vehicle. The profile is classic minivan, dominated by horizontal elements, fronted by a steeply-raked windshield and short flat hood. If you picture "minivan" in your head, Town & Country does little to surprise you in reality. My test vehicle arrived in top-of-the-line Limited trim, which includes a bit more chrome and a few more baubles on the exterior, including standard 17" aluminum chrome-clad wheels. There's no disguising that the Town & Country is a big box on wheels, but with all the trimmings, it does have a certain air of elegance. If you're a minivan hater, you are not going to be converted by the T&C. It is unmistakably and irrevocably a minivan. Wear it proudly.

Larger Interior Photo

Inside, the T&C delivers on Chrysler's advertising promise as "a family room on wheels." Forget about the driver-centric environment of a sports car or SUV. The true minivan is focused on the second and third row passengers -- and in the T&C, Chrysler assumes that those passengers will be kids. My test vehicle was loaded down with all the extras, from the Swivel 'n Go Seating Group ($495) to the Dual Screen DVD Entertainment System with Sirius Backseat TV ($2,020). I had the usual complaint about visibility when the roof-mounted DVD screen was deployed, as it blocked my view to the rear from the driver's seat. But my passengers, especially kids, were thrilled with the system. They loved the sound from the wireless headsets, and they loved the live feed of family television programming. I liked the fact that I could listen to my own radio, satellite, iPod or stored music on the 30 GB hard drive in the Media Center with GPS Navigation ($1,300) while the kids watched TV without any interference in either direction.

A mobile family room requires lots of cargo space. When all three rows of seating are in place, there's still a deep well for luggage, with 32.3 cubic feet of capacity. Convenient grocery bag hooks and a built-in flashlight add to the utility. Hit the power stow switch, and the seats perform a reverse origami act that leaves a flat load floor that can hold 82.7 cubic feet of cargo. Remove the second row, and you can jam 140.1 cubic feet of cargo into the T&C Limited.

My T&C Limited test vehicle arrived with just the right powertrain: a 4.0 liter V6 engine hooked up to a 6-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is not available. The big V6 cranks out 251 hp and 259 lb-ft of torque, while achieving better fuel economy than the 3.8 liter V6 and 3.3 liter V6 that are standard in the lower trim levels. More power and better fuel economy -- I like that! The 4.0 liter provides ample motivation for the 4,621 lb T&C Limited. I never had trouble merging in traffic, getting onto the freeway, or leaping from the line at my local stoplight drag race.

Minivans drive like minivans. The T&C gets independent MacPherson strut suspension in the front, and a twist-beam axle in the rear. Unit-body construction insures a reassuring feeling of stiffness in the turns, and standard electronic stability control and all-speed traction control help keep the wheels on the ground. Body roll is not a concern at sane speeds, and ride comfort is excellent. If only the driving position were a little more sporting, a minivan would be my choice for a long drive with passengers. But I always felt a little bit like a bus driver behind the wheel of the T&C, and I never really bonded with the vehicle. Perhaps more time to soak in all of the amenities would change that.

If you're going to drive a minivan, make it a good one. Chrysler's Town & Country is among the market leaders for good reasons. It does a lot of things very well, and it knows what's important. It is loaded with safety features, has plenty of surprising conveniences and enough luxury features to justify its price. While the Town & Country will never be fun to drive, with the 4.0 liter V6 engine that comes standard in the Limited model, at least it's not a chore.

The Swivel 'n Go System makes the Town & Country a great choice if you have to transport passengers with limited mobility. The flick of a lever releases the second row seats so that they can swivel out to face the door, making entry and exit much easier than in any SUV.

You can save a few bucks by choosing a lower trim level for your T&C, or by selecting the Dodge Grand Caravan variant instead. The VW Routan tosses in a twist or two, but loaded editions of all three vehicles will come in within a few hundred dollars of each other.

If you've decided on a minivan, you really should take a look at the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey before you make your final selection. Take a ride in the Kia Sedona, and see if your family can fit in the Mazda5. There's more variation in the minivan universe than you might think.

Leaping into a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country puts you in the deep end of the minivan pool. Don't worry, the water is warm, and you've got lots of company.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.