Dodge is Back in the Driver's Seat with Stow 'n Go
What company dominates the minivan war? Despite the onslaught of much tougher competition over the last decade, it's still Chrysler Group with its ubiquitous Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.
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| Leader of the minivan market, the Dodge Caravan looks great, delivers decent power, handles corners well, provides a smooth ride and offers commodious hauling capacity. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
And the vans deserve their top spot in sales too. They look great, deliver decent power, handle corners well, provide a smooth ride and offer commodious hauling capacity. Really, the only thing holding the Chryco vans back has been the lack of a flat-folding third row seat.
Not anymore. As of Monday, December 8, 2003, long-wheelbase versions of the 2005 Town & Country LX, Touring and Limited models, as well as the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SE and SXT, the objects of this preview, should now be considered best in class for their "Stow 'n Go" third and second row seats (short-wheelbase Caravan and Caravan SXT will not offer the new seats). Both rows fold completely flat with the third split 60/40 for ultimate passenger/cargo flexibility.
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| Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche, left, and Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Bernhard, demonstrate the new "Stow 'n Go" minivan seating and storage system that will be available on new 2005 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans scheduled to arrive in dealership showrooms early next year. (Photo: Joe Wilssens) |
But it's the unique way and the unprecedented outcome of the Caravan's system that makes it well worth the wait. While most competitor third row seats fold flat into the floor, the few that advertise second row folding seats only partially fold into the floor, leaving an annoying bump that makes loading large, potentially fragile loads, such as jip rock sheets, undesirable.
The Dodge seats truly fold flat, both front and back, in such an amazingly efficient way that the brand is bound to win back market share as well as awards. What's more, tumbling them down or raising them back into seating position is reportedly an "effortless one-hand operation."