Minivans have a perception problem. But as boring and boxy as they may be, minivans provide more room and utility for a large family than just about any other vehicle. Reinventing the van takes much more than new sheetmetal and a few more horsepower under the hood. It requires clever thinking. And that’s especially true if you are Chrysler. It not only invented the minivan–it has led the segment for the past 24 years. Well, Chrysler’s new bosses can rest easy. The all-new Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country have the versatility to lead the pack. First, the new vans are longer than before and wider at the roofline by a whopping 6 in. That gave engineers the room to design an interior that’s more useful and more fun for the family. The highlight of that design is the optional Swivel ’n Go seating, which allows the second-row seats to rotate 180 degrees to face the third row. A table installed between those rows turns these minivans into mini motorhomes. If weekend trips to Home Depot are more the norm than the exception, the Stow ’n Go seats are still available to provide a completely flat load floor. There’s a rear-seat entertainment option, too, with separate video screens for the second and third rows–and each can show unique programming. The video screens not only handle DVDs but stream television channels, care of Sirius. Entertaining is only half the battle when it comes to handling a family’s needs. And the Chrysler twins provide more bins, cubbies, storage boxes and cupholders than just about any vehicle we’ve encountered. Versatility defined? Oh, yes.>Media Platforms Design TeamDesignValueEnergy EfficiencyPerformanceVersatilityNissan GT-RScion xBGMC Yukon Hybrid & Chevrolet Tahoe HybridBMW M3Fun To DriveOff-Road AbilityTechnical InnovationLuxuryWorkhorseMitsubishi Lancer EvolutionToyota Land CruiserFord SyncCadillac CTSGMC Sierra 2500/3500 HD & Chevy Silverado 2500/3500 HDThe optional Swivel n Go seats turn these minivans into minimotorhomes.The more luxurious Town & Country (top)shares a chassis and power­train with the Grand Caravan. The Grand Caravan (above) gets muscled-up sheetmetal that is reminiscent of Dodge’s SUVs.»Media Platforms Design Team style=“background-color:#000000; font-weight:bold; padding:4px; font-size:12pt; color:#ffffff;">Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand CaravanBase Prices | $23,190 and $22,470Test Drive | 2008 Grand Caravan and Town & CountryCar Buyer’s Guide | Shop Town & Country and Grand Caravan