Chrysler Corp.'s minivans haven't always come out on top in objective comparisons with competitors from Toyota and Honda. But they've always come out on top where it counts: with buyers.

Chrysler invented the modern front-drive minivan in 1984 and has refined the concept since, pioneering features like double sliding doors, a power-operated tailgate, removable seats with rollers, wireless headphones, three-zone heater and air-conditioner and the ability to carry 4-by-8-foot building materials.

Chrysler often was first, as well, to equip its minivans with safety features such as air bags and anti-lock brakes.

No surprise, then, that the Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager/Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country dominated the market from the start and that surviving models still outsell competitors.

But a quick check of the 2007 Consumer Reports auto issue shows the Honda Odyssey "recommended" by the magazine, which says it has average reliability. The Toyota Sienna? Also "recommended" with above-average reliability.

Click here (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071117/AUTO03/711170303/1149/AUTO01) to read the entire story from Detroit News

By Tom Incantalupo / Newsday