Chrysler looks to take back the market it created  by Thom Blackett

Chrysler Town & Country Preview – 2007 Detroit Auto Show: Nothing beats a minivan for practicality. SUVs, wagons, crossovers? They each have strengths, but when it comes to carrying people and cargo, none can do it like a minivan. We can thank Chrysler for introducing us to this multi-purpose vehicular invention more than 20 years ago, spawning a field of competitors that has grown fat and, more recently, a bit thinner with the announced departure of GM and Ford models. Unlike those domestics, Chrysler continues to fight on with the Japanese and Koreans, packing an especially powerful punch with the 2008 Town & Country’s new engine, new styling, and one of the most versatile interiors ever offered. Models go on sale this fall.

Fewer folks are buying minivans these days, due largely to the mommy-mobile stigma and proliferation of crossover models. Couple that with new or redesigned models from the Japanese and Koreans, and it’s easy to comprehend how hard Chrysler has to work for each minivan sale. They’ve trudged along with some interior innovations and robust incentives, but a redesigned vehicle is what has really been needed. The 2008 Town & Country, host to a bevy of unique interior features and a new style, should not only spell relief for Chrysler van fans waiting for a new look, but also may give pause to shoppers ready to drop ink on a Honda or Hyundai.

Chrysler and Dodge are offering the 2008 line of minivans – the Town & Country and the Grand Caravan – with three engine choices. They include a 3.3-liter, flex-fuel V6 that’s good for 170 horsepower and works with a four-speed automatic transmission; a 3.8-liter V6 that produces 198 horses and is mated to a six-speed automatic tranny; and a new 4.0-liter V6 that pumps out 240 horsepower and is mated to the six-speed transmission. The all-wheel drive option has been dropped, so all of the new vans put power to the front wheels only, which depending on the trim level, will measure 16 or 17 inches in diameter.

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