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Minivan Recommendations

besserheimerphat said:
You can do day trips with 1 or 2 kids in a CRV type vehicle. But once you do overnight trips, the amount of stuff you have to bring grows exponentially and that's when the minivan is helpful. Stroller. Play-pen/Pack-N-Play. 3x the normal amount of clothes to account for getting peed/pooped/puked on. Bottles and formula or jars of baby food plus utensils. Do you need to bring a separate highchair/booster seat? Training potty?
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Yep, we had to play tetris packing for a week trip this summer.....and my mom had to drive separate. Did similar trip in the fall adding in cold weather gear and we all rode in the van. We went a yr with 2 before sizing up but spent half that time trying to get a van.
 
A minivan could be worth it with only one kid. Luckily my wife is short so we put the carseat behind her, but again. Much more room for everything in a minivan. And far easier to maneuver than a suburban type vehicle.
 
cyfan92 said:
We paid Schuling Hitch Co to put a 2" hitch on our Odyssey for even more cargo capacity.

We also bought a cargo carries/bike hauler (below) that can carry 4 bikes, or tailgate supplies, and plastic totes when we need to REALLY pack up the van. A much better set-up than strapping something to the roof and getting awful gas mileage and having to deal with clear heights and drive-thru lanes.

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This is a great idea. Might have to put this on my list for next year. We have a Pilot in addition to our Odyssey, and we were very cramped with all the stuff we had to travel with for Christmas.
 
cyfan92 said:
We paid Schuling Hitch Co to put a 2" hitch on our Odyssey for even more cargo capacity.

We also bought a cargo carries/bike hauler (below) that can carry 4 bikes, or tailgate supplies, and plastic totes when we need to REALLY pack up the van. A much better set-up than strapping something to the roof and getting awful gas mileage and having to deal with clear heights and drive-thru lanes.

Click to expand...

Have this on our list to do in the future, especially when we need more than 2 bikes.
 
We had a Town & Country before trading it in on a Kia. We had a lot of problems with the Chrysler. We also noticed a lot more road noise because of the stow and go seating. The Kia has a lot more bells and whistles for the money.
 
2016 chrysler t&c here. I like the van, but have had lots of top end engine issues starting at about 140K. Oldest kiddo is 13, so trying to decide if we stick with mv or go with a Tahoe next.
 
I'm kind of looking for a future (about 12-18 months out) replacement vehicle.

I'm looking at maximizing MPG and cargo space behind the front seats for the semi-annual migration between Iowa and Florida. Also purchase price, of course.

Currently have a 2017 Flex. I do love it but they don't make them any more and the MPG on the highway is around 25. I'd like to see a bit more.

Cargo space behind the front seats is 83.2. And we often use every bit of it. And since it's a pretty squared off design it packs quite well. Not a lot of odd leftover spaces.

