SW17LS

The Sedona is a good deal. $43,500 fully loaded with advanced tech, a similar Sienna is $48k. The Odyssey isn't available with that tech at all, still a loaded Elite is $46k. It does seem smaller on the outside, we'll see on the inside.

Most glaring omission on the Sedona is a good widescreen rear entertainment system. That's a deal killer for a lot of people.

I could wait for the new T&C,we talked about that today. We would just need to maybe rent a van for road trips.

mmarshall

Might me somewhat of a wait. It will be marketed as a 2017 model, not displayed till next January at Detroit, and then not in production for a while after that.

Here's some advance info, though, and exterior/interior spy-shots:


http://www.caranddriver.com/news/201...ls-emerge-news


What It Is: This is the same cobbled-together prototype for the next-generation Chrysler Town & Country minivan that our spies snagged photos of last year. This time, our spy photographers managed to get up close and personal with the T&C, illuminating previously dark details about Chrysler’s people mover.

Why It Matters: When the Town & Country debuts sometime next year as a 2017 model, it will do so as Chrysler’s only minivan—no longer will there be a Dodge-branded twin. The Dodge Grand Caravan will die about the same time that the new Town & Country hits the scene, to be replaced by a new, three-row crossover. That means the T&C will be left on its own to do battle against the Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest, and Toyota Sienna.

As evidenced by the minivan paring at Fiat-Chrysler, the Town & Country is being developed for sale to a public rapidly losing interest in such vehicles. Chrysler needs to nail it to capture a greater share of that shrinking buyer pool, a task sure to be made more difficult by the showroom presence of a Chrysler-badged version of the three-row crossover replacing the Dodge Grand Caravan. And Chrysler also needs the Town & Country to be a win for reasons of pride: The company created the modern minivan segment, and the proverbial pie will be all over the proverbial face if its entry fizzles.


Platform: The Town & Country prototype seen here is pretty much a blank canvas onto which a lot of random Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, and Ram pieces have been scattered. As we noted when we last spotted this haggard test mule, the body appears to sit lower than the current Town & Country, and the roof has a crossover-like taper that indicates Chrysler is at least trying to make the van stylish. None of this is news, however. What is fresh is that for the first time, we’ve gotten a look at the prototype’s interior and its rear suspension. Predictably, the interior is a mishmash of Dodge Durango pieces—witness the center stack, digital gauge cluster, and steering wheel. Expect these items to become more “Chrysler-y” for production.

As for the rear suspension, it looks as though the T&C switches from a twist-beam rear axle to a multilink arrangement. Given how the exhaust and some underbody shielding pass beneath the axle, and that the suspension components we can see sit at an angle, it seems unlikely that there is a full-width stick axle down there. This might sound minor, but it bodes well for the van’s interior packaging. When we last spotted this test car, we speculated that the current-generation van’s clever Stow ’n Go folding rear seats may be binned, as there is no way the lower-looking floor could fit both the folding seats and, well, the rear suspension. An independent suspension, on the other hand, leaves more space for underbody components like the exhaust, the fuel tank, and optional all-wheel-drive bits, possibly leaving room above for disappearing seats even with the chopped roofline.

Powertrain: So far, we know only that the 2017 Town & Country will be offered with a plug-in-hybrid powertrain. In a segment not known for powertrain choices, a plug-in option will be bold and unique—the van’s competitors all offer just a single engine/transmission combo. As for the nonhybrid T&C, engine possibilities depend largely on how much weight Chrysler can strip out of its minivan. If it can yank a lot of tonnage out of the T&C, Chrysler could get away with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and its ZF-designed nine-speed automatic. If the van turns out to be porky, don’t be surprised if Chrysler leans on its venerable 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine, which also could be mated to the nine-speed. Front-wheel drive will be standard, but all-wheel drive may return as an option.


Competition: Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna.

