At this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chrysler unveiled the 2008 version of their Town And Country minivan, with a new feature that they hope is going to appeal to modern families: swiveling captain's chairs in the second row, allowing passengers to sit around a table together to eat or play. Industry experts note that it has "good McDonald-ibility", a word I'm pretty sure I could have happily died without ever knowing.
This is nothing new in the great scheme of vans, of course--my aunt had a full-sized conversion van in the 80s that had a table where my cousins and I would take turns kicking one another's ass at penny poker during long drives to Grandma's house. But the Econoline made you work for it--back in 1985 there was no spinning the seat around with the push of a button during a quick rest stop. This dining-room-on-wheels function is new, at least, to minivans. The Swivel 'n Go seats pass crash tests facing both directions, and the 2008 van will also be available with the company's foldable seat option. But just like the old days, you'll have to get your floor-to-ceiling shag carpet from an aftermarket dealer.
via Slashfood
