2001 Chrysler Town and Country EX review from North America

We have experienced no functional problems in almost 18 months of ownership.

The only complaint I can make is a piece of weatherstripping from the front of the sliding doors fell off within a few months of ownership. This resulted in a very slight wind noise increase, but no water leaks as this was a secondary seal. The dealer took care of it promptly, but had to order replacements.

Overall Chrysler has done their homework with this vehicle. It's not perfect, but it has been very good. Given that a minivan this is basically a 4200 lb. box, it is styled well and the handling and brakes are quite satisfactory. The 215 HP V6 is quiet and relatively powerful with good torque. It is as quick fully loaded as the old 3.3 L Grand Caravan is empty, and much quieter and more refined. Fuel economy is about the same.

Except in a few cases where I have fooled the transmission with throttle transients, shift quality is excellent. They did a good job in selecting gear ratios, but they better provide a 5 speed auto available in the next one.

The CD+cassette sound system is very good, but all the buttons could be a little more straight forward to use. It takes too much concentration from the road.

I can feel some high frequency vibration transmitted through the accelerator pedal which isn't terribly annoying, but is noticable at certain engine speeds. If the rest of it wasn't so quiet and solid feeling, I might not notice.

The power sliding door on the passenger side works well, but is heavy and awkward to close manually. It is a big contrast to the driver side door which doesn't include the power option. In my opinion, the power sliding doors are a gimmick with relatively little practical value. Same for the power rear door.

The removable seats are still too heavy and awkward. I would welcome seats that are lighter, or even stow-able as in similar competitors. I can manage it, but my wife would have a difficult job on her hands. If the aircraft industry can make seat frames out of aluminum extrusions, why can't the car guys?