Perceptions are a funny thing. What you think you are getting is more important than what you are in fact receiving. Thankfully, not everyone falls for that. Case in point, the Chrysler Town & Country. As we all know, the T&C is a glorified Dodge Grand Caravan with a little more chrome and a different grille.
I did some interesting research on minivan sales for the month of May 2011. In Canada, the Grand Caravan is light-years ahead of its competitors, taking in 60% of all minivan sales. The T&C beats out only the Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest and Volkswagen Routan, its non-identical twin, with less than 10% of total Grand Caravan numbers. In the US, the Honda Odyssey edged out the Grand Caravan for the number one spot, the Sienna is third and then comes the T&C. Here, the gaps between the top 4 are fairly narrow whereas in Canada, there are no doubts on who the big winner is.
It's interesting to see that in Canada, minivan buyers seem more practical, not caring for badges and fancy words like “Canada's Ultimate Luxury Minivan”. Does it really matter when hauling kids, camping gear or both?
In essence, the Chrysler T&C is a great minivan but is greater still as a Dodge. Be that as it may, this pair of minivans from Chrysler LLC are evidently versatile, functional and fairly attractive. The T&C differs mainly because of some features that are unique to it, compared to the GC. Whether or not they warrant stepping up into the Chrysler is very debatable.
Some such items are a power sunroof, an intelligent key system and dual 9-inch rear DVD screens. Every other goody such as alloy wheels, leather and navigation are all available in both vans. Within inches of each other kit-wise, the GC turns out to be less expensive and in some ways, a better value.
This comparison is not the point of this review. What you should read from this is that before ordering a T&C, check out the GC. For the same money, you might get more of what you really want and need.
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| The T&C is a glorified Dodge Grand Caravan with a little more chrome and a different grille. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
I did some interesting research on minivan sales for the month of May 2011. In Canada, the Grand Caravan is light-years ahead of its competitors, taking in 60% of all minivan sales. The T&C beats out only the Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest and Volkswagen Routan, its non-identical twin, with less than 10% of total Grand Caravan numbers. In the US, the Honda Odyssey edged out the Grand Caravan for the number one spot, the Sienna is third and then comes the T&C. Here, the gaps between the top 4 are fairly narrow whereas in Canada, there are no doubts on who the big winner is.
It's interesting to see that in Canada, minivan buyers seem more practical, not caring for badges and fancy words like “Canada's Ultimate Luxury Minivan”. Does it really matter when hauling kids, camping gear or both?
In essence, the Chrysler T&C is a great minivan but is greater still as a Dodge. Be that as it may, this pair of minivans from Chrysler LLC are evidently versatile, functional and fairly attractive. The T&C differs mainly because of some features that are unique to it, compared to the GC. Whether or not they warrant stepping up into the Chrysler is very debatable.
Some such items are a power sunroof, an intelligent key system and dual 9-inch rear DVD screens. Every other goody such as alloy wheels, leather and navigation are all available in both vans. Within inches of each other kit-wise, the GC turns out to be less expensive and in some ways, a better value.
This comparison is not the point of this review. What you should read from this is that before ordering a T&C, check out the GC. For the same money, you might get more of what you really want and need.
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| The new dashboard flows in a conservative fashion with a simple ergonomic design. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |