Large SUV or Minivan

[disneysteve]

We bought our minivan mainly for cargo space, not people space, though we have had 6 or 7 people in there on numerous occasions. Back when we first bought one, we were selling at toy and collectable shows and had greatly outgrown a car for that purpose. Once we stopped doing shows and our daughter got older, we could have managed without a van but it was still great to have when we went on vacation. My wife and I are on vacation right now with my car and the trunk is packed solid. If our daughter was with us too, we would have needed the van for sure. And the van has been mandatory when moving our daughter in and out of college each year.

Of course, we could just rent a van each time we needed one, but my wife likes driving the van so she's perfectly fine having it as her vehicle all the time.

[Like2Plan]

We just bought a new van (our 4th since 1992).

We rented several different vans for trips before we purchased our first one to see which one we liked the best--starting a couple of years before we bought. We finally bought a van just in time for "summer camp" when we hosted our nieces and nephews at our home for the summer. (Otherwise, we would have had to take 2 vehicles to our various camp activities around the area.) We have had a van ever since.

We bought the Chrysler Pacifica this time around. We've only had it for a month, but we've already used it for a tailgate and to haul some stuff. So far, so good. ( I do like the bells and whistles on it. )

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I'm starting to do research. I think I'm pulling the trigger and getting one. But a minivan. All because the line that said big SUV is suburban mom not liking her life. I love my life so I guess I'm okay with it.

[Nutria]

But a minivan. All because the line that said big SUV is suburban mom not liking her life. I love my life so I guess I'm okay with it.

That's not what I wrote...

[Tabs]

I'm trying to talk my parents into getting a minivan. Only a few handful of SUVs can match the seating capability of minivans, and my parents are always wanting us to ride together with them whenever possible, but between them, me, and the kids, well, they need a minivan with third row seating. As it is right now, we take two separate vehicles... which currently makes no sense to me, especially when they want us to ride together as much as possible....

Sorry, rambling. Long story short, do you need seating capacity? Save for a few select SUVs, minivans can't be beat on that front, and not only do they seat more, but they seat more comfortably as well.

Another one is the amount of interior cargo space. Seriously, can even a long bed truck match that? Save for the space occupied by the driver, I think both are actually quite competitive. I remember there was even a minvan that bragged it was capable of having a 4x8 plywood sheet placed flat inside. That's a lot of space that I don't think all but the largest SUVs can even match.

Ok, here's a weird one I like about the minivan: You can stick a full sized mattress in there and camp out. Yeah, I'm weird like that, but I think many of you already know this about me haha. In any case, the unmatched versatility and set up is something that I don't know if SUVs can match either?

I think minvans have lower center of gravity. At worst, this helps to reduce everyday body roll, but at best, this can also minimize the risk of your vehicle completely rolling over and upside down. I like Jeep's humorous take on this safety hazard with their slogan, "If you can read this, please flip me over" but if you have a family or drive loved ones around constantly, this is no laughing matter.

And ok yes, I am aware of Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC). And yes, this will help. However, if there's one thing I've learned in law enforcement driving, it is that the only thing better than a solution to a problem is not having said problem in the first place. I'm not saying VDC won't work, but if you have a choice and could go either way, why not minimize the risk to body roll in the first place? VDC isn't perfect either.

Another potential "benefit" if you want to call it that is you get to seem boring and be stealthy. Now, some may not actually like this, but personally, I love being low key and stealthy. I'm all about it. The more I am able to roll up on someone in an unsuspecting manner, the better. That being said, I can definitely understand if this is more of a bad thing than a good thing.

Finally, both of the top two minivans-- the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna-- have a sterling reputation for safety and reliability. I don't know about you, but I would love to know that, should I end up experiencing a collision of some sort, I'm going to be able to survive this as well as it is possible.

Now, the positives about the SUV. Hmm. Well, some have much higher ground clearance. If you have any reason to believe you will need to off-road or semi-off road, this is a great feature, especially if the SUV also offers 4 wheel drive.

However, some of you may already know that I am also a close follower of the vandwelling community, and I've seen plenty of images and videos of minivans being perfectly capable of going into dirt roads, wilderness patches, and BLM lands, albeit you do have to drive carefully. If you want to really get into the rough terrain or you like mudding, then yeah, SUVs will be better for the job.

Also, only one upgraded model of the Sienna feature some kind of AWD, whereas AWD and 4WD tend to be much more common with SUVs. Personally, the only AWD/4WD I like is from Subaru, but they aren't part of the selection here....

I guess another plus for the SUV is the aesthetics. There, I can't say as that is clearly up to your own personal preferences.

Oh yeah, and maybe SUVs have better resale value, since they tend to be more popular? I am not sure, but I am willing to agree to this point.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I'd love a 7 seater subaru. I'm hooked on subarus. But nothing doing. And I'm leaning I will admit to the Toyota Sienna since I had a corolla for 14 years. But I test drove a used odyssey and it was nice. I managed to reverse park it into a tiny spot with the rear camera and mirrors that tilt downwards. I still want to test drive the sienna and town and country. I am leaning towards a used minivan, but maybe new depending on what's available I guess.

[MooseBucks]

We have a Ford Explorer that we love. If we went with a minivan we'd go with Toyota Sienna. If you need 4wd it's nearly impossible to get in a minivan now.

[bjl584]

You'll get better fuel economy from the minivan.
You'll have better handling in winter weather in the SUV

The minivan might have more room and versatility depending on the two vehicles that you are comparing.

It will probably come down to personal preference, budget, and your particular wants and needs.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I am looking at used minivans because of price. But we'll see.