2010 Chrysler Town and Country Review

For 2010, the Chrysler Town & Country adopts active front-seat headrests and midway through the year, a new Touring Plus trim debuts.

Despite loads of innovative, family-friendly features, the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country doesn't come recommended due to its shoddy build quality and interior.

The 2010 Chrysler Town & Country is an example of something that looks great on paper but is a letdown when experienced over some time in the real world. Before we took ownership of the Town & Country's corporate twin, the Dodge Grand Caravan, for a yearlong test of a 2008 model, we had high hopes for this luxury-themed minivan. After all, it offered many impressive, family-friendly features including a powerful 4.0-liter V6 engine, versatile seating and cargo configurations, and a comfortable interior. Although we thought some of the cabin's materials were lackluster, we felt we could live with that, given the van's other strong points.

However, our happy tune quickly changed to one of disappointment. Unless the Town & Country's fancy wood accents and analog clock somehow make a miraculous difference, both vans have gone from being top choices to resting at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to overall quality. In that long-term Grand Caravan we encountered a number of problems, ranging from a finicky radio and passenger sliding door to constant creaks and rattles. The build quality was disappointing as well, with one instance of the rear bumper plastic warping to the point where we couldn't open the tailgate. It wasn't just us, either; our consumer reviews of the Grand Caravan reveal many similar complaints.

As you've figured out by now, the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country is not exactly a paragon of the automaker's art. Yes, it has a number of unique and useful features such as Swivel 'n Go seating, Stow 'n Go seating, a dual-screen rear entertainment system and even Sirius Satellite TV. But sadly, in our opinion, none of that is enough to overcome its subpar build and materials quality. Competing minivans like the Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona and Toyota Sienna and full-size crossovers like the Buick Enclave and Ford Flex would be much better choices for a family-oriented hauler.

The front-wheel-drive 2010 Chrysler Town & Country can be equipped with one of three V6 engine choices. The base LX trim gets a 3.3-liter V6 good for 175 horsepower and 205 pound-feet of torque. A four-speed automatic is standard. Fuel economy for this engine is disappointing, given its meager output -- 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined.

The Touring and Touring Plus come standard with a 3.8-liter V6 that produces 197 hp and 230 lb-ft of torque. Optional on the Touring Plus and standard on the Limited is a more modern 4.0-liter V6 making 251 hp and 259 lb-ft of torque. Both of these engines come with a six-speed automatic. Despite their differing power outputs, they also get the same fuel economy at 16 city/23 highway and 18 mpg combined. The T&C Limited goes from zero to 60 mph in 8.8 seconds, which is rather quick for a minivan.

The 2010 Town & Country comes standard with antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, active front-seat headrests and full-length side curtain airbags. Optional on all trims are second-row integrated child booster seats (requires Swivel 'n Go). Optional on all but the LX is the Security Group, which adds rear parking sensors (standard on Limited), a blind-spot monitoring system and Rear Cross Path. The latter feature aids drivers any time the vehicle is in reverse by warning of cross traffic in both directions to prevent the minivan from being T-boned.

In government crash tests, the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country scored a perfect five stars in all frontal- and side-impact categories. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing, the Grand Caravan also scored the best possible rating of "Good" in the frontal-offset and side-impact crash tests.

Minivans are not intended to be sports cars, so the T&C's handling is about what you'd expect and midpack for the segment. This Chrysler is easy to drive and park, but the overall driving experience hardly matches that of the highly refined Honda Odyssey. The interior remains quiet even at highway speeds, and the 4.0-liter V6 makes the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited one of the swiftest minivans available. The 3.8-liter V6 delivers adequate, if not spectacular, acceleration. The 3.3-liter engine, however, is a slug and doesn't provide any significant fuel economy benefit.

The Town & Country's design theme is rather utilitarian, although dollops of faux wood trim, chrome accents and an analog clock brighten things up. Audio controls are mounted up high for easy use and viewing (although the optional touchscreen and its menus can be cumbersome). The climate controls are located a little too low on the center stack and require a downward glance away from the road. As indicated earlier, the Town & Country's materials quality is worse than all its competitors, while build quality is shoddy at best.

Like all minivans, the Town & Country has its share of innovative convenience features. The most notable are the various second-row seating choices. Standard Stow 'n Go features a pair of captain's chairs that disappear into the floor (as does the third row) creating a perfectly flat load floor with no hernia-causing seat lifts. Unfortunately, due to their short seatbacks, the Stow 'n Go chairs aren't as comfortable as conventional chairs. Those offered by the Swivel 'n Go system feature higher seatbacks and are thus more comfortable. As the name suggests, these seats can be spun around to create a trainlike face-to-face traveling experience for second- and third-row passengers. Fittingly, a pole-mounted table can be placed between both rows with Swivel 'n Go.

Other innovative features include two rear video screens (one swivels), a power-folding third row, under-floor storage, Sirius Satellite TV, ambient cabin lighting, a pop-out cargo-area-mounted flashlight and a driver-door umbrella holder. With all the rear seating flat, the T&C can carry up to 140 cubic feet of cargo.