2002 Chrysler Town & Country reviews and buying guide.

2002 Chrysler Town & Country

The recipe for a minivan is simple: a garageable van, easy entry and exit, chair-height seating, easy second-seat access, low flat floor, removable seats and front-wheel drive.

Continue to add minivan-first features and serve.

"We've been building on our successful minivan formula ever since we introduced the segment nearly 20 years ago," said Tom Marinelli, Vice President—Chrysler/Jeep® Global Brand Center, DaimlerChrysler Corporation. "Since then, we've sold more than nine million minivans worldwide. From entry-level to luxury, we continue to offer a complete menu of minivans with Voyager and Town & Country."

For 2002, the Chrysler brand offers two standard-wheelbase minivans: Voyager and Voyager LX. In addition, Chrysler offers seven extended-wheelbase minivans: Town & Country LX, Town & Country EX, Town & Country LXi, Town & Country Limited, Town & Country LX AWD (All-Wheel Drive), Town & Country LXi AWD, and Town & Country Limited AWD. New exterior colors include Light Almond and Onyx Green.

In addition to offering new features in 2002, Chrysler launched Town & Country EX directly into the heart of the minivan market where prices range from $26,000 to $27,000. Between Chrysler and Dodge, the Chrysler Group has a 52-percent market share for minivans priced below $20,000, a 30-percent market share for minivans priced between $20,000 - $30,000, and a 37-percent market share for minivans priced above $30,000.

Aggressively priced between $26,000 and $27,000, Town & Country EX is an extended-wheelbase minivan that features a power-up and power-down liftgate, removable power center console, split 50/50 Easy Out® roller seats, three-zone temperature control, four-wheel disc brakes with traction control and a 215-horsepower 3.8-liter V-6 engine, the most powerful engine in the segment. Other features include a passenger-side power-sliding door, second row bucket seats, power eight-way driver's seat, roof rack, 16-inch tires and aluminum wheels.

The 2002 Chrysler Voyager and Town & Country offer a variety of minivan-first features including:
• Industry-first power up and down liftgate*
• Industry-first removable, powered center console*
• Power dual sliding doors, allowing for manual override, powered by an industry-first inside-the-door motor*
• Industry-first power sliding door obstacle detection system for opening and closing
• Minivan-first three-zone automatic temperature control system*
• Minivan-first pop-up rear cargo organizer*
• Minivan-first split 50/50 Easy Out roller seats
• Minivan-first wireless headphones for Rear Seat Video® entertainment system
*Available only on Town & Country minivan models.

New Features for 2002
Following are additional features to look for in the new 2002 Chrysler Voyager and Town & Country:
Adjustable pedals. With adjustable pedals, drivers will have the ability to adjust their accelerator and brake pedals up to 2.75 inches (70 mm) rearward. Memory adjustable pedals will be standard and available only on Town & Country Limited.

DVD. DVD Rear Seat Video® entertainment system features an integrated in-dash installation that plays video DVDs and audio CDs. System comes complete with two sets of wireless headphones and a 7 x 6.4-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

Rear seat remote audio system. This feature comes with two sets of minivan-first wireless headphones and allows individual occupants to listen to whatever they want when they want, despite what is playing on the main sound system. For example, front seat occupants could listen to a football game while rear seat passengers listen to a CD on their wireless headphones.

Electronic Convenience Group. This includes a tire pressure monitoring system, Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), and third row rear courtesy reading lamps. The tire pressure monitoring system alerts the driver when tire pressure drops below a pre-determined level. In addition, the system allows the driver to constantly monitor tire pressure when the vehicle is being operated.

Safety
Following are safety features to look for in 2002 Chrysler Voyager and Town & Country minivans:
• Intermediate seats include LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tether for Children) child seat anchorage system
• Driver and passenger air bag(s) with multi-stage inflators to deliver appropriate restraint
for the severity of impact
• Available supplemental side impact air bags for front outboard occupants
• Front seat belt system pretensioners and constant-force retractors for added occupant protection
• Increased head injury protection for occupants in all seating positions
• Body structure impact resistance upgraded to meet highest common denominator of domestic and international requirements
• Automatic transaxle brake-park interlock
• Available security alarm system with Sentry Key™ engine immobilizer
• Tire pressure monitor

Minivan Market Facts
The minivan market remains vibrant. For the 2000 calendar year, the entire minivan segment climbed to an all-time high of 1.6 million sales. Even with more than 15 competitive name-plates from which to choose, the Dodge and Chrysler brands continue to command more than 35 percent of the minivan segment with North American sales of 574,185 units in calendar year 2000.
In terms of total minivans sold, the Chrysler Group continues to outsell each of its nearest rivals, General Motors and Ford, by a nearly two-to-one margin, and Honda by nearly four-
to-one.