The Chrysler Town & Country was Chrysler’s flagship minivan from the 1990 to the 2016 model year. Named after the company’s grandest station wagon, it kept the woodgrain trim and a high level of equipment through five generations, sitting above the Dodge Grand Caravan and Plymouth Grand Voyager, and was replaced for 2017 by the Chrysler Pacifica.
Chrysler Town & Country at a glance
| Production | 1990–2016 model years |
|---|---|
| Generations | five |
| Platforms | Chrysler S, AS, RS, RT |
| Built at | St Louis, Missouri, then Windsor, Ontario |
| Layout | front engine, front- or all-wheel drive |
| Engines | 3.0 V6, 3.3 V6, and later units through to the Pentastar V6 |
| Seating | seven passengers |
| First-year production | 1,789 in 1989 and 3,615 in 1990 |
| Signature features | woodgrain trim, leather, Infinity audio |
| Replaced by | Chrysler Pacifica, 2017 |
History of the Chrysler Town & Country
A minivan for the wagon’s name
The Town & Country became a minivan in the spring of 1989 as an early 1990 model, after Chrysler ended station wagon production following 1988 and put the nameplate on hiatus for the first time since 1945. Since the minivan had replaced the full-size station wagon at premium brands, Chrysler moved the name across, benchmarking the new car against its largest sedans, the 1989–1990 New Yorker Landau and Fifth Avenue. The first Town & Country used the Chrysler S platform and shared its bodyshell with the Dodge Grand Caravan and Plymouth Grand Voyager, and one aim was to use up long-wheelbase bodies already scheduled for Dodge and Plymouth. The car was distinguished cheaply: it came initially in white only, with black added in June 1989, always with a tan interior, and kept the simulated woodgrain exterior trim from LE Voyagers and Caravans with body-coloured bumpers and mirrors. Its 15-inch wheels were shared with the Voyager LX and painted white, and it carried a crystal Chrysler Pentastar hood ornament from the New Yorker and Fifth Avenue. Inside it had leather seats and door panels, upgraded wood trim and effectively every feature: power windows and locks, seven seats, a roof rack, front and rear air conditioning and the Imperial’s Infinity stereo. Chrysler built 1,789 in 1989 and 3,615 in 1990.
Engines and generations
The first cars used the Mitsubishi 3.0-litre V6 with 142 hp, certified as 1989 vehicles by the EPA; for 1990 production the Chrysler 3.3-litre V6 with 150 hp and 180 lb·ft took over, shared with the Dodge Dynasty, New Yorker and Imperial. Both used the four-speed Ultradrive automatic. The second generation arrived in November 1990 on the Chrysler AS platform, with the 119-inch wheelbase of the Grand Caravan, sharing only the front and sliding doors with its predecessor and again sold in a single trim with monochrome paint, model-specific alloy wheels and standard woodgrain, leather and a waterfall grille. Chrysler assembled the first three generations at Saint Louis Assembly in Fenton, Missouri, and the fourth and fifth at Windsor Assembly in Ontario. Produced almost continuously for 75 years apart from the Second World War and 1989, the Town & Country nameplate is the longest-produced Chrysler, second only to the Chevrolet Suburban in automotive history.
The end of the name
For 2017 Chrysler retired the Town & Country, and sixth-generation Chrysler-division minivans became the Chrysler Pacifica. After the 2016 model year Chrysler marked the sale of its twelve-millionth minivan across all three nameplates.
Design and features
- Flagship minivan: always the best-equipped version of Chrysler’s minivan range.
- Woodgrain trim: a link back to the Town & Country station wagons.
- Full equipment: leather, seven seats, roof rack, front and rear air conditioning and Infinity audio.
- Long-wheelbase only: the Town & Country sat above the Grand Caravan and Grand Voyager.
- Longest-produced Chrysler: 75 years of the nameplate, second only to the Chevrolet Suburban.
Chrysler Town & Country versions
- First generation (1990): the S-platform car, built for one year.
- Second generation (1991–1995): the AS-platform minivan with the Grand Caravan wheelbase.
- Later generations: the RS and RT minivans built at Windsor.
- Chrysler Pacifica (2017): the model that replaced the Town & Country name.
The Town & Country shared its body with the Chrysler Voyager family and its Infinity audio with the Imperial, and was replaced by the Pacifica. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.
Video: 2014 Chrysler Town & Country S minivan review
Video by UsedCarsTV on YouTube.
Sources
- Chrysler Town & Country (minivan), English Wikipedia: generations, platforms, engines, equipment
- Chrysler Town & Country, Wikimedia Commons: photographs
