The Town & Country's best engine is found in the Limited model. Its 4.0-liter makes 251 horsepower, which puts it in the ballpark with the V6s offered by Nissan, Honda and Toyota. The 4.0 gets the Town & Country moving nicely from a stop and teams with a six-speed automatic transmission to provide decent passing response. With the 4.0-liter V6, the Town & Country has EPA fuel economy ratings of 16 mpg City and 23 Highway. Properly equipped, the Town & Country is rated to tow up to 3600 pounds with the 4.0, enough for personal watercraft or a small boat.
The available 3.8-liter V6 makes 197 horsepower, and it offers plenty of pep for daily commutes and most needs. Teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission, this powertrain is fairly responsive, but the problem still lingers that this engine is just not as modern and powerful as many others from the competition. The 3.8-liter V6 has the same EPA ratings as the 4.0.
The base 3.3-liter V6 makes 170 horsepower and uses the old four-speed automatic. While the EPA fuel economy numbers of 17 mpg City and 24 Highway are respectable, they are little better than the bigger engines and the 3.3 is overmatched in this large vehicle.
On the road, the Town & Country cruises quietly, especially with the 4.0-liter V6. All of the engines can intrude on conversation under full throttle, but tire noise and wind noise generally don't.
The biggest news for 2009 is the addition of two new safety systems. The new Blind Spot Monitoring system uses radar sensors to detect vehicles in the van's blind spots and warns the driver with lights in the side mirrors or a driver-selectable chime that sounds like the seat belt chime. I found it works well, but like similar systems offered by other manufacturers it can sometimes give false readings. It's still important to look before you change lanes.
The new Rear Cross Path system is activated when the van is in reverse. It uses radar sensors to detect vehicles crossing behind the Town & Country and warns the driver with lights in the side mirrors and that same chime. The system won't detect small objects, like pedestrians, so it's still important to proceed slowly. It does, however, detect vehicles up to 20 meters away, and is programmed to recognize the speed of oncoming vehicles and alert the driver only if they are traveling at a speed that could lead to an accident (in other words, stationary and very slow moving vehicles probably won't register). I like this system. It works well and is especially useful in parking lots given the proliferation of SUVs and minivans on the road today. Next Page