Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Next-gen Chrysler minivan to see return of all-wheel drive, spawn second model

Sergio Marchionne has reportedly confirmed that the next Chrysler Town & Country minivan will be available with all-wheel drive. According to The Detroit News, Marchionne has also confirmed that this vehicle will continue to be a traditional minivan, but the company also plans to spin off a crossover-style people mover as well, a model that which hasn't been finalized yet.

The new platform will also allow Chrysler to narrow the minivan's track, which helps attract European buyers. The fate of Stow 'n Go seating, the feature whose packaging requirements is understood to have killed all-wheel drive back in 2004, remains to be seen. Though the new models were scheduled to arrive in 2014, Marchionne has apparently also pushed up the timetable for their release, and they will likely surface in 2013.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/03/n...l-wheel-drive/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

AWD will be a good addition, so would the 8-speed auto slated to arrive in other Pentastar vehicles. If this crossover style car does come to fruition, It'll probably pay homage to the Pacifica which also played a supporting roll for Chryslers van a few years ago

SLegacy99

Not sure why AWD was ever dropped.

Fizzboy7

Never knew the AWD had been dropped. Lame move for scores of foul-weather families across the nation.

mmarshall

Yes, the Sienna has ben the only minivan inthe American market with an AWD option for some time now. The AWD was dropped on the Dodge/Chrysler minivans several years ago because, with it, the Stow-and-Go seats couldn't fold up under the vehicle like customers wanted. At the time, the easy-flip seats were (apparantly) more in demand with the majority of customers than the AWD. The next-geneation minivans, of course, will probably be designed for both.

One option I'd like to see come back (though I don't have kids myself), is the built-in, DOT-approved, easy-to-use, flip-down child-safety seats in back. They were a Godsend for many parents with very small children. Just pull the seat down with a strap, sit Junior down on it, and buckle up.....no struggling and squirming with an aftermarket child-seat. The Dodge/Chrysler vans had that option some years ago, but I have seen it much lately.