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Maybe some people dislike their image (including women I know), but you may have missed the part where I say I do drive minivans too. If I go on a road trip with it, I would hate every single second of it. Nothing to do with image, just the way it drives... err floats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nlambert
Sounds like someone just doesn't like SUVs.
actually, I have a SUV in my stable. I use to have a minivan. Comfort wise, minivan reigns supreme...couch on wheels. The only thing SUV has over minivan is towing, off road (some) and deep in snow. 98% of owners don't really need that. At least I can be honest about that.
As for handling, its a bit better. I driven the X5M & Cayenne GTS, its handles well but its no real sport car by any means. It still a tank on wheels....well a fast tank on wheels. If someone wants a great handling vehicle, get a real sports car.
actually, I have a SUV in my stable. I use to have a minivan. Comfort wise, minivan reigns supreme...couch on wheels. The only thing SUV has over minivan is towing, off road (some) and deep in snow. 98% of owners don't really need that. At least I can be honest about that.
As for handling, its a bit better. I driven the X5M & Cayenne GTS, its handles well but its no real sport car by any means. It still a tank on wheels....well a fast tank on wheels. If someone wants a great handling vehicle, get a real sports car.
Actually the body on frame SUV is also superior in cargo capacity when all of the seats are in place, which is how the vehicles were designed to be used. The SUV has more range of use than a minivan. At the end of the day the important factor is what someone prefers to drive that works best for them. Neither are the wrong choice in the right situation, but minivans are far from being superior to an SUV.
If 98% of the owners of SUVs didn't need them, there would be as many sold. It's unwise to assume otherwise. Neither a minivan or an SUV are sports cars..... so it's silly to try to link them to one. However, in terms of acceleration a full size SUV will often out perform a minivan.
Here are some specs (I am using my Expedition vs my mother in law's minivan) and I have highlighted which vehicle has the better spec:
2014 Expedition EL 2wd:
5.4L V8
Total seating: 8
Power: 310 hp/365 lb-ft torque
Cargo capacity: All seats in place: 42.6 cu. ft
Maximum cargo capacity: 130.8 cu. ft
Front headroom: 39.6 in
Front hiproom: 60.2 in
Front legroom: 41.1 in
Front shoulder room: 63.2 in
Rear headroom: 39.8 in
Rear hiproom: 59.9 in
Rear legroom: 39.1 in
Rear shoulder room: 63.7 in
Maximum payload: 1,630 lbs
Curb weight: 5,844 lbs
MPG: 14 city/ 20 hwy
Towing capacity: 9,200 lbs
Turning circle: 43.9 ft
2016 Chrysler Town & Country:
3.6L V6
Total seating: 7
Power: 283 HP/260 ft-lb torque
Cargo capacity: All seats in place: 33.0 cu ft
Maximum cargo capacity: 143.8 cu. ft
Front headroom: 39.8 in
Front hiproom: 58.4 in
Front legroom: 40.7 in
Front shoulder room: 63.7 in
Rear headroom: 39.3 in
Rear hiproom: 65 in
Rear legroom: 36.5 in
Rear shoulder room: 64.1 in
Maximum payload: 1398 lbs
Curb weight: 4652 lbs
MPG: 17 city/25 hwy
Towing capacity: 3600 lbs
Turning circle: 39.1 ft
If I were a single female, I'd be creeped out by a 30 year old guy driving a mini van.
I don't thing anything else screams "I'm boring and uncool" as much as a mini van.
Since you're not a single female, how do you know? Then again, him driving the minivan will help him to avoid superficial girls who judge men by their car instead of by who they are. That's a plus.
Since you're not a single female, how do you know? Then again, him driving the minivan will help him to avoid superficial girls who judge men by their car instead of by who they are. That's a plus.
Why not go all the way and drive this:
it'll weed out ALL the women.
