Why I Don't Hate Minivans Anymore

"Trevor Mohr" (CarFanatic1342)
09/30/2014 at 11:14 • Filed to: None

Well, before this weekend, I hated the idea of a minivan. I thought they were ugly, bland, horrid vehicles as a whole. I thought of them as the sign of "fun is over". This weekend changed that. I went on a college visit trip; 8 different schools, started 6:00 AM Friday morning and got home at 9:00 PM Sunday night. We put a total of 1,257 miles on the car. Now, the car was an Enterprise-rented 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SE. Yes, it's stripped down. No, it doesn't have that rear overhead console or 2 TV's. Honestly, that didn't matter. I began to truly realize the genius of the minivan. It may be ugly, but it is incredibly comfortable. Just my dad and I, all those miles, and I had realized that this was the ultimate traveling vehicle. The seats are made of this suede-like cloth, and they were very comfortable. The car had the "touring" suspension, and it was incredibly soft. Obviously lap times were not a priority, but this was one big and comfortable highway cruiser. The air and heat worked well, and it was nice seeing 3-zone climate control in a sub $30,000 car. There were storage pockets everywhere, and there were a total of 13, yes, thirteen, cup holders. Everything I had from my laptop to my wallet and phone had a place. We had spent hours on end in this van, and not once did either of us get any sense of fatigue or discomfort from the ride. There was space; a lot of it. We averaged about 20 miles to the gallon, something that could not be found in a large SUV. Overall, it got us to where we wanted to go, it was extremely comfortable. Sure, the dash is rock hard. Yes, it's a bit sluggish. No, it's not beautiful. Somehow, I loved it.

Here's a photo of some of the scenery. :D

DISCUSSION (29)

Coty > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:16

The Mopar vans do burnouts like nothing else, too.

For Sweden > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:16

You know what else is incredibly comfortable over long trips?

Kinja'd!!!

Trevor Mohr > For Sweden
09/30/2014 at 11:18

Agreed. Definitely soft cruisers. The space of that van though... All those storage pockets... It's insane that there are 13 cup holders, oh America...

Trevor Mohr > Coty
09/30/2014 at 11:19

Yeah, I saw a video awhile back of one serious FWD stock burnout on one of these.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:22

For long road trips, they really can't be beat, especially if you are traveling with more than two people.

Trevor Mohr > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR
09/30/2014 at 11:23

Yeah. The captain's chairs in the back have tons of space. They even slide forward/backward and recline. The 3rd row bench 40/60 reclines too!

jvirgs drives a Subaru > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:28

I never understand why people think an SUV is superior to a minivan. The van is much easier to get in and out of and when you fold the seats down tons of cargo room with a low loading floor. And a NP when compared to a similarly optioned Tahoe/Suburban

yamahog > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:28

I thought of them as the sign of "fun is over".

I mean.... they still are, if you're buying them because you have children.

dinobot666 > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:37

Minivans are brilliant. I always rent them for long road trips if I'm not taking my own car. The captains chairs give you tons of options for moving your legs around to keep from cramping up.

I also try and get Chrysler vans with the Stow-N-Go seating, so I can fold the seats down and sleep in the back if I'm so inclined. The new ones with the 3.6 Pentastar are reasonably fun to drive as well.

deekster_caddy > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:42

Could have rented a nice Buick and gotten better MPG, and been even more comfortable! Yeah, admittedly modern Minivans are a big improvement over even ones from a decade ago. I still am not a fan unless you have 3 or more kids.

Worse MPG and higher tire wear than you can get in a car simply because of the physics involved. Until I see a minivan that gets a real world 30 MPG when most of the driving is done at 75+, it's not for me. Our Passat Wagon gets that in the real world and has more than enough comfort and space. Sister in law has an '11 Sienna - full of passengers at 75 it only averages 16 MPG. Wind resistance of a tall brick doesn't change without some major tweaks. Sure, it's nice inside, but they need new tires every 25K.

Sweet Trav > yamahog
09/30/2014 at 11:50

Kinja'd!!!

