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If you never plan to travel anywhere, maybe a minivan is a good idea. I don't want to ever put my luggage in a vehicle where everyone can see it and get to it just by breaking a window. Luggage belongs locked securely in the trunk of the car.
Damn that's a rough neighborhood you live in. People smash in windows of minivans to get luggage full of clothes and toothpaste over there?
Most minivans have retractable sunshades for the back two rows on top of being tinted.
Your V8 argument doesn't hold water. There are V8 SUVs that are faster than minivans, and there are V8 SUVs that are slower. The number of cylinders an engine has is a pretty meaningless metric in terms of estimating performance.
With few exceptions, SUVs offer dismal performance on par with minivans - except minivans offer superior chassis dynamics.
Please provide evidence to back up this claim. Have you ever owned a full size SUV? If you assume that a minivan is superior in chassis and performance then I'm going to assume you haven't. (By the way...... you cannot try to use a much older SUV to compare to a newer minivan. There is no comparison. Try apples to apples.
Let's look at one of the sportier models of minivan and compare it to a full size SUV.
2016 Toyota Sienna SE
3.5L V6 - 266 hp
Front-wheel drive
Curb weight - 4,450 lbs
Acceleration - 0-60 (7 seconds)
McPherson front struts (gas filled shocks) and stabilizer bar
Twist-beam rear suspension with coil springs (gas filled shocks) and stabilizer bar
Electric motor assisted rack and pinion
Enhanced stability control
2014 Ford Expedition EL
5.4L V8 - 310 HP
Rear-wheel drive
Curb weight - 5,781 lbs
Acceleration - 0-60 (7.3 seconds)
AdvanceTrac (Roll stability control)
4 wheel independent suspension
Coil over shocks
double wishbone, short and long arm design front suspension
multilink rear suspension
Electronic brakeforce distribution (applies a variable force to each rotor independently depending upon road conditions)
Variable assist electric motor power rack and pinion
Considering the weight of the Expedition is about 1,300 lbs more than the Sienna (you can compare any minivan model you choose) a 3 tenths of a second slower 0-60 time doesn't really imply that the minivan is much "sportier" or handles better than the Expedition (or any other full size SUV for that matter). Anyone who understands suspensions knows that a coil-over system is much more controllable than struts. Struts are designed for comfort, coil-overs for control.
If you never plan to travel anywhere, maybe a minivan is a good idea. I don't want to ever put my luggage in a vehicle where everyone can see it and get to it just by breaking a window. Luggage belongs locked securely in the trunk of the car.
My minivan has tinted windows and it's almost impossible to see anything from the outside. I also keep a small blanket in the car to cover particularly tempting stuff, just in case.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiffer E38
Because the minivan nazis won't let us. And continue to insist that minivans are better for everyone and SUVs suck. Look in the mirror.
Isn't there room in this world for both? I'm tolerant toward SUV's but minivans are more practical for my needs. And I disagree that they're not "chick magnets". Cool chicks love minivans.
I'm a middle age guy who lives alone. I'm moving from a large city with good public transportation to a small city in the middle of nowhere. The fun part of driving is just not there anymore for my age. If I had the option, I would rather let someone else do the driving, or just utilize the public transportation.
Since practicality is the only consideration I have. Is minivan the best type of vehicle for me? I have zero need for off road, a SUV just doesn't make sense. A minivan allows me to carry bikes, mattresses, small furnitures and up to 6 passengers. I had owned Accord, Mazda 3 and Saturn L200 in the past. There's nothing wrong with sedans, but I'm thinking of getting married and raising kids within two years, which justifies the purchase of a minivan. However, it could be a little bit too extravagant since I won't have kids in the first year or even two. But I'll need a vehicle anyway.
Any thought?
Also, I'm primarily interested in Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey.
Thanks
Middle age, single guy driving a mini-van....yuck....yuck...like a bad joke.
You do know that pic does not show a MINIvan, right?
I know. I was responding to the person talking about an E350 full size van working as hard as the SUV. Please, keep up with the conversation.
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