European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday july 19, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13 plenty of room is what the town amp country minivan is All about is top of the line minivan styling features Wood Grain applique treatment a place Quot Alloy wheels. Is town amp country accent on luxury the Chrysler town amp country could Well Quality for the title of a ultimate  strictly luxurious and with every conceivable item of equipment it is Chrys Lerus top of the line Mim Van in a category that the automaker a a invented in 1984. And it is a Market that Chrysler continues to dominate with the lesser priced but similar Plymouth voyager and Dodge caravan models leading the charge. We spent some time recently with the town amp country provided by Chrysler military sales and the luxury features made an immediate impression. After All its not often that one enters a big seven passenger a family limousines with an Interior that features All leather upholstery from front to Back. The front bucket scats and two big Bench seats get this treatment. Then add a Matching Camel Tan leather wrapped tilt steering wheel leather trim on the Side panels full carpeting and simulated Wood Grain in frument panels. It is All quite impressive. Outside the body features a handsome Wood Grain applique styling. In Short the town amp country is a Beautiful minivan the Only drawback being that it is perhaps too Beautiful for its intention a car pooling hauling children and baby carriages dogs groceries and All the rest. But if you m ust Nave the Best this is it. The Interior offers what we would term a a pleasant environment Quot the passengers in the rear even having their own air conditioning heating system. The town amp country minivan is powered by Chrysler a new 3.3-liter, fuel injected v6 engine one that turns out 150 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 185 la. It. Of torque at 3,600. This engine is also Standard on the Long wheelbase Plymouth grand voyager and Dodge grand caravan vans. Coupled to an electronic 4-Speed automatic with overdrive we found the engine smooth and powerful enough. Our Zero to 60 Mph time was just 11.9 seconds starting in the a a do gear below overdrive gear. Zero-to-60-Mph times Are not what vans Are All about but this gives an idea of the engines zip. Meanwhile tops on the autobahn was 95 Mph in overdrive More could have been extracted with running rooms you can cruise with ease in the 80 to 90 Mph Range. On Back roads again in a cd Quot gear the 1 own amp country was Quick to respond and tiered excellent front wheel Dave Road holding. It was even fun to drive this Van and we re not really a Van  the town amp country is easy to drive Power assist rack and Pinion steering its nimble and even in heavy traffic you done to have the k Ding that you re driving a fairly Large Lehi v of also have the advantage of sitting up nigh with a grand View of the outside world. 1 he Drivers seat with Power fixtures of course adjusts every Way you want it. The ride is smooth and comfortable but not Mushy by any Means. The suspension All seats Are leather backs contain storage pockets. A amps the 3.3-liter, 150-horsepower Chrysler v6 engine. A amps has struts and Coil Springs at front and Leaf Springs at rear. The tires on the test mini Van were Goodyear in dicta All weather p205/70 radials on attractive Quot White lace 15-Inch Alloy wheels. The Power assist brakes have ventilated discs at front and adjusting Drums at rear and they work Well. The Only drawbacks we found on the town amp country involved the turn signal stalk. Engaging it would occasionally turn on the Windshield wiper. A few squeaks and rattles from the right Side sliding door were also disturbing. The carrying capacity of the Ong wheel base town amp country is capacious with 30 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seat and 150 cubic feet with the rear seats removed. If that a not enough there a also a roof rack. The Center Bench Seal can also be removed then one can slide the rear seat into the Center position for five passenger seating and additional Luggage space. The Back of the rear seat can also be flipped Down. Its All quite versatile and the big rear door lift Gate is close to the ground for easy loading. Entry and exit Are also easy even for children with the passengers using the sliding door on the right Side. Among the Many features we liked were the overhead console and the Large lockable storage Box beneath the passenger seat. The console contains a Box for sunglasses a compartment for a garage door opening transmitter overhead map lights and Interior lights a Compass and outside temperature gauge and More. The town amp country has a Power everything a including the Driver s seat windows rear View mirrors and door window locks. The lift Gate which May be opened from the inside has a defroster and wiper there Are cup holders and storage jackets throughout the Van and there Are floor lights to make nighttime entry exit easy and Safe. There a also an am pm stereo cassette system a compartment to store tapes lighted vanity mirrors on both sunshades and much More. Our fuel mileage figure came to 22 Miles per gallon. The tank holds a generous 20 Gallons 76 liners. Although the town amp country comes Only in the Long wheelbase size the other Chrysler corp. Vans arc offered in two sizes a the conventional mini Van with a 112-Inch wheelbase and Overall length of 175.9 inches and the Iai be Mim vans with 119/190.5 measurements. The 1990 town amp country costs $22,158 . Delivery. Base Price for the 1990 Standard Plymouth voyager is $ 11,426, and the grand voyager be goes for 114,597 both prices . Delivery. Vans arc available for both european and . Delivery. Some changes in Chrysler a a mini vans Are planned for the 1991 series with four wheel drive and anti lock braking Abs to be offered As options. The interiors will also be changed with four bucket scats and one 3-person Bench seat floor plan to be the lop item there. _ for full details on the minivans prospective buyers May Contact Chrysler sales representatives at the cafes new car sales Points on the various bases in  Randy Barnett Auto columnist a cars Are stars show set aug. 4-5 the sixth annual a cars Are the stars show one of the largest of its kind in Europe will be staged on aug. 4 and 5 at the Transfer trailer Point in Kaiserslautern near Kleber Cavern. As in past years the show will be sponsored by the Kaiserslautern army Community directorate for personnel and Community activities Dupca. Automotive crafts chief Henry Roeder founder and director of a cars Are the stars Quot says the show is open to american european and japanese manufactured automobiles of any Vintage and that custom modified pro St. It and regular Stock cars Are eligible for entry. Last years show with entries from nine nations Drew More than 12,500 spectators and attracted some 250 automobiles. Registration is open through both Days of the show but the judging will take place Only on the first Day aug. 4roeder says. Entrants competing for Cash prizes and trophies must be registered and on the Field by aug. 4. The entry fee per car is $ 15, payable by Check or Money order or 30 Marks payable by Post Oben Weisung German Money Transfer. The fee provides admission for the entrant and one guest. Prizes and trophies Worth More than $1,200 will be awarded in several categories tops among them being a Over All Best in show Quot winning last years top award were Helene and Andre Fritsch of Sclesta France with their customized 1984 Ford Capri. Camping will be available for those arriving from Long distances and engine steam cleaning facilities will also be provided. Spectator admission is $2.50 or 5 mar Sand those under age 13 will be admitted free. For Complete information prospective entrants should Call Roeder at ets 483-7320/7375 or 0631-4117320, or write him at he 29th ask attn cd or. Roede Rapo 09054 or Posl Fach 1910, d-6750 Kaiserslautern.