Family Limousine

If there ever was a luxury family limousine with which you can drive yourself and six of your kin around town in, the Chrysler Town & Country is definitely it. This up-market minivan offers the practicality of an everyday people hauler, but with the flair and élan commensurate with its uptown image.

Norkis Automotive Resources Corporation, the Philippine distributor of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep automobiles lent this writer the Town & Country minivan for a weekend recently. The deep gloss of Inferno Red finish of the test unit added to the allure of the minivan’s exterior, which has a forward gesture design that makes it seem as if it’s moving even when at rest. A handsome visage, brightly finished 16-inch alloy wheels and an American nameplate added to its aesthetic appeal.

Perish the thought of comparing it with other minivans. The Chrysler thumps them all with two features none of them can offer as of this time: dual power sliding doors and a power rear lift gate. These doors open and close by themselves with a touch of a button on the key fob remote control or on the control cluster located in the front overhead console. Industry-first inside-the-door motors power the sliding doors, which can also be closed manually. Passengers can open their door automatically from the inside by pressing a button on the B-pillar. Remotely opening the doors make for one grand entrance, or exit, depending or your direction.

Once inside, though, luxury surrounds the driver and the passengers as leather covered seats, deep pile carpeting and a rich ambiance envelopes the interior. The driver faces a leather wrapped four-spoke steering wheel fitted with remote controls for the AM/FM/ cassette/CD stereo system and an elegant retro-inspired instrument cluster with round gauges surrounded by chrome bezels. An 8-way power adjustable seat pampers him while an overhead console with thoughtful storage bins and a digital information center is within easy reach. The front passenger is likewise blessed with power adjustable seats with folding armrests.

The middle-row captain’s chairs mimic the front pair, with folding armrests and reclining features. A modular center console system allows the center console, which has cubby holes for cell phones, CDs and other stuff, to be moved from the front row to the middle row. The rear bench seat has a 50-50 split seat back, while a rear cargo organizer pops up from the floor or can be mounted as a security shelf midway up the rear opening. The minivan is also equipped with a three-zone automatic temperature control system that ensures comfort cooling for all occupants.

In case you need to haul large articles (A coupe of huge Ming dynasty vases? A large Juan Luna painting? A crate of cabernets?), the middle row seats and the rear bench seats slide out of the vehicle to reveal a flat cargo bed, or you can configure the interior layout to your liking. The light-weight seats were designed for easy removable and installation. The power lift gate on the other hand, offers convenience, especially for times when you have your hands full and there’s nobody around to help you lift the tail gate. Or when your drop your kids off at school and they run off without closing the lift gate. I astounded some friends and relatives when I secretly pressed the remote while hidden in my pants pocket and shouted "Open Sesame!" They said I was crazy to think that they would fall for a trick like that, knowing that the rear lift gate was voice-activated. Ha-ha. The joke’s on them.

Porti Vencer, NARC’s national marketing manager informed us that as a safety feature, the motors of the sliding doors and the lift gate feature an obstacle detection system that conveniently stops when a part of your body, or something else, is blocking its path. The system avoids inflicting injury, especially to small children playing with the power doors. To satisfy my curiosity, I blocked one of the sliding doors with my arm while it was closing. As designed, the sliding door stopped when it touched my arm and then reverted back to its open position.

Powering this luxury liner is a 3.3-liter SOHC V-6 engine that produces 180bhp at 5000rpm and 210 lb-ft of torque at 4000rpm. A column-shifted 4-speed automatic transmission delivers seamless gear changes, while 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS (anti-lock braking system) assures of sure-footed stops. A 140-amp alternator and a 12V/650CCA battery are installed as standard to power all those luxury features. An 80-liter fuel tank is needed to feed this minivan.

During the test drive, which was conducted within the gridlock-prone streets of Metro Manila, the Town & Country returned a dismal 6.92 km/l. While the mileage could be better when the vehicle is driven on the highway, we never had the chance to drive out-of-town. Anyway, everybody was amazed with this Chrysler even when parked. Besides, who cares about fuel economy when you can afford its P1.9M price of admission?

Overall, the Chrysler Town & Country is a luxurious people mover worthy of its hefty price tag. It always seems to admonish its occupants to revel in its luxury, and to enjoy some of the privileges of the pampered few, even if only for a short ride.