Minivans. Do you? Would you? Should you?

[Oldandfat]

I’m a truck guy. Not a full-size. Small Nissan. Always have been. I’ve never towed, and for the most part it’s a car.

It’s been nice to have for spur of the moment take it home right now every now and then. Almost a requirement if you own a cabin, but thanks to Fuck nuts that’s gone.

And if I’m being honest my truck has been more useful to other people than myself.

It’s coming up 10 years for my current ride (my minimum before I consider a new vehicle) so I’m lightly poking around.

An interesting mini van experience occurred. My dad needed new brakes so I drove to his place and picked up his minivan and took it home.

I never considered these rides. They seem kinda not cool and too family. But I gotta say it rides nice, and there’s tons and tons of room. I can fit sheet goods in them and I’ve spent hours I’ll never get back on you tube watching tricked out camping rigs based on minivans.

I can do just about everything I can do in a truck. If not I can always have delivered.

The only downside is I sometimes load the blower in the truck to do my parents driveway if we get a heavy snowfall. Don’t know if I’d want to put a blower in a minivan.

So do you guys drive these things? They do sit lower than a truck and I like the ease of getting into a truck. My wife drives a rav4 which sits high. It’s a nice vehicle but I don’t know if I’d trade a truck for an suv.

Wife likes road trips and I think the minivan would work. Also looking at a tundra. Don’t need full size at all. It would be purely for comfort.

[hsilman]

I love minivans. Very very close to buying one last summer but time was a factor and ended up with an outback instead. As you said, tons of room. And it's fairly common to have either a towing package or be able to tow 3500# from the factory. You could just get a cheap utility trailer to bring the blower around if needed.

I would definitely rather have a minivan than an SUV. Ironically, I think the Outback was originally marketed as one of the first "SUV", but again the towing capacity is 2700# which is important to me as I do track days and I need to be able to reliably tow my motorcycle around the mountains.

[broseph]

Minivans are great. Even after the kids grow up, I’ll probably keep one just for the ability to easily transport materials (including 4x8 sheets).

[brkriete]

You could just get a cheap utility trailer to bring the blower around if needed.

I ended up getting a hitch-mount rack for exactly the purpose of taking my snowblower to get serviced. Cheaper than a utility trailer, don't have to worry about backing up with it on, no need to register/plate it, takes up less space to store. I figure we can also use it on vacation for extra stuff in a tupperware tote.

[Oldandfat]

I didn’t even consider the hitch mounted cargo rack. My neighbor has one and it even has a ramp to drive the blower/mower right up. No need to lift it.

I’m thinking a nice sienna with AWD, and a good set of winter tires and I’d be all set.

Not as much clearance as a truck but for snow it’s not a big deal.

[alek]

I'd buy a minivan in a heartbeat, but my wife has threatened instant divorce if I bring one home.

Re: the hitch mount cargo rack. They're friggin' awesome. Even with a large capacity suv, we use the cargo rack and a bag for all roadtrips. I made a pvc skeleton to keep the bag in its rectangular box shape, which was a fantastic mod.

[Oldandfat]

I'd buy a minivan in a heartbeat, but my wife has threatened instant divorce if I bring one home.

Re: the hitch mount cargo rack. They're friggin' awesome. Even with a large capacity suv, we use the cargo rack and a bag for all roadtrips. I made a pvc skeleton to keep the bag in its rectangular box shape, which was a fantastic mod.

My,wife,said the same thing, lol. “Looser cruiser” is what my daughter called it.

But man, I’ve never really been in my dads van, and really unless I’m shopping I don’t really give it a second thought.

But, awd, TONS of useable inside cargo, roof rack, and add the hitch cargo tray and we’ve got a kick ass hauling machine that rides nice.

Height is a wee bit low. Wife has a bad knee and she really likes her rav4 for ease of getting in/out. Same for the truck.

[mgil]

I had a Ford Transit Connect 7 passenger “wagon”. It’s the smallest of the passenger minivans, handles exceedingly well for what it is, is easy to park and maneuver, easy to get in and out of, and looked pretty cool, imo (after I mounted the roof basket). It’s also only a 4 cylinder, gets terrible mileage, doesn’t have much in terms of luxury options. But it is cheap.

