Errr-- American/German... . You get the picture.
As Ford confirmed that it will not resume production of its Freestar minivan at its Oakville, Ontario, plant. Ford discontinued the virtually identical Mercury Monterey minivan in August.
Although Ford had previously said it would extend the Freestar through the 2007 model year, it decided instead to concentrate on building the new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers, which are also produced in Oakville.
Ford is planning to replace its minivan next year with a new full-size crossover based on the Ford Fairlane concept.
And as you remember, GM is leaving the minivan segment just like Ford.
http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=6&i=144707&t=144707#144707
So the only American nameplate minivan will be from Chrysler. It will go solo againt the Koreans and Japaneses offerings. Coming in the fall, the 5th gen vans carries an all new design and 35 new and improved features. A key feature is the Swivel 'n Go seating system which features second row seats capable of swiveling 180-degrees to face the third row and a removable table that is installed between the two rows. The feature also offers an available second row integrated child booster. Powertrain offerings include a new 4.0-liter 240-hp V6, 3.8-liter 198-hp V6 and 3.3-liter flex-fuel 170-hp V6
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
looks kinda like an aspen. i do like the 180 degree swivel seats. thats something i wish i had when i was riding in minivans around the country
MIAMI HEAT
NBA CHAMPS!!!
Oh well, I dont think ill ever buy a Minivan, but if I did, the last Generation Montana was the only one i would be caught dead in..
Found some pics, and if they don't work,
CLICK HERE
The interior is pretty cool, might actually somewhat be able to compete with the Honda for a change. However I do think the exterior sucks, I think Dodge picked a very tacky overall design to make their entire lineup look like. I myself work for a Dodge dealership, and I can tell you that they are taking a turn for the worse with all of this German influence (as far as the way they are built, they are just becoming a major PITA to take apart, plus the prices for all the parts are going up). Thats a biased opinion, but I judge a car's quality on the craftsmanship and engineering that went into making them easy to work on and also durable. I'm just overall annoyed with most American cars lately, either they are trying to be different and edgy with these ugly designs, or they just don't realize how boring their designs are and how cheap their interiors feel.
-- John
I like it actually. it's totally a retro look for the van. It's like they are taking the look of the original 80's era 1st gen vans and updating them. i dig it.
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
I would always look to Chrysler first for a minivan.
Their new version looks great... I can't wait to see how Startech will tune it
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Startech? The computer accessory people?
PAX
I like the idea of those seats and the table.... now all they need to do is add more optional luxury aspects to it (perhaps sell an upscale one under a different brand?) so that they are available as an almost limo like vehicle and then hopefully they can shake the stodgy, boring mini-van image. That'd hopefully reduce the number of
Stupid
Urban
Vehicles on the road.
brew-san wrote:I like the idea of those seats and the table.... now all they need to do is add more optional luxury aspects to it (perhaps sell an upscale one under a different brand?) so that they are available as an almost limo like vehicle and then hopefully they can shake the stodgy, boring mini-van image. That'd hopefully reduce the number of Stupid Urban Vehicles on the road.
Well, I know it is not apparent, but...
Chrysler is suppose to be the "upscale" section of DCX.
Dodge is the "average" section of DCX.
So I think Chrysler would be the section you're talking about.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
Minivan drivers scare the @!#$ out of me as much as SUV drivers, both of them cant drive without a cellphone in one hand yapping away while not paying attention to the lane they're supposed to be in.
I'd rather get hit by a 2500lb car than a 4000-5000lb monster, getting more of them off the road is a good thing in my opinion.
i like it, and honestly chrysler has always had the best mini-vans i think. honda and toyota do have the best quality vans, i have herd the nissan one is a POS.
i thought the astro was good just because you could acctually tow and use them for working, i belive they were on a full-frame.
Admiral558 wrote:Minivan drivers scare the @!#$ out of me as much as SUV drivers, both of them cant drive without a cellphone in one hand yapping away while not paying attention to the lane they're supposed to be in.
I'd rather get hit by a 2500lb car than a 4000-5000lb monster, getting more of them off the road is a good thing in my opinion.
Minivan drivers probably aren't much better than SUV drivers but at least they are driving a mini-van instead of an SUV.
Goodwrench, yeah I'd forgotten Chysler is supposed to be DC's upscale brand when compared to Dodge. ugh.. I can't believe I'm supposed to hear Chrysler and think upscale. In my head, they not even on par with Buick.
I'd hate to say it but alot of the Caravan and Town & Country is now made in Germany.
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