Estimated Arrival and Price: Chrysler has told us via its widely publicized future product plans to expect the 2017 Town & Country to appear sometime next year. Chrysler also has furnished a vague base price, its brand chief recently saying that the new minivan will start at about $26,000. At that price, Chrysler will leave a few Grand Caravan buyers in the cold—the most basic 2015 Dodge van can be had for just under $23K—but will end up more closely aligned with the base prices of its competition. Fully loaded Town & Countrys will stretch all the way up to mid-$40,000 territory.

SW17LS

Yeah I read that. One of the reasons were thinking about leasing this van as opposed to buying it. Originally I had figured buy it and keep it for 7-8 years until the kids are old enough we could go back to an SUV. With stuff advancing so fast though, I don't know.

TangoRed

For the record, they made plans for the T&C to starts directly after the January auto show, with it hitting the streets no later than mid-Feb. It being labeled as a 2017 is purely for marketing purposes, as regulations allow cars of a given model year to be sold starting on January 2 of the previous calendar year.

Sulu

I sat in a Sedona (sorry don't remember the trim level) at the recent Toronto Autoshow. I was disappointed. It was really showing its age -- it did not seem to wear well at all. The light-coloured leather seats were very well-worn and stained, and plastic seemed very cheap and badly scratched.

Granted it was an Autoshow Special but wear-and-tear suggested a 5-year old or older vehicle, not a brand new model off the lot.

rxonmymind

While I absolutely love my RX for adults the Sienna would be my go to long distance traveler with kids hands down. Loved my old one and I still miss it. Sold it with 337k. This next generation looks snappy with excellent consul layout and interior looks clean.
Several things stood out that I liked in my 2006:
Small turning radius for such a large vehicle.
Easy to steer
Getting in & out was great.
Storage was not a problem. Fit a 96" couch in there
The vent from the front to the back seat could be felt. Thus cooling & heating the interior quickly. Powerful fan.
Cup hoders galore & excellent lighting.
Comfort. Kids loved to have their space.
Best of all I still got 25 mpg +-2 miles after 337k. Solid gas milage for a van. Unlike my RX which gets 19mpg avg.

Would have LOVED to had those reclining seats in mine! Aya! Sweet.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

uh showing its age? it's a BRAND NEW design out now.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

My neighbor just bought a new Sedona. Wow what a nice vehicle. Very surprised at how loaded it is and handsome it looks. He replaced an older Odyssey which self imploded on the highway (transmission). The full options package, leather, entertainment system, is really beautiful inside. The ride is very nice even over bad roads, but you do feel it. Felt like a good compromise between a boat like float and a firm ride. If I were in the market for a minivan, this would be my top choice of the models out right now.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

it (sedona) must be selling pretty well in my area as i've seen a bunch already. i almost never see siennas out there.

LexBob2

Sales thru March 7,670 about 5 times the sales vs. last year. Not too shabby.

stlgrym3

iTrader: (4)

yeah, but that same Sedona will worth about the same as a one year old Sienna LE or Odyssey LX after one year.

Sulu

I was saying that the interior was in terrible shape for a brand new model. The interior looked like a well-abused 5-year (or more) old car. Leather was worn with a LOT of transfer stains (a grey interior was almost black) and plastic was in absolutely terrible shape.

I did not expect that level of wear-and-tear on a brand new model, even an autoshow special, unless it is the same display model Kia ships all across North America to all autoshows. But it can't be, since there is such an overlap or at least close scheduling from January (Detroit, DC), through February and March (Chicago, Montreal, Toronto and others) to Apri (New York). One or 2 display models would not be enough to cover all the large and small autoshows, which proves my point that the interior will not wear well.

SW17LS

Yeah but I'm not really worried about that. We'll either lease it, or we'll keep it to where its fully depreciated.

JDR76

The styling of the Odyssey does not appeal to me, so it would be between the Sedona and the Sienna. I have lots of experience driving a Sienna, so I would need some time behind the wheel of the Sedona to make an informed decision.

It's hard to beat the utility of a minivan. We plan on replacing our current RX with a 4RX next year, but before we do that we'll probably take another look at vans.

SW17LS

I think the best looking fan is unquestionably the Odyssey...