2008 Chrysler Town & Country Quality Review

When it comes to getting the job done for families, editors across the Web agreed that the new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country (and the Dodge Grand Caravan) nailed the mission. BusinessWeek astutely noted, “What sells this van is its interior, notably the available multimedia audio/video/navigation system and handy seating options.” Curiously, no reviews mentioned interior room, most likely because it’s abundant and obvious.

The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country excels in comfort in all three rows of seating. Even the third-row seat has ample headroom and bottom cushion length and angle for a 5’10” adult. One point, if maximum comfort for the most people is critical: TheCarConnection.com’s editors recommend you choose the Swivel ‘n Go seats, as the option's second-row chairs are more comfortable than the others offered.

Instead, testers focused on how the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country’s features helped it accomplish its goal of comfortably moving families and friends. Car and Driver observed, “The new minivan is as kid-friendly as they come. We quite like the removable front console that slides to the second row. The minivans also have 13 cup holders and plenty of storage to hide a purse. There is ambient lighting to help set the mood, as well as LED reading lamps similar to those in airplanes. The interior shows well in the harsh light of day, with vast improvements to its perceived quality.”

Without a doubt, the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country has nearly closed the quality gap. Cars.com said it this way: “The interior quality is better than Chrysler's usual fare, but the automaker still has some ground to make up. The window switches feel luxo-European, and the faux wood and metal inlays are respectably subdued. There's an endless array of cheap plastic panels, though, and in many places they look downright tacky.” AutoWeek complained, “We did find the climate controls a little low, and the small buttons required taking our eyes off the road longer than we liked. Overall, the interior has good looking plastics, though we noticed a handful of rattles and creaks.”

TheCarConnection.com’s editors felt the presence of plastic everywhere, but nearly all visible pieces are good quality, and there is enough variety in color and texture to keep up a degree of visual interest without looking busy. Chrysler’s choice of materials should wear well over time, resisting the ravages that kids can dish out on a vehicular interior that doubles as their mobile restaurant and playpen. The most serious knock against the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country is its flimsy-feeling gearshift lever. It sprouts out of the dash at shoulder lever, and while it’s easy enough to use, it felt and sounded cheap every time we used it.