I sold it and bought a new Honda Passport.

But, if I were a minivan buyer again, I’d probably only consider the Honda or Toyota. The Honda is overall better, imo. The Sienna has AWD, but you likely won’t need it and if the snow is deep, the ground clearance sucks anyhow.

Updated with photos:

[mettkeks]

The sound of this Thread:

[Oldandfat]

I had a Ford Transit Connect 7 passenger “wagon”. It’s the smallest of the passenger minivans, handles exceedingly well for what it is, is easy to park and maneuver, easy to get in and out of, and looked pretty cool, imo (after I mounted the roof basket). It’s also only a 4 cylinder, gets terrible mileage, doesn’t have much in terms of luxury options. But it is cheap.

I sold it and bought a new Honda Passport.

But, if I were a minivan buyer again, I’d probably only consider the Honda or Toyota. The Honda is overall better, imo. The Sienna has AWD, but you likely won’t need it and if the snow is deep, the ground clearance sucks anyhow.

Updated with photos:

I’m partial to Toyota. (Nissan driver before CVT fiasco). In your opinion what makes the Honda a better mini?

Although not the troublesome motor, the oddesy is direct injection. Fuel dilution, carbon, walnuts, etc I dunno.

I like Toyotas direct/port system.

I like awd. Nice to have although my truck is 4x4, and I load up the box for the winter, and drive on winter tires. Very rarely do I need to put it into 4x. In fact I was taught “4wd just gets ya stuck further from home”. Drove until you get stuck. If you do, use 4x to get unstuck and go straight home. It’s not nice enough to be out and about.

So the passport is Honda’s rav4? Or would that be the crv? Passport and crv look similar.

Rav, Corolla cross, and Venda appear the same too. Not sure why manufacturers are building essentially the same vehicles in the same class?


And then I keep going back to a damn truck, lol.

[mgil]

The Passport is the same chassis as the Pilot, but it only seats 5.

I also own a Honda Ridgeline. It’s a good truck for urban/suburban use.

Toyotas are fine, I’m just partial to Honda. I feel they have a bit better performance and ergonomics. On the average, choosing between either brand you’ll likely be fine.

AWD on a minivan is way different than a truck. It’s FWD bias anyhow, and only kicks in with slippage. But a minivan is so front end heavy that the FWD is going to have an advantage when it comes to traction.

If you’re going to haul stuff more than people, the MB Metris is good also. The Metris is also a sweet chassis to build a small RV on.

[Oldandfat]

The Passport is the same chassis as the Pilot, but it only seats 5.

I also own a Honda Ridgeline. It’s a good truck for urban/suburban use.

Toyotas are fine, I’m just partial to Honda. I feel they have a bit better performance and ergonomics. On the average, choosing between either brand you’ll likely be fine.

AWD on a minivan is way different than a truck. It’s FWD bias anyhow, and only kicks in with slippage. But a minivan is so front end heavy that the FWD is going to have an advantage when it comes to traction.

If you’re going to haul stuff more than people, the MB Metris is good also. The Metris is also a sweet chassis to build a small RV on.

Ridgline is also pilot platform right? Any issues with carbon build up? How’s the awd? It’s full time so not rwd and a t case right?

I’d suspect the sienna awd is like our rav. Mostly fwd with a wee bit of rwd. It adjusts accordingly.

Fwd absolutely has traction. I drove a fwd with studded winter tires and there wasn’t much I couldn’t plow through.

Metris looks cool, but I’d never buy a German car. Well maybe if I had extra cash I’d buy an older bmw. New ones, nope.


Japanese only. Toyota or Honda.

[mgil]

Ridgeline, Pilot, Passport, and Odyssey are all on the same basic platform. The Ridgeline is beefed up for hauling capabilities.

They are all FWD bias with AWD available (except the Odyssey). The Ridgeline has AWD standard. The Ridgeline is pretty well hated by most truck owners, because it’s not body-on-frame and RWD, but it also rides and handles well with a pretty big trunk inside the bed and decent space in the rear seat for a midsize pickup.

The Ridgeline has about 35,000 miles on it with no issues. The Passport has about 15,000. Also no issues.

