2017 seems so far away, but all the information we have available at this point suggests that Chrysler is doing some very serious testing of the next generation 2017 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. It’s supposed to launch at the end of 2016 as a 2017 model. Perhaps, they are accelerating this vehicle to come out as a 2016 model?
This early testing mule still has very heavy camouflage and is wearing a collection of parts from Chrysler’s component bin. The headlights look very similar to those on the 2015 Chrysler 200 sedan. The tail-lights appear to be Dodge Durango units. The exterior mirrors are small and appear out of place.
Nonetheless, we can tell that Chrysler is serious about the next generation minivan. The company also announced that there will no longer be a next generation Dodge Caravan, that went along with the Town & Country for all these years.  This will make the Chrysler minivan the only traditional American van on the market. Yes, there are also the Ford Transit Connect, Ram ProMaster City, and the Chevy City Express, but these are a new breed of minivan that have smaller exterior dimensions and commercial van roots. Ford even calls their Transit Connect – the “Unminivan“.
The next Town & Country is likely to be powered by a choice of Pentastar V6 engines: the 3.6L or the 3.2L. Chrysler will surely make use of their 9-speed automatic, and there are rumors of a hybrid power train. This would make it the only hybrid minivan that we know of coming down the line.
Check out this fun and informative TFLcar review of the 2014 Honda Odyssey.
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, video producer, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFL since 2011.
