Taking a page out of GM's fuel economy playbook, Chrysler managed to squeeze an additional two miles per gallon out of its 2009 minivans, which is an eight percent improvement, Autoblog reports. The automaker says that the Town and Country and related variants, when equipped with the automaker's 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine and new six-speed automatic, now score EPA figures of 17 city and 25 highway.

The report said that Chrysler achieved the fuel economy bonus by tuning the 4.0L V6 engine and changing the gearbox ratios. "With a higher ratio first gear, and smaller steps between the new ratios, the minivans are quicker off the line and the engine doesn't loose as much speed between shifts." The best part: Chrysler isn't charging $600 for this "option" the way GM is; it's free on the minivans.