I also have a 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour in the driveway. Same basic 3.5L V6 engine. It has about 120,000 miles on it. No issues. Thing pulls hard.

Also noting: Honda does well with making cars handle well as FWD only. Even the Civic Type R makes due with FWD with 310bhp in a light chassis. They have figured out chassis dynamics pretty good with the FWD platform.

[Oldandfat]

Ridgeline, Pilot, Passport, and Odyssey are all on the same basic platform. The Ridgeline is beefed up for hauling capabilities.

They are all FWD bias with AWD available (except the Odyssey). The Ridgeline has AWD standard. The Ridgeline is pretty well hated by most truck owners, because it’s not body-on-frame and RWD, but it also rides and handles well with a pretty big trunk inside the bed and decent space in the rear seat for a midsize pickup.

The Ridgeline has about 35,000 miles on it with no issues. The Passport has about 15,000. Also no issues.

I also have a 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour in the driveway. Same basic 3.5L V6 engine. It has about 120,000 miles on it. No issues. Thing pulls hard.

Also noting: Honda does well with making cars handle well as FWD only. Even the Civic Type R makes due with FWD with 310bhp in a light chassis. They have figured out chassis dynamics pretty good with the FWD platform.

Guilty as charged. I’m old school and “prefer” body on frame. Even though I know nothing. A cottage neighbor drives a RL and a few guys at work. They all like them.

But if you dig into the details….. the lowest payload of a RL is 1485 lbs. that’s WAY more than a Tacoma, and honestly more than most tundras. I don’t know why all the hate.

And let’s be serious most trucks are cars. Me included.

I sat in a Tacoma when servicing the rav at the dealership. They are weird. You have to climb up into it, but then you “sink” into the seat. I didn’t like it. They are also very clunky to drive. Supposedly the RL is,a dream.

You are talking me outa a minivan, and into a RL. Was eyeballing the tundra but it looks they are having turbo,issues already plus you can’t don’t them

[mgil]

@Oldandfat, I bought the Ridgeline as a car for my wife. She wanted something with AWD, heated seats, good radio/head unit, and easy to drive. Her previous car was a Subaru Forester (seen in the photos I posted after I lowered it on coil overs). We also wanted something to haul all of our bicycles around in. The other safety features were a solid bonus as well.

What made it an easy sell was how “car like” it drives. The trunk in the bed gets used all of the time, and the trick swing out or drop down tailgate has proven to be very useful.

[Oldandfat]

The more I look into the ridge line the more I like. Not sure why it wasn’t on the radar when I bought the frontier.

How’s the interior space? My frontier is a wee bit cramped. I’m 5-10 @265lbs and broad. Was thinking a full size (tundra) for the bigger cabin space. Purely comfort. I don’t “need” a full size.

Not crazy about the RL having a timing belt. Big maintenance item and with an interference engine, I prefer chains.

And I just realized the RL has that cylinder deactivation none sense. Typically that kinda stuff is an economic time bomb. Toyota doesn’t have it. And there are other manufacturers that don’t.

Also curious about the “down or sideways” tailgate. Immediately I think gimmick. I’ve never thought to my self “I wish my tailgate opened sideways”.

How did / do you find it useful?

[mgil]

I’m 6’ and 295. Space up front is fine. Riding in the back is fine for short trips.

The timing belt and interference engine stuff is what old mechanics yell at clouds about. Most timing belts are fine as long as they are serviced properly. Timing chains are just as likely to grenade if not cared for and are way more costly when they do. If you’re worried about that, then a Ford 301 I6 is your engine (gear driven cam).

The interference engine stuff is similar insofar that you only need to work when the belt goes and even when a belt goes on a non interference engine, there’s still a possibility for collateral damage. Plus, interference engines are typically more efficient (clearing the combustion chamber), so no shock that Honda would move to that. Honda was one of the primary non interference engine builders for years. I’m sure they wouldn’t switch without a decent engineering effort.

The swing out tailgate is the easiest way to access the trunk space. The trunk gets used often, and as a result the tailgate is opened in that manner often. Also, when loading up stuff like mulch, it’s easier to pop it into the bed without shoving it over the lift gate. My wife is short, so this is a bonus.

