2003 Chrysler Town & Country and Voyager: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

First-time availability of a sunroof and reduced availability of antilock brakes are among 2003 revisions to these minivan companions. The luxury Town & Country is nearly a foot longer than Voyager, an entry-level model. The Dodge Caravan shares this design and most mechanical features. All Chrysler minivans seat seven and have two sliding side doors. Power operation for one or both side doors is available, and Town & Country offers a power liftgate. The 3rd-row seat in these minivans does not drop into the floor as on some rivals. The available 50-50 split 3rd-row bench has 55-lb portions that remove, recline, or fold. Town & Country offers a height-adjustable rear parcel shelf with pop-up storage dividers.

Voyager comes with a 4-cyl engine or a 3.3-liter V6. Town & Country offers V6s of 3.3 and 3.8 liters. All engines team with automatic transmission. Town & Country is available with all-wheel drive and comes with ABS as standard equipment. ABS is optional on the uplevel Voyager LX Popular, but is no longer available on the base Voyager LX Value. Front side airbags are available on all models. Curtain side airbags are not offered. For '03, power-adjustable pedals are new options. Town & Country changes for 2003 include: loss of eL and eX versions midyear; a newly optional sunroof for LXi and Limited; DVD rear-seat entertainment option for all except Base; and a power liftgate newly standard on LXi as well as Limited.

COMPETITION

Though the competition has heated up, we feel that Dodge Caravan is still one of the best minivans you can buy. It offers all of the creature comforts in a pleasing package at a fair price. Our other Best Buy is Honda Odyssey. It's sportier to drive, and it has a super-convenient flip-and-fold-away rear seat, but the ride can grow harsh at times.

Recommended Chevy Venture and Toyota Sienna are comparably priced and offer loads of neat features, but they can't match the road manners of our Best Buys. Mazda MPV makes it to the Recommended list this year as a reliable family hauler offering better fuel economy than competitors at a reasonable price. Also garnering Recommended ratings are the Chrysler Town & Country and Chrysler Voyager. Though they don't offer the Caravan's breadth of model choices, they are mechanically similar. Their entry-level models are a super value for the price.