As Du Volant > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 11:56

Hell, I managed 28mpg out of a Grand Caravan hauling a load of stuff from my parents' place from Orlando to Pittsburgh. Cruise control 5 over the limit the whole way.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 12:01

hate the driver, not the minivan

someassemblyrequired > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 12:11

Best feature: impossible for the rugrats to carelessly fling open the sliding door into your "good car."

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 12:12

Supposedly you can get better mileage in a full size SUV:

Kinja'd!!!

Rated at 22 MPG hwy.

Not saying it's a better option though, honestly unless you're towing the mini-van is hands down a better option because you get more interior space than a full-size SUV in them.

When I had a caravan as a rental once, it was a great vehicle and honestly wasn't really much different from a crossover, the stigma just needs to fade out on this one.

deekster_caddy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/30/2014 at 12:45

You can fit an awful lot of crap in the back of a full size SUV. I have had many different full size trucks and vans, honestly even though you can technically fit more shit into a full size van, the amount of times you can actually fill the cargo area floor to ceiling is rare. Only during full-on moves, in which case just go get a Uhaul...

When you cram a minivan back floor to ceiling though, the suspension tends to sag a bit...

deekster_caddy > jvirgs drives a Subaru
09/30/2014 at 12:49

More rugged design, full frame, towing capacity and all-around toughness go to the SUV. Admittedly, that's not useful to most people, but unless you have 3 or more kids or a family of 5 to haul around on a regular basis you shouldn't be looking at either one. I do think that in the long run full size full frame based SUVs tend to outlast minivans, but at the cost of MPG. (except for a few of the newest ones, where it's a toss up)

Boy do I miss my suburbans, but I don't miss being on first-name basis with the gas station attendants.

Slave2anMG > Trevor Mohr
09/30/2014 at 13:08

Rented a loaded Chrysler T&C two months ago....did 2000 miles in a week. Leather, sat radio, etc. Great highway cruiser and easy to maneuver in town. Also, 27 mpg at 75 mph. Easy to get in/out of for those of us of a Certain Age...and easy on the knees on long stints behind the wheel.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > deekster_caddy
09/30/2014 at 13:21

fair on both points.

And the Expedition looks better too lol.

It's just the first of it's kind to have 3 rows and clearly defeat the mini-van in MPG I think

Trevor Mohr > Slave2anMG
09/30/2014 at 20:30

They are certainly comfortable road trip cars. Too much hate.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Trevor Mohr
10/02/2014 at 00:43

Minivans handle in a weirdly good way dont they? I mean not good, but way better than they should in a way thats fun in its own weird way. AmIRight?

thebigbossyboss > Trevor Mohr
10/02/2014 at 10:37

Every year me and the guys go camping. Since I drive a small car, we always rent some big behemoth. The vans are the best.

thebigbossyboss > dinobot666
10/02/2014 at 10:38

The only thing I really hate is the constantly lit up guage cluster. And automatic.

thebigbossyboss > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
10/02/2014 at 10:39

Last year for our annual guys camping trip we had the van, this year we had the Ford you have pictured. The Ford was cooler but the van was better for what we had to do,

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > thebigbossyboss
10/02/2014 at 10:50

Like I said, more storage space on the interior of the Van. They might have the same roof height, but the interior starts a lot lower so you have a lot more room to work with.

Maybe you should get an Expedition L for the next trip? A little more space back there?

thebigbossyboss > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
10/02/2014 at 10:52

Ohhhhh we didn't get an expedition, but we got an explorer...which was pretty much as big as the original expedition. We always need the biggest vehicle we can lay our hands on. We should get a cargo van. The guys can ride in the back. Safety first is the last thing you want to think about.

Trevor Mohr > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
10/02/2014 at 10:53

Incredibly weird. That 3.6L Penastar is a decent engine. The car felt large and wobbled about, but it didn't feel that large, like a Suburban.

Trevor Mohr > thebigbossyboss
10/02/2014 at 10:54

Yes. They're called MPV's for a reason. Best all-around recreational personal cars, other than RV's.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > thebigbossyboss
10/02/2014 at 10:55

hahaha.

The Expedition, especially the L (longer) is much, much bigger inside than the Explorer.