Form follows function in the minivan world, so they are not the first category we think of when we think of stylish designs. In spite of this, the Town & Country presents a sleek, solid stance. It looks aerodynamic in profile, with a raked windshield, rising roofline and beltline, and fast D-pillar with canted rear window. Crisp, formal creases have replaced the smooth forms of the 1990s. Pronounced wheel arches complement sharp character lines that flank the integrated grille. For visual stability, rear styling cues give the Town & Country a weighty appearance that makes it look wider and not as tall. Huge taillamps use clear red lenses and jewel-like reflectors.There's nothing mini about this minivan. The Town & Country is about the same length as the biggest minivans on the market. It measures 200.5 inches long and 78.6 inches wide. The Town & Country stretches across a longer wheelbase (119.3 inches) than the Chrysler Voyager (113.3 inches). By comparison, the Honda Odyssey is 201 inches long on a 118-inch wheelbase; the Oldsmobile Silhouette measures 201.4 inches on a 120-inch wheelbase; and the Ford Windstar stretches 201 inches across a 120.7-inch wheelbase. Dual sliding doors are, of course, standard on all Town & Country models. A right-side power sliding door comes standard on the EX and dual power sliding doors are standard on LXi and Limited models. These sliding doors can add considerable convenience to your daily life, particularly for those of us who often find ourselves with armloads of stuff. Press a button on the remote transmitter and the door slides open; press the button again and it slides closed and seals. From the second-row seat, the power sliding door can be opened and closed by pressing a button; it can also be opened manually. A child safety lock switch hidden away on the trailing edge of the door can be engaged to prevent opening the sliding door from inside. The power doors work particularly well when managing children and armloads of stuff. Pulling on the outside lever opens the power door manually, with just slightly more effort than opening a regular manual door. Our LX came with a power sliding door on the passenger's side and a manually operated sliding door on the driver's-side; the manually operated door is easy to operate, smoothly sliding open and closed with the pull of a nicely designed lever. The outside door handles are comfortable, easy to operate and well designed; they impart a feeling of quality in looks and operation. Power sliding doors in various combinations are available as options on models that don't offer them as standard equipment. An available power rear liftgate adds further convenience when picking up groceries or supplies: Press a button on the remote control and the rear liftgate opens or closes automatically-great for those all-too-frequent times when you're walking up with an armload.
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