3 Reasons Minivans Are Better Than SUVs (And 3 Reasons They Aren't)
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- A whole generation of families has turned its collective back on the minivan, with sales floundering and entries dwindling. Why? Here's a theory: now grownups with kids of their own, those who grew up riding in the back of minivans have rejected them in favour of SUVs - the same happened with wagons before them.
But for those willing to put practicality above perceived coolness, it really doesn’t get much better than a minivan. Here are three reasons why AutoTrader.ca Road Test Editor Dan Ilika thinks minivans are better than SUVs (and three reasons why potential buyers might disagree).
www.autoTRADER.ca
0:00 Intro
0:36 Minivan: Practicality
1:26 Minivan: Sliding doors
1:59 Minivan: All-wheel drive
2:42 SUV: Ground clearance
3:07 SUV: Towing
3:38 SUV: Coolness factor
4:13 Conclusion - Авто та транспорт
I went to go buy a Tacoma two weeks ago. Brought the whole family along with our 80 pound dog. Loaded the whole family including car seats into the truck. Not practical with car seats, so I moved on to a 4Runner. Still not enough space. Sequoia and Tundra were out of my price range. Tried out a 3rd row SUV, still not enough room to haul the dog, luggage, and strollers on trips. So I moved on to a Toyota Sienna minivan. It’s really the ultimate family vehicle. Very happy with my purchase.
I am seriously leaning minivan. Our midsize SUV (Kia Sorento) is in the shop and we have a Pacifica loaner. Wow. Way better in every way. If you think about it, the 3 reasons given to choose an SUV are silly for most people; especially when compared to the minivan list. Most people don't need the ground clearance, don't tow things over 3500 pounds and aren't cool anyways. People could however use the space and versatility of a minivan. Minivan for the win.
One more thing. Minivan manufacturers make a HUGE mistake marketing minivans as family vehicles. People already understand this use case. Why not market it to everyone. Who wouldn't benefit from the space when buying furniture, a large Costco haul, a christmas tree, etc.? Who wouldn't want to comfortably fit 6 adult friends in a vehicle with them without spending $100k+ for a suburban, yukon xl, grand wagoneer, etc?
Glad you are seeing the light! Hahaha! Enjoy van life!
I’ve had both SUVs and minivans and I love minivans. Minivans are great for caring a lot of stuff and are comfortable. I have a lot of animals and always have enough space. Also since I’m short I can get my stuff in easy and the dogs can jump in by themselves. When in traffic, I feel comfortable relaxing in a minivan because it almost feels like a mini house. Don’t get me wrong it’s fun to pop some curbs in an suv and go off-roading but that’s not the main reason I need a car for. I love both but there is just something about a mini van. At the end of the day is a personal preference for your lifestyle.
I think mini vans are even better trucks in some cases. I've been able to fit much larger pieces of drywall and wood all inside of my sienna vs having them hang off the end of a truck bed.
Trucks without an 8ft bed aren't trucks. They are toys.
I never knew how much I like minivans, until I realized I need one. I was moving my stuff, when I thought "damn its better to have it and not need it, then opposite". I don't have kids to justify me needing a minivan all the time, but when you are moving a whole apartment full of stuff...and not have one. It really sucks. So Nissan Armada, is my new best friend.
If you need it but not on the everyday, just rent it. Car sharing makes getting a minivan stupid easy
Sliding doors are one of the best features
I live in the Philippines and I daily a Minivan..
specifically a Suzuki APV with a 91hp 1.6L engine connected to a 5M/T and it's a RWD
it gets about the same MPG figures as any other sedans out there
25-35MPG even with stuff in the back
occupies the same parking area as if you park a sedan or a mid sized SUV
can seat 6-8 passengers or if you removed the back seats you can carry 1,000kg in the cargo bay.
and it costs just around $13,000.
the only con is if you don't like what a minivan looks, that's pretty much it.
Thanks for sharing!
Hello, fellow SEA player. Greetings from the owner of Toyota Avanza of Indonesia. You're right, I drove company's Suzuki APV before and it can haul more than one metric tons of stuff effortlessly. The company I used to work for also has Daihatsu Gran Max for the same exact purpose. We're using minivans to haul stuff because it can enter narrow alley of Jakarta whereas using trucks would be a nightmare.
So thoughtful of UA-cam to include captions in Korean... which I don't read.
1) Wagon
2) Minivan
3) SUV
4) Pickup
5) Sedan
6) Coupe
We also love a good wagon!
@@autotrader_ca Canadians never stopped 'loving' wagons, we just cant get them anymore because the Yanks don't want them.
It's funny how it's the exact reverse in order of cool factor!
