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Just as Dodge has their own “man van”, the Grand Caravan R/T, Chrysler will now get their own variant, the Town and Country S. There are no mechanical changes to be had save for a re-tuned suspension system. Cosmetically, the blacked out trim and fancy wheels are the most prominent visually indicators. Inside, a Blu-Ray entertainment system will keep the younger ones occupied.
31 Comments on “Chrysler Gets Its Own Man Van...”
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“There are no mechanical changes to be had save for a re-tuned suspension system.”
Nice, so its a fake performance package. Does the Dodge version offer any significant upgrades for R/T trim?
Taking a quick look at the Dodge website, it seems that the R/T version does exactly what the Town and Country S trim will do. Improve the looks and have a slightly tighter suspension…
Needs more HEMI.
Agreed.
Lol a hot rod van would be the coolest thing since that Espace racer
At least it does have a bit tighter suspension. There’ve been a great many manufacturers in the US whose sport models consisted of the word SPORT painted somewhere on the vehicle and maybe a body-colored grille.
Maybe it comes with a trailer hitch and a set of truck nuts.
I don’t get how black trim is an improvement.
Hmmmmmm…can picture this cruising slowly with its blacked out windows and looooowwwww profile dubble-dubs to the Wal-Mart, grocery store, and other manly locations. Ford’s wasting its time with the Mustang, this thing realllly brings all the girls to the yard.
The “8 Mile” Edition could even have Eminem cruising to Toys R Us with Haley in the back seat (Our the bullet ridden/broken pavement dollar store depending on which side of “8 mile” they are cruising too.)
Oh good an unsubstantial special edition for a less-than-desirable product from Chrysler.
Frank Sinatra Imperial, anyone?
“Frank Sinatra Imperial, anyone?”
Ha ha! At least those were cool-looking, too. All ten of them.
It’s over in the corner trying to get the Princess Grace Monaco T-Bird drunk and take it back to the room…
It makes as much sense as any other van with a “sport” trim package, Dodge R/T, Sienna SE. After all, there is nothing GT (Grand Touring) about our Mazda 5.
Much less chrome than the standard T&C, which is fine with me and fits a style profile closer to that of the Toyota and Honda vans.
The concept makes sense because being a car enthusiast and having a family are not mutually exclusive. No, it’s not a Ferrari but in the real world you make the best trade-offs you can.
Wait, a Ferrari minivan, now THERE’s a concept. Fiat/Chrysler owns Ferrari, right? Sergio, you listening?
I am holding out for the Porsche minivan. First they made an SUV, and then a sedan. The minivan could be their next big thing.
There was a couple wild ass rumors on allpar awhile back where apparently Ralph Giles mentioned that a Maserati V8 could fit in a caravan and he was pretty sure they could wedge a hemi in too.
Needs to lose all of the chrome trim.
At least the chrome side strip needs to go. The chrome grille is OK with me.
The standard 283 horsepower is almost twice what I had in my first minivan. That’s good for 0-60 in the low 7’s. How fast do you really want to go in a minivan? The 200 or so horsepower in my 2006 van has proven to be sufficient for me.
Power is not so bad, true. That gearbox, though, is far from being a sporting one.
Amen. Just rented a T&C and while the interior is VASTLY improved over previous generations as is the engine, that gearbox should be the subject of all scorn. In short, it’s one of the bigger pieces of shit automatics I can recall. It’s fine if you’re cruising and it’s doing nothing, but if you want to shift gears manually for hills, it’s a complete dog.
It needs large decals, preferably orange, and 3″ exhaust stacks that exit near the top of the A pillar. Some sort of “sound symposer” that loudly broadcasts either an uncorked Cummins or V-twin to all the ladies would also be nice. Nothing leads to baby makin quite like a loud exhaust.
It needs a NASCAR “Special Edition”; festoon them with stickers and interior bits; market them in the SE US. Go for broke; have a for real RPM (Richard Petty Motorsports) Edition. Bring more money when you pick it up in Mooresville, NC. http://www.pettys-garage.com/performance-vehicles.php
This isnt a man-van. A man-van has an interior that won’t be scratched by hauling plywood and an interior that can be hosed out to deal with mud, toilet-accidents, spilled apple juice, and spitup. Towing package included by default.
A sport-tuned suspension on a regular minivan is a factory-riced van. Like a Type-R sticker or a massive rear wing on a FWD car, it makes it seem fast to the owner without any change that could be measured by a 3rd party because, seriously, what kind of parent drives a minivan full of children on a racetrack?
I’ve been wondering why vinyl flooring isn’t an option for people carrier vans.
They need to partner with the NCAA and get the vans with custom paint and interior colors for mega tail-gate-mobiles.
Call the Weathertech people. They need to make a Whole Car Liner for the back of all people carriers.
I don’t get the hatred for this vehicle though. I like the subtle changes in style to the Dodge version and now this. For the Dodge in R/T form, it makes it look different enough to say that you didn’t buy the base van but didn’t need the shiny stuff to show it. As I stated in a previous post, the Chrysler van has too much “chrome” for my taste inside and out, so barring that chrome rub strip on the side, this looks better,IMHO.
I don’t think anyone is truly thinking they’re buying a racing or racy minivan.If they do, they need more help then can be provided here and they aren’t reading these comments. But if you need a people hauler, have to drive a people hauler, shouldn’t at least look a bit fun?
I’d love a wagon, but putting the kids in a wagon or sedan puts a good strain on my bad lower back. The wife likes being up high, but doesn’t like SUV’s. So these “man vans” are on the list for the next car. I welcome the choice.
The issue isn’t the vehicle itself, it’s that marketing a sportier suspension using the same badge as the hemi-Magnum strikes us as misleading.
Call it the Grand Caravan Sport Suspension Edition, and you have a winner.
R/T is not sinonimous with Hemi. There have been Neon R/T’s, Caliber R/T’s, Avenger R/T’s. I think there was even a short-lived Intrepid R/T, in said model’s second generation, if I’m not mistaken.
Yep, there was an Intrepid R/T, and it looked ridiculous.
I generally like it, but those wheels have got to go.