1996 Chrysler Town and Country Lxi The gold standard in minivans. By Ray Thursby, New Car Test Drive .com

It goes almost without saying that the world of minivans is Chrysler's turf. Since

1984, the company has been building--and the public has been buying--the vans other

manufacturers love to emulate. Whether sold with Plymouth (Voyager), Dodge (Caravan)

or Chrysler (Town & Country) badges, these not-so-boxy boxes have set industry

standards for value, comfort and space utilization. Now, thanks to last year's total

makeover, they set the standard in style as well.

Style is important here. These are family machines, vehicles that have replaced sedans

in many households. Whether taking the kids to school, providing vacation transport or

going out for an evening on the town, they are expected to look right. And they do.

As you'd expect, Chrysler's discovery of a new and profitable market didn't go

unnoticed. Since the mid-1980s, Ford has jumped into the fray with its Aerostar and

Windstar minis, GM offers its rear-drive Astro and Safari, plus its plastic-skinned

vans with Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile labels, and imports such as the Toyota

Previa, Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager and Mazda MPV have joined in.

Among the contenders, Windstar comes closest to matching the Chrysler trio. In some

subjective areas, this challenger has shown the veteran a few new tricks. GM has

lagged behind, but will rectify that in 1997 when a trio of all-new, steel-bodied

minivans comes to market.

But despite all the competition, Chrysler continues to lead the way in both style and

sales.

Though our test drive centered on the Town & Country, Caravan and Voyager are

identical in structure, similar in powertrain and equipment. Differences will be

noted, but most subjective evaluations apply to all three. If you like the T&C, but

want to save a few bucks, you'll almost certainly be happy with Caravan and Voyager.