Chrysler Dishes Out New Features for 2009 Models

Minivans and cars with all-wheel drive are two of the most popular topics over at Ask.cars.com. In keeping with the popularity of both, Chrysler is adding two new safety systems to its 2009 minivans, the Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, as well as adding a fuel-saving feature on the all-wheel-drive 2009 Chrysler 300C.

Two new detection systems, Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Path, will keep Chrysler minivan drivers aware of what’s happening outside their vehicle. Blind spot detectors are commonly found on luxury and near-luxury cars, not necessarily minivans. Like the current systems available, Chrysler’s will warn drivers with an icon that illuminates in the side-view mirrors when a passing vehicle enters their blind spot.

Best Cash-Back Finds: 2.15.08

President’s Day is Monday and you’ve probably seen a lot of commercials about big car sales. Automakers had a pretty dismal January for car sales across the board and they’re looking to pick things up in February. Besides our full list of incentives you can find here, many are offering short-term incentives for just the weekend. Here are some of the best we’ve found in terms of quality, safety and value. Yes, there are three minivans.

2008 Kia Sedona

MSRP: $20,695
Cash back: $1,500
Percent off MSRP: 7.2%   
Expires: 3/3/08
5-Year Ownership Costs

Kia’s minivan has been an underachiever for some time, but still is one of only three minivans to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award. The interior isn’t the best in the class but the base price and long warranty are mighty alluring. Add up to $1,500 cash back depending on where you live and the Sedona seems mighty sensible.

Video: VW Routan vs. Chrysler Town & Country

Volkswagen's minibus is perhaps the most iconic van of all time. Now the automaker is getting back into the van game, but with a model — the Routan — that is completely different from its old minibus; it’s based on Chrysler's minivans. In this video, we compare the new Routan with a Chrysler Town & Country to see where they're the same and where they differ. You can share this video via YouTube.

New Minivans Included in Chrysler Sale

The Chrysler Event of a Lifetime might be hyperbolically named. After all, anyone who considers a year-end car manufacturer sale the event of their lifetime probably needs to do some serious self-examination. Therapy might even be in order.

While they're getting those issues sorted out, though, the rest of us can take advantage of the deals Chrysler's event entails. The automaker is offering a variety of savings on 2008 models, including $3,000 on a 300C (excluding the SRT8), $2,000 on Sebring convertibles, $1,000 on a Town & Country, and $1,500 and $2,000 on five- and six-passenger Pacificas, respectively.

Dodge and Jeep are in on the act, too. Dodge trucks get the highest discounts — $3,000 on the 2008 Durango and $4,500 on certain Ram trims — while the 2008 Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee get $3,000 each.

A variety of long-term financing deals are also available.

Time is of the essence: current deals expire Monday, Dec. 3, and Chrysler has yet to announce any incentives past the current expiration date. Though surely Chrysler would want to extend the Event of All Our Lifetimes, right? 

Check out Cars.com's Incentives page for a full list of deals.

Friday Fleet Notes: 9.27.07

As I prepare to drive home in a Corvette Z06 — pity me, really — I get a chance to reflect on how varied our revolving fleet of vehicles truly is. This week, Kelsey Mays and I take a look at the all-new Land Rover LR2 and the Chrysler Town & Country. They’re two distinctly different vehicles, and both needed a reworking. Now, where is that Z06 key fob… 

2008 Land Rover LR2

Land Rover fans will love the brand’s latest baby. It has the flavor of its larger siblings — the window switches sit right up on the window sill, the center controls employ lots of scalloped dials, and there’s enough off-road equipment to get you to the Yucatan. Those looking for a regular SUV might take issue with some of the smaller details: Our LR2 SE had an uncovered tray in place of a real center console (the pricier HSE adds one) and it’s too easy to confuse the temperature dial for the stereo volume. As senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder noted in his review, folding the rear seats down requires first flipping the cushions forward. That’s old-school.

Cars.com Reviews New 2008 Chrysler Town & Country

We all know Chrysler defined the minivan segment in the 1980s, but ever since then the role of minivans as family-haulers has been taken over by other vehicle types — large SUVs in the 1990s and full-size crossovers in the new millennium. For 2008, Chrysler is putting its foot back into the ring with a redesigned Town & Country, which Kelsey Mays got to test in two different trim levels and with all the high-tech goodies on board, like Sirius Satellite TV. After you check out his review, don’t forget to watch our related videos.

2008 Chrysler Town & Country Expert Review
2008 Chrysler Town & Country Videos

Mother Proof Mom Gets Early Glimpse of New Town & Country

For years, the quintessential mom-mobile was the minivan. Times have changed, but Chrysler is hoping there’s still a spot for that cliché in the market and that its new Town & Country will fit the bill. One of the mom-reviewers at Mother Proof recently got a sneak peek at the new Town & Country and its slew of family-friendly features; she offers her initial thoughts over at Motherproof.com.

