oppo-inion

"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus) 07/31/2015 at 10:54 • Filed to: None

0

46

how would this be as a family hauler. I never really considered it as I thought they were more just work vans but I saw one in family hauling trim and it looked pretty nice.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 10:56

0

Should do great. Why get one of the normal minivan staples when you can go for more of a middyvan?

bob and john > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 10:59

0

awesome.

esp since you can wait a bit, buy a forcus RS, swap drive trains, hoon to hearts content

jkm7680 > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 10:59

0

I just don’t see them being good family cars. Even though they do look like they would be good for hauling around wife and kids, they just look too commercial to me personally. If they offered them with a six speed manual I would be more interested though, but they don’t sooo.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:02

0

I don’t know why but I really love them and if they are as nice in person as they look in pictures I would take one over any other minivan in the market!

shop-teacher > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:05

0

I think it would be an excellent family hauler. It’s the vaniest minivan of them all, and you won’t lose your car in a sea of Siennas, Oddyssi, and Caravans in the school parking lot.

BWa1k > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:10

0

I just got to ride in one of these. It belonged to a coworker and he used it for family hauling duties. It had 2 child seats in the back.

My first impression is how amazing the packaging of this thing is. The tall roof lets them put in overhead storage and makes it feel roomier. The ride and handling were fine, way more car-like than some crossovers I’ve ridden in but I’m sure it wouldn’t exactly be as fun as a Focus wagon.

The only thing that lets it down is the interior quality. It looks fine, but the materials are cheap and industrial. If you don’t care about that for your family hauler then by all means pick one up. If you don’t want to be constantly reminded that you’re driving a repurposed delivery van, however, you’re going to have to look elsewhere.

misfitmascots > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:12

1

I think it would be a worth hauler, especially that grey one.

misfitmascots > misfitmascots 07/31/2015 at 11:12

0

Worthy

As Du Volant > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:28

0

Would be good if you don’t have a very large family. They seem pretty nice but they are not as big as a regular minivan, so if you’re planning to cart around 6 people plus luggage things are going to be extremely cramped. Seems like a good option to fill the void that the Mazda5 is leaving behind.

carcrasher88 > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:30

1

I’d say it’s definitely worthy, with the LWB version obviously being the best option.

Textured Soy Protein > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 11:34

2

So a minivan that does all of your usual minivan tasks fine, has ridiculous amounts of headroom, smaller exterior size, more manageable handling, and better gas mileage, won’t make a good family hauler, because it looks too commercial???

Leon711 > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 11:35

0

They do have Manuel in the yurrups

Textured Soy Protein > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:38

0

I think it’s a great option as long as you don’t mind people looking at you like you’re on your way to deliver some Edible Arrangements.

OPPOsaurus WRX > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 11:41

1

haha the manual would be awesome but I’m sure that would discourage my wife. The platinum trim looks nicer inside but the lower trims do look pretty commercial

OPPOsaurus WRX > Textured Soy Protein 07/31/2015 at 11:42

0

hows the ride/suspension? Would it feel more like a work van or a larger Focus

OPPOsaurus WRX > As Du Volant 07/31/2015 at 11:42

0

i think it would usually be either 6 or luggage

OPPOsaurus WRX > shop-teacher 07/31/2015 at 11:43

1

I definitely like not being 1 of a million. My Sport Trac was not a common vehicle and the WRX isn’t either. Even our Escape is orange and stand out pretty well

OPPOsaurus WRX > bob and john 07/31/2015 at 11:44

0

haha my wife would never get to drive that, hell i’d sell the WRX to have a Connect RS

Textured Soy Protein > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 11:57

0

I haven’t driven one, but it’s on the same platform as the Focus, C-Max, Escape, etc. So I’d wager it probably feels similar to those.

Really the main issue is price, since when you go to the 7-seat long wheelbase model and option it up it’s not that much cheaper or more fuel-efficient than your usual minivan suspects (Odyssey, Sienna, Town & Country, Sedona).

PelicanHazard > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 12:00

0

I drove one for a bit. It feels like a reaaaallly tall Focus, and it has tons of space, but a few notable downsides: it is unquestionably smaller than a regular minivan, so you can’t pack as much in; and you are either choosing 6-7 people with no cargo or 4-5 people with some cargo. There’s not enough space for both. The back seat is also an exercise to get into, unless you get a new one where the 2nd row is a pair of captain’s chairs.

If you’re constantly taking long road trips, another minivan might be better, but this will beat them in the city hands down, always.

OPPOsaurus WRX > PelicanHazard 07/31/2015 at 12:06

0

i think the most space consuming tasks would be going out for dinner with a set of grandparents or a weekend trip with just the kids. I dont see both a trip and 6 people being something that happens very often

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 12:08

0

I sat in one at a car show and it’s was FAR from luxurious even in it’s top trim.

But if you do get one, swap seats for 6 orange Recaros from STs, wheels, grill. ERRYTHING.

jkm7680 > Leon711 07/31/2015 at 12:14

0

I know that, but I’m talking about the states.

