Minivans have always been practical vehicles, but they've also typically been large vehicles as well and while their gas mileage isn't as bad as a truck, they're not setting any fuel economy records either. Chrysler, the company that brought you the minivan in the first place, is well aware of this and for 2009, has increased the average fuel economy of the Chrysler Town and Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan by 8% on models equipped with the top-of-the-line 4.0L V-6.
For 2009, the optimized engine receives an extra 11 hp and 6 lb-ft along with a fuel economy boost. Combined with revised gear ratios in its six-speed automatic, the minivan's fuel economy improves to 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. Additionally, stability control becomes standard standard. The asking price for these more efficient minivans starts at $26,500.
"Chrysler and Dodge minivans continue to lead the segment," said Larry Lyons, Vice President of the Car and Minivan Product Team at Chrysler. "With an improved 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine and a minivan-first six-speed transmission, no other minivan has better fuel economy. We optimized both the engine and the transmission to give our customers the fuel economy they want, and the power and responsiveness they expect."
Some of you may recall we that we have a 2008 Town and Country downstairs in the Motor Trend garage right now and so far, it's been reliable and generally popular with the staff. We've been averaging between 18 and 19 mpg combined in our tester, which is EPA rated at 16 city/23 highway. It's not quite as powerful as the new '09, but the 240 hp and 253 lb-ft move it around just fine. You can check out our latest update here.
Source: Chrysler