Video: Talking Chrysler Minivans

This week Chrysler is hosting an event in San Diego to highlight its two new minivans, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. Cars.com managing editor Patrick Olsen corners Chrysler product manager Mario D’Ovidio on the back of a new Town & Country about the next generation of family haulers.

Chrysler Minivan Pricing is Key

Chrysler has cut the prices for its next generation of minivans, and some experts say that’s not a bad decision.

“If Chrysler can cut the price of its 2008 model minivans this fall and still make a profit — and there's no reason to assume it won't make a profit — then the price cut is a wise move," said Erich Merkle, an analyst with IRN Inc. of Grand Rapids, Mich.

While it's cutting prices, Chrysler is also adding 35 new items to the vans, from electronic stability control and side curtain airbags to second-row seats that swivel to face the third row, with a table in between where kids can eat lunch or play games while they travel.

New 2008 Chrysler Minivans Cost Less Than '07s

The redesigned 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan minivans will go on sale this fall with more standard features than the outgoing 2007s, as well as a lower sticker price. Chrysler announced prices this morning, and the base Town & Country LX will start $3,585 less than last year’s, at $22,460 not including a $730 destination charge. That’s the biggest dip in prices across the two lines, but all five models cost less. The base Caravan SE will start at $21,740, $1,950 less than the 2007.

All models have been extensively redesigned and add new safety features like electronic stability control and a tire pressure monitoring system. The interior and exterior are completely redesigned, and both minivans are longer than before. 

Full prices for all versions are below.

Nickelodeon Signs Chrysler as Big Sponsor

Chrysler is going all out trying to pitch its redesigned minivans, particularly the new Town & Country. Today, the company unveiled an advertising and promotional partnership deal with kid-friendly cable network Nickelodeon. In many ways, Chrysler is drawing a line in the sandbox for what is essentially the last great American minivan. Chrysler’s minivans remain the most popular with minivan drivers, but Honda’s Odyssey and Toyota’s Sienna are creeping closer. The foreign competition has essentially forced Ford and GM out of the minivan game, turning the domestics’ attention toward crossovers: SUVs with minivan-like interiors.

It makes a lot of sense for Chrysler to target Nickelodeon; my kids have watched that channel for many years, and frequently (especially when they were younger) would ask me for products they’d seen advertised between “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Jimmy Neutron.” Chrysler is probably hoping that when it pitches Nickelodeon playing on satellite TV in the Town & Country, not to mention the new “Swivel & Go” seats, kids will beg their parents to go out for a test drive.

270,000 Chrysler Minivans Recalled

As many as 270,958 2005-model-year Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan minivans are being recalled to fix airbags that may fail to deploy. The recall affects minivans built from April 24, 2003, to February 2, 2005.

The problem stems from corroded sensors in states that use large quantities of road salt. We’re not sure if that means those in southern or warm-weather states won’t be included in the recall. We’ll update this post as soon as we hear more specifics.

Report: Chrysler Recalls 270,000 Minivans for Air Bag Fix (The Detroit News)

Suburban Dad: Sirius Satellite TV

There may be peace in our time for suburban dads, and moms. I got an up-close look at Chrysler's new Sirius Satellite TV in the company's redesigned Town & Country minivan this week. While there is room to improve, there’s a lot of genius in the approach.

Here are the basics: Sirius will offer three channels — Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network — and, for my money, it couldn’t have chosen better. Programming from those three easily covers kids from the very young to the early teens. My kids — 13, 12 and 10 — watch all three liberally, catching such favorites as "Hannah Montana," "Spongebob Squarepants" and "Scooby-Doo."

Chrysler Debuts Sirius Backseat TV

File this under the fall of civilization. Chrysler announced today it will be the only car company to offer Sirius’ new Backseat TV. The new service will first be offered in the new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan minivans at a cost of $470, including the first year of service. The price does not include the actual screens, however, which must be purchased as part of Chrysler’s rear seat entertainment system package. There’s no price for the 2008 option, but the package in the outgoing 2007 Town & Country costs $990.

Only three channels will be offered at first, all offering family programming. They include Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. Sirius TV will also make its way to the 2008 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

We’re not sure if this will be a hit with only three channels of family programming — especially with the way kids like to watch the same DVDs over and over and over …

What do the parents out there think? Is this as revolutionary as the in-car DVD player?

2007 Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Chrysler Town & Country

The all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country is almost identical to the Dodge Grand Caravan we just posted about. They both seat seven and will feature the same array of engines when they hit dealers in the fall. For those interested in what’s moving your brood, the two minivans will come with a choice of three V-6 engines producing 240, 198 or 177 hp.

Unfortunately, the Town & Country also features the odd shifter placement on the dash, but with the images below we also get a look at a new option: ambient halo lighting. It gives the large cabin a nightlight appearance.

We’ll have more information on the Town & Country on Sunday and, as always, more photos are below.