Seriously though, his post reeks of desperation and a ticking clock to get a woman pregnant and start a family. That's not a turn on for anyone. And picking his vehicle (one that comes with a certain stigma no matter how you slice it) based on getting said pregnant woman long before that's even a topic of converstion in a relationship is creepy.
Yeah, if he was a mobile dog groomer or dog walker, it would make sense, but picking it expressly for the purpose of finding a girl and starting a family is not about avoiding superficial women and goes straight to avoiding intelligent women, too, as most will be creeped out by that mentality.
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.
I have a friend that owns a new Chrysler Pacifica and says it is the most flexible vehicle he has ever owned. It was expensive but he is a demanding guy and happy so I suggest a test drive.
Just a note, because I don't really care what you drive or your angst about driving, 30 is not "middle aged".
You also need to stay where you are with public transportation.
I thought the same thing. He mentioned middle age in his first post so I figured he was in his 40's. But I digress. Get a mini-van or an SUV. I personally would never drive a mini-van even when my two kids were small. It just screamed "soccer mom" to me and hey, I was a cool, hip 34 year old.
Last summer I picked up a 2012 Chrysler Town & Country, with Stow'n'Go, electric lift gate, the woiks. I love it. It had 69K miles, and I got an extended warranty for peace of mine. In 11 months and 10,000 miles of driving, nothing has gone wrong yet.
It gets about 20 mpg in city driving, and about 28 on the highway. It hit 29 mpg on a recent trip to Maine. Highway range is 500 miles (25 mpg times 20 gallons). Probably could squeeze 550 miles out of a tank if it's all highway driving and you stay to around 70.
It's very well designed, very easy to disappear the passenger seats, and when you disappear them, the cargo area is cavernous. The Chrysler standard is to accommodate a 4'x8' plank of plywood. This car definitely meets that criterion. I took an 8.5' sleeper sofa home from the furniture store a couple of weeks ago. When we were moving house, this car was absolutely a Godsend. I needed to move my bicycles. No problem; just rolled the bikes into the car, no need to remove a wheel or even lay them flat; they simply leaned against the side of the cabin.
Last weekend I transported my band to a gig out of town: 5 people, a full size bass, keyboard, and various other stuff. It was a full load yet still got 28 mpg and everyone was quite comfortable, in fact gushing with praise for the T&C.
The stock stereo system is decent, connects well with bluetooth phones, has an AUX jack to play external devices, and is easy to use (unlike, for example, the bizarre touch screen in my 2013 Toyota Prius). The Uconnect system handles phone calls well.
The climate control is excellent; knobs do what you expect them to, easy to operate.
Chrysler has a minivan team that sits around all day, thinking of new convenience features. Perhaps Chrysler falls short on quality, but when it comes to design, their minivans are still at the front of the crowd.
The newest redesign of the T&C is the Pacifica, not to be confused with the mediocre old Pacifica (why recycle that name, Chrysler?). It's a top-rated vehicle that is competitive with the best of the Japanese offerings. Now they've come out with a plug-in hybrid version of the Pacifica that goes 30 miles on electric, and is rated at 80 MPGe overall. Ah, if only I had a spare $40K.... A sweet ride. The only catch with the hybrid is that one row of seats no longer stows, because of the need for extra batteries. Bummer. I hope they fix that in a future release.
The minivan, regardless which of the Big Three you get (Honda, Toyota, Chrysler/Dodge), is an eminently practical vehicle that I, personally, find fun to drive. Not peppy but it does have good acceleration when needed. You're up above the other drivers a bit, on a similar level with SUV's and pickups. It's great for families, and a family of 3-4 plus a dog will quickly find it indispensable. A 3-row SUV is similar, but then you have the sliding doors of a minivan which are fantastic for tight spaces at shopping malls and supermarkets. Hard to go back to a smaller car now. Get one; you'll not regret it.
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
My nephew just bought an Odyssey with all the bells and whistles; he will need it for about 5 years.
When you need yours will be in about 5 years, you can buy his.
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Great idea
