2009 Chrysler Town & Country

It ain't easy being a minivan these days. Sales are down, the players are stronger, and the passing of time has given everyone a chance to copy each other's best features. Things have gotten so harsh that Ford and GM have dropped out entirely, but Chrysler has chosen to stay the course with an all-new Town & Country.

Yes, America's original minivan is back, and it's better. There's a brand new 251-horsepower V6 and 6-speed automatic transmission, giving the Town & Country quick, competitive performance for the first time. (The other engines remain the old 175-horsepower 3.3-liter V6 and 197-horsepower 3.8-liter V6, both paired with an old 4-speed automatic.) The suspensions have been upgraded for better ride quality, and more care has been given to interior design (i.e. the middle-row windows now go all the way down).

The new Town & Country also marks another step forward in seating innovation. You may remember how three years ago, Chrysler came out with Stow-N-Go, an option that allows the second-row seats to fold into the floor. This year, Stow-N-Go is joined by Swivel-N-Go, a separate option that lets the second-row seats be flipped backward so kids can face one another and play games on the center-mounted accessory table. There's also the new option of a power folding third-row seat that flips backwards to face out the rear (think tailgate party).

With so many engines, transmissions, and seating configurations, what we have here is the minivan with the most choice. However, even the best of those choices don't necessarily add up to the best minivan. Even the best of Chrysler's engines has been criticized for lacking refinement, and worse, it's only available on the $36,000 Limited model (lesser models open at $23,000). Some think the Town & Country lags in ride and handling, and the Stow-N-Go seats are known to compromise comfort.

The Swivel-N-Go seats are probably the best thing the Town & Country's got going for it, since the easy social interaction can make long-distance trips much more enjoyable for kids. If that's not important, though, there are other vans you might find more appealing, including the nearly identical (and lower-priced) Dodge Grand Caravan.