PelicanHazard > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 12:14

0

In that case, the TraCo may be perfect for you.

jkm7680 > Textured Soy Protein 07/31/2015 at 12:15

1

Pretty much.

It looks like a work van instead of a family hauler. If you need the space so much, buy an SUV instead of the Hilton courtesy shuttle.

Alex B > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 12:38

0

Textured Soy Protein > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 12:38

0

The purpose of the Transit Connect Wagon is to do minivan things in a smaller, more fuel-efficient package. And yes, it looks like the Hilton courtesy shuttle.

An SUV, while being better at not looking like the Hilton courtesy shuttle, is significantly worse at doing minivan things in a smaller, more fuel-efficient package.

If someone is interested in doing minivan things in a smaller, more fuel-efficient package, the fact that the SUV looks less like the Hilton courtesy shuttle doesn’t really accomplish that person’s goals.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 12:38

0

A family in town here has a last-gen Transit Connect in people carrier form...they come to the local library where I used to work all the time and swear by it! :)

jkm7680 > Textured Soy Protein 07/31/2015 at 12:43

0

Meh, the Transit Connect is a smaller Ford Transit. The Wagon bit is just an added extra, I’ve neeeevverrrrr seen a family driving one.

The Traverse is a bit of a piece of crap, but it’s a good example of another option.

Leon711 > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 12:43

0

Could you in theory import one? Or does the 25 year rule cover that too.

jkm7680 > Leon711 07/31/2015 at 12:45

0

It would be a colossal pain in the ass to import legally. It would make much more sense to just manual swap. Which is equally a pain in the ass, because you have the potential to need everything from a new bell housing to a new ECU before everything is said and done.

Leon711 > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 12:47

0

Well, easier to move the UK then. Much easier to get to the Festival Of Speed if you live here. The land of the free (import laws)

Cé hé sin > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 12:47

0

You can’t get manual ones where you are?

jkm7680 > Cé hé sin 07/31/2015 at 12:50

0

Nope, welcome to the United States. Where manual drivers are a minority. :P

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/31/2015 at 13:41

0

I really like this. I wonder what color this is.

I love the Transit. I’d buy one in work trim, even if I had a family.

Cé hé sin > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 14:07

0

“Meh, the Transit Connect is a smaller Ford Transit”

Technically, it’s not. It’s based on the previous Focus.

Cé hé sin > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 14:09

0

If I was buying one I couldn’t get an automatic! Like the “real” Transit it’s manual only.

jkm7680 > Cé hé sin 07/31/2015 at 15:29

0

I mean like more of a “baby Transit” in terms of usability :/

jkm7680 > Cé hé sin 07/31/2015 at 15:31

0

Wasn’t the Transit available with automatic transmission for a very short period of time? I’d like to say late 90’s/early 2000’s?

Textured Soy Protein > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 15:32

0

The 7-seat, long wheelbase Transit Connect Wagon gets 4 mpg better than the fwd Traverse.

The fwd Traverse is 668 lbs heavier, 14 inches longer and 6.3 inches wider than the 7-seat, long wheelbase Transit Connect Wagon, but the Transit is 2.1 inches taller.

I’m not saying one is objectively better than the other.

But for, say, city dwellers who still need to tote around some brats on narrow streets, with frequent stopping, starting and parallel parking, there’s something to be said for the smaller, lighter, more maneuverable and more efficient option that still accomplishes the function of toting brats around.

The majority of suburban American families would probably be better served by a regular minivan. The insecure ones would be almost as well served by a 3-row crossover and have their frail little egos massaged by avoiding being seen behind the wheel of a minivan.

Cé hé sin > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 15:42

0

I think you could buy such a thing in the past and maybe you still can somewhere other than north America, just not at my friendly local dealer. He doesn’t sell anything other than a 2.2 diesel either.

jkm7680 > Cé hé sin 07/31/2015 at 16:58

0

Ah, I see. I’ve only seen auto Transits in the United States and as campers in Europe. I’d glad that the market is still running strong though, that’s one thing that I don’t see changing.

Funny that it’s the complete Opposite in the United States though.

Cé hé sin > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 17:52

0

Interestingly, large trucks are much more likely to be automatics (strictly speaking to have automated manuals) in Europe than they are in America.

So, one of these

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Is likely to have one of these

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

rather than one of these

jkm7680 > Cé hé sin 07/31/2015 at 17:53

0

That’s interesting. American trucks transmissions are a bit overly complicated though, haha.

Cé hé sin > jkm7680 07/31/2015 at 17:56

0

...as is the Scania one which is the last of the three images. Three forward gears but you get twelve speeds out of them. Plus two reverses and a crawler!

jkm7680 > Cé hé sin 07/31/2015 at 17:59

0

Pretty strange. It seems that most new long distance trucks are equipped with a mixture of automatic and manual transmissions, but a lot of the shorter distance delivery trucks that don;t have sleepers are mainly equipped with manual transmission. You will rarely find a cube van with a stick though.

Nearly every single bus in the States is automatic also. From time to time you’ll find a school bus with MT but it’ll likely be specially ordered.