Regarding the cylinder deactivation stuff, I don’t know what to tell you. Overall, I take what’s said on car forums with a massive grain of salt anymore. Most of the people remaining on those car forums are grumpy old men who wax nostalgic about carburetors and thin A pillars. The remainder are people with problems, so almost all of the information is biased. It’s been used for multiple generations of this engine and has seen marked improvements in reliability. What it does is allow my Passport and Ridgeline to get 26/27 mpg on the highway easily in the summer. Yes, they both beat the EPA sticker estimate.

[Oldandfat]

I’m 6’ and 295. Space up front is fine. Riding in the back is fine for short trips.

The timing belt and interference engine stuff is what old mechanics yell at clouds about. Most timing belts are fine as long as they are serviced properly. Timing chains are just as likely to grenade if not cared for and are way more costly when they do. If you’re worried about that, then a Ford 301 I6 is your engine (gear driven cam).

The interference engine stuff is similar insofar that you only need to work when the belt goes and even when a belt goes on a non interference engine, there’s still a possibility for collateral damage. Plus, interference engines are typically more efficient (clearing the combustion chamber), so no shock that Honda would move to that. Honda was one of the primary non interference engine builders for years. I’m sure they wouldn’t switch without a decent engineering effort.

The swing out tailgate is the easiest way to access the trunk space. The trunk gets used often, and as a result the tailgate is opened in that manner often. Also, when loading up stuff like mulch, it’s easier to pop it into the bed without shoving it over the lift gate. My wife is short, so this is a bonus.

Regarding the cylinder deactivation stuff, I don’t know what to tell you. Overall, I take what’s said on car forums with a massive grain of salt anymore. Most of the people remaining on those car forums are grumpy old men who wax nostalgic about carburetors and thin A pillars. The remainder are people with problems, so almost all of the information is biased. It’s been used for multiple generations of this engine and has seen marked improvements in reliability. What it does is allow my Passport and Ridgeline to get 26/27 mpg on the highway easily in the summer. Yes, they both beat the EPA sticker estimate.

I agree with much of what you say. I guess I’m one of those old guys yelling at clouds (not a mechanic).

I get moving forward, technology, etc. but it just seems like there’s a whole lotta “holy fuck” can go wrong with cylinder deactivation. If and when it craps, the expense will far out weigh the fuel savings and the repair “carbon footprint” will likely exceed the footprint it reduced.

Sometimes newer is better, sometimes not. KISS principle.

Agree on,forums. Mostly complaints.

So you wouldn’t,deactivate the cylinder,deactivation?

Are you happy with Honda,awd?

What are your thoughts on the new 9sp transmission? Good, bad? Durable?

Local dealer has a white, black edition. Tempted to have a look. Scared I may,drive home with it.

Tacoma is out. Too popular. No tundras around. And for some reason there’s a lot of hate for the RL. There’s tons of them on dealer lots.

[mgil]

The 9 speed auto in my Passport seems fine. The Ridgeline has the 6 speed.

After the recent facelift, local dealers can’t keep the Ridgeline in stock. It’s a decent looking truck. Bonus that you can get factory roof rails and crossbars so that a basket or box can be easily mounted over the cab.

I looked into deleting the cylinder deactivation. Doing so voids the warranty. Seems like trading one risk for another. Like I mentioned above, the Honda Accord I have with the same engine design and an older version of the cylinder deactivation software (one that had noted problems compared to recent versions) has no issue.

Local to me (Boston area), the Ridgeline holds its value well.

[zappey1]

I'm a dad of 5. We rock the heck out of our minivan (Dodge Grand Caravan 2018).

It is great for hauling people LOTS of room for everyone. I have a truck so I don't use it much for hauling but the back rows can fold down to have some decent space for hauling. I actually see a group of builders around my neighborhood that use an older one as their work vehicle.

So much more room for passengers than an SUV.

I will say that I have thought about trading in the truck for a 4 runner as I rarely use my truck for hauling these days and the passenger capacity is limited.

A minivan will be part of my life for at least 10 more years. This is the second one we have owned. The ground clearance sucks but the passenger/ cargo capacity and the gas millage is great.