More power

Wouldn't you know? Just as minivans decline in popularity and sales, they're adding some of the best features ever.

Minivan pioneer Chrysler, now privately owned and known as Chrysler LLC, is leading the way with 2008 vans that boast new styling, a roomy, quieter interior, additional safety equipment, novel swivel seats, and a work/lunch table inside.

Indeed, the top-of-the-line Chrysler Town & Country minivan -- debuting in showrooms as a fifth-generation, front-wheel drive vehicle -- can be equipped akin to a family room, with up to three video screens, integrated booster seats, dishwasher-safe cup holders and satellite TV.

Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $23,190 for a much more plebeian, base 2008 Town & Country LX with cloth seats, manual, front air conditioning, manual sliding side doors, 175-horsepower, 3.3-liter V-6 and four-speed automatic transmission.

But the test Town & Country Limited with leather seating, power sliding side doors, automatic, three-zone air conditioning, 251-horsepower V-6 with six-speed automatic plus optional rear entertainment system and Sirius satellite TV totaled more than $38,000.

This is about the same as the $39,000 MSRP plus destination charge for a top 2007 Honda Odyssey Touring model that doesn't have all the features the test Limited has.

And the top 2007 Nissan Quest SE starts at more than $35,000.

Styling is debatable, but the 2008 Town & Country, with 6 additional inches at the sides of the roof, looks more upright and less graceful, less sleek than its predecessor. It also has the biggest silver-colored grille I've ever seen on a minivan.

Still, there's no arguing the interior roominess is as impressive as ever. All three rows of seats are comfortable for someone my size -- 5-foot-4 -- and even a 6-footer can be accommodated in any of the rows.

Save for an intermittent whistle that seemed to emanate from between the exterior sheet metal in crosswinds and some wind noise by the outside mirrors, the Town & Country tester rode quietly, with nary any road noise from the tires.

The interior was so quiet, in fact, I initially mistook the rear ventilation fan for a wind leak at the back of the test van.

Features are plentiful. Middle and third-row seats can "Stow 'N Go" -- fold individually into cavities in the floor. It did take a bit of muscle to push the seats down into the floor in the tester, however.

But best of all, perhaps, are two separate, second-row seats that can -- when the sliding side doors are open -- rotate 180 degrees to face rearward for a more social setting.

A removable plastic table even slots into the floor to serve as a lunch table, a homework table, a task table or whatever.

And everyone can remain safely belted.

I heard the athletic V-6 mildly and mostly during acceleration in the test van. But it wasn't overly intrusive, and the shift points from the smooth-operating, six-speed automatic transmission were negligible.

The stubby shift lever takes some getting used to, though. It's up on the dashboard, to the right of the steering wheel.

The Town & Country Limited merged with confidence into city traffic, and it passed cars on the highway with surprising ease.

The 2008 Town & Country adds a third V-6 to the two offered last year.

The base, 3.3-liter unit has improved get up and go with 205 foot-pounds of torque tuned for better response. This smaller V-6 and the midlevel, 197-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 with 230 foot-pounds of torque have an older, overhead valve design.

New to Town & Country for 2008 and standard in the Limited is a 4-liter, single overhead cam V-6 with 259 foot-pounds of torque. It's the most powerful V-6 in a minivan today and compares with the Odyssey's 244-horsepower V-6 and the 235-horse V-6 in Nissan's Quest.

This 4-liter V-6 also is an option on the top version of the Town & Country's sibling van, the Dodge Grand Caravan.

But it's good to know that even the biggest, most powerful Town & Country engine doesn't reduce fuel economy too much. The government rating for the 2008 Town & Country Limited with 4-liter V-6 is 16 miles per gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

This is just a tad lower than the 17/24-mpg rating for an Odyssey with variable cylinder management that automatically shuts down some engine cylinders when not needed in a fuel-saving mode.

The fuel economy for the 4-liter V-6 benefits from the fact it's mated to a minivan-first, six-speed automatic with gears that are developed to maximize fuel efficiency. The Odyssey comes with a five-speed transmission.

The Town & Country already had curtain air bags, antilock brakes and the like. For 2008, stationary, non-deploying knee blockers are added for front-seat riders to help keep them from submarining under the dashboard in frontal crashes.

Previous-generation Town & Country vans had "fair" reliability, according to Consumer Reports magazine.