I wish there was something like the astro van still. Love the boxy vans of the 70s-mid 2000s. Rwd, put in a small v8 like the smaller tundra v8 or a big v6. Option for 4 captains chairs and can haul a crap load of stuff. Take my money
That would be so cool!
You get a bigger car for space and comfort and smaller car for agility gas mileage handling. SUV just got the negative of both.... Small inside big outside bad in handling . Bad in gas.... Just bad bad bad.
Not to mention the very expensive price of it. My uncle regretted buying SUV, the worst thing is that it was bought through loan.
@@greenleafyman1028 that sucks! I got a cousin that did the same thing. Started having kids the same time as us. I sold my 04 explorer and bought new odyssey in 18 while they bought a 3rd row explorer. I told them 3rd row SUVs are great for people with no legs, strollers, or luggage... 2 years later they traded in and bought an Odyssey... they took a huge depreciation hit in the process.
Minivan is way more practical for moat people. I love my kia sedona!
An SUV is literally an over size car nothing more, but a minivan has all that cargo room.
As someone who has always loved SUVs, it is hard to deny the superior practicality of MPVs.
I’d honestly prefer a Kia Carnival over a Tesla Model X
Agreed! Which is exactly why after 5 months with our Tesla Model X, we traded it in for a Honda Odyssey. We owned multiple full size SUVs prior (Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, & Nissan Armada) and the ONLY thing I liked better about those were the ride height of a truck-based SUV. Otherwise, none of them compares to the daily functionality of a minivan. I can fit 6-8 adults in my van more comfortably than I ever could in any of our large SUVs and still have room in the trunk for everyone’s luggage.
@@user-su2cy6bu6pThat’s the thing about truck based SUV’s if you want a truck get a truck, if you need a 3 row vehicle get a minivan, if you don’t need to carry more than 5 people all the time get a crossover, granted my family does have a Honda Pilot but at the same time the 3rd row is almost useless though it is nice for the cargo space and it can tow decently but not as good as your typical mid size truck.
My kids, now that they are older they will not let me buy a minivan! They rather be squished in the 3rd row than being seen in a minivan. Suvs are cool and minivans are not 😊
Crossovers and suvs are definitely getting stigmatized to be pavement princesses,soccer mom, and mall crawlers
Even if that was true - which I’m not so sure it is outside of a small group of enthusiasts - it’s definitely not having a negative impact on sales!
Are you kidding me about the ground clearance??? How do you not see the benefits of this? I can safely take my SUV down mountain and dirt roads and go camping and hiking with my family along with so many other amazing adventures and memories we have made. We are not suburbia, shop at the mall, park in parking lots kind of people. If you stick to pavement all the time then yea, minivans are for you. But if we had a minivan that car would be destroyed in one summer. Space may be great for packing items but I can find a workaround for that, like buying smaller items or more multifunctional items. But there is no workaround for low ground clearance. I would weigh the freedom the SUV provides much more heavily over the space, and sliding doors a minivan provides. Just make it a rule for your kids to stay in their seats until you come open the door for them if you are so worried about that. This video is definitely not geared towards families that spend time outdoors, this video is geared towards suburban families in gated neighborhoods that spend all their time in target. Nothing wrong with that, but the truth is different cars fit different families the best. If you gave me a minivan, I would call it the LEAST FUNCTIONAL CAR EVER and probably burn it because it is literally useless in my life. What does space matter if the car can't drive where I need it to go? A minivan would lose its muffler just going down my driveway.
ETA: Less space in my SUV doesn't mean no space either, I have moved apartments using my SUV alone and have found it more than sufficient. My SUV allows the seats to fold down however so its really great. I'll take a bit less space if that means preventing damage to my car.
Ground clearance doesnt has much value for a normal vehicle if you dont go rock crawling it isnt very important
It is measured between the axles in the middle of the car, a scretch on the belly of the car is not something most people care about
Important is how height are critical components like the oilpan, that is what no manufactor tells you
A suv might have 8 inch of ground clearance but if the oilpan is also just at 8 inches one rock and you have a problem.
My car just has 6 inches of groundclearens but the oilpan has 9 inches.
The Toyota Highlander has 2.4 inches more ground clearance than the Toyota Sienna. You really think that's gonna make a difference?
The class standard for towing in minivans is about 3500 pounds, if you're towing more than that, get a truck.
It's cooler? Get over yourself. Get a minivan.
They don't minivans in the UK
Kangoo, Partner, Berlingo, Caddy, Doblo, Citan.... are european minivans
I understand all the benefit of minivan，but there is one key issue of minivan. They are all very urgly!