Why Minivans are Really Cool Vehicles

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I reached a new milestone in our lives as parents: We purchased a minivan. Many couples shudder at the thought of driving a minivan. In fact, just a couple of days before we purchased our van, I saw this bumper sticker on a minivan parked in the grocery store parking lot.

I’ll concede that they aren’t the most suave vehicles on the road. Moreover, they are associated with a number of stereotypes (and perhaps even stigmas). However, now that we’ve been driving ours for a couple of weeks, I’m confident that minivans are not truly “sweatpants in a world of skinny jeans” (source).

Minivans are actually super cool! Read on to find out why.

Why minivans are awesome

• Seating capacity. We began looking for a new vehicle because we have a baby on the way. Seating capacity was our first consideration because we didn’t want to have to find three car seats that were narrow enough that they’d all fit in the backseat of my Honda Accord! Minivans typically seat 7 or 8 individuals. If you have 3-6 kids or are driving a carpool, then a minivan will accommodate you perfectly!
• Usable third-row seats. Speaking of seating capacity, adults can comfortably sit in the third row of a minivan. The same cannot be said of most crossovers and mid-size SUVs. These latter vehicles technically have the same seating capacity as minivans, but their third-row seats are so close to the second-row seats that adults can’t comfortably sit back there. Check out these comparisons of third-row legroom to see what I mean (source):
  • Dodge Grand Caravan: 32.7 in. | Dodge Durango: 31.5 in.
  • Honda Odyssey: 42.4 in. | Honda Pilot: 32.1 in.
  • Kia Sedona: 34.0 in. | Kia Sorento: 32.1 in.
  • Nissan Quest: 40.5 in. | Nissan Pathfinder: 28.1 in.
  • Toyota Sienna: 36.3 in. | Toyota Highlander: 29.9 in.
• Numerous seating configurations. Most minivans allow you to configure the seats in various ways. Depending on the minivan, the seats either fold into the floor or can be removed entirely. This allows you to remove or hide the third row of seats if you don’t need them, remove a second-row bucket seat for easier access to the third-row seats, etc.
• Sliding doors. The sliding doors are my favorite feature of our minivan! It is often so challenging to get a couple of young kids and a diaper bag into the car, especially if the vehicle next to me parked so close that I can’t open the side door very far. Sliding doors eliminate this problem. They don’t swing open, so you don’t have to squeeze through a narrow opening. I can easily get my kids up into their seats, even in a tight space. I’m particularly fond of the fact that my van has power doors, so I can open the sliding doors with the touch of a button. The opening created by the sliding doors is quite wide, which makes it easier to get kiddos into their rear-facing car seats. When I still had my car, I felt like I had to fold my kids in half in order to get them in their car seats. It’s much easier now!
• Cargo space. Minivans have a surprising amount of cargo space. This is good, because if you have enough kids to fill a van, then you also need enough space to haul groceries, luggage, and other supplies for them. When we first started looking for a new vehicle, we considered getting a crossover or mid-size SUV. However, we couldn’t believe how much more cargo space minivans have behind the third-row seats (source):
  • Dodge Grand Caravan: 33.0 cu. ft. | Dodge Durango: 17.2 cu. ft.
  • Honda Odyssey: 38.4 cu. ft. | Honda Pilot: 18.0 cu. ft.
  • Kia Sedona: 32.2 cu. ft. | Kia Sorento: 9.1 cu. ft.
  • Nissan Quest: 35.1 cu. ft. | Nissan Pathfinder: 16.5 cu. ft.
  • Toyota Sienna: 39.1 cu. ft. | Toyota Highlander: 10.3 cu. ft.
• Lots of cup holders and storage cubbies. Whether it’s in the console between the front seats, on the inside of the doors, or on the interior walls next to the third-row seats, there are lots of cup holders and storage cubbies in minivans. This is great when you have kids because you always have sippy cups or water bottles, snacks, toys, tissues, and other items that you carry with you and need places to store.
• Space for car seats. Car seats aren’t exactly compact. In fact, I know a lot of folks who drive cars who find it difficult because they can’t move the front seats back to a comfortable position when a rear-facing car seat is installed behind them. Because minivans are larger, it is easier to get car seats in them, to install these car seats, and to get kids into the seats once they are installed. If you follow current safety recommendations, then your kids will spend large portions of their childhoods in car seats or booster seats. This means that having a vehicle that easily accommodates the seats is invaluable!

I’ll stop singing the praises of minivans now and give you a chance to share. Do you drive a minivan? If so, how do you feel about it? If you don’t drive a minivan, what are your favorite things about the vehicle you do drive?

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