The Town & Country presents a sleek, solid stance and remains an attractive vehicle, even if it isn't the newest design. Subtle styling changes freshen the looks for 2005. Chrysler's winged badge now extends the width of the grille, which now features four horizontal chromed bars. New dual headlamps and a new front fascia includes a better integrated license plate frame and new circular fog lamps. New cladding with chromed inserts highlights the side view. And a new rear fascia includes chromed inserts for the rear park-assist system.

The Chrysler Town & Country looks aerodynamic in profile, with its raked windshield, rising roofline and beltline, and fast D-pillars framing canted rear windows. Pronounced wheel arches complement sharp character lines that flank the integrated grille. Rear-end styling tends to make Town & Country look wider and not as tall as it really is. Huge taillamps feature clear red lenses and jewel-like reflectors. The black piece of trim below the rear bumper for the park-assist looks tacked on.

There's nothing mini about today's minivans, and the Town & Country ranks among the largest. All but the base model are built on a long wheelbase.

Power sliding doors on both sides add convenience when moving passengers. They're particularly useful when you find yourself herding children while carrying two armloads of gear. Press the button on the remote transmitter twice and the door slides open; press it twice 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 safety lock switch hidden on the trailing edge of the door can be engaged to prevent a child from opening the sliding door from inside. The power sliding doors can be fussy when passengers are in a hurry to get out, however, and they usually are. Pulling on the outside lever opens the power door manually, with just slightly more effort than opening a regular manual door.

Some models come with manually operated sliding doors, which are 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 appearance and operation. All door handles should be this good, but they aren't.

A power rear liftgate is available that adds convenience when picking up groceries or supplies. Press a button on the remote control and the liftgate opens or closes automatically. It's great feature for those all-too-frequent times when you approach the van with an armload.

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