The Inside

Chrysler has been routinely criticized for its subpar interior quality, and with good reason. One of the biggest issues has been blocky design and poor materials quality. Both of those problems have been remedied in the 2011 Town & Country's substantially updated cabin.

Even though the minivan's all-new dashboard is made of hard plastic, it has a nicely grained, low-gloss appearance. Overall, the new interior trim makes the van feel more luxurious than the Honda Odyssey, if not the new Nissan Quest. Considering where Chrysler interiors have been, this is a dramatic improvement.

Chrysler has updated one of its signature minivan features for 2011: Stow 'n Go second-row seats. The seats, which are standard, fold into the floor with just one touch of a lever, articulating forward and into bins in the floor. (If the bin isn't open or the front seat isn't far enough forward, the seat just flips forward to make it easier to access the third row.) Chrysler says the Stow 'n Go seats are now larger for better comfort, but you still sit pretty low to the floor in them, which limits their appeal for adult passengers. Traditional second-row bucket seats are optional.

    See also:

    Trailer Tongue Weight (TW)
    The TW is the downward force exerted on the hitch ball by the trailer. In most cases it should not be less than 10% or more than 15% of the trailer load. You must consider this as part of the lo ...

    Seat Belt Pretensioner
    The seat belts for both front seating positions are equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to remove slack from the seat belt in the event of an accident. These devices may improv ...

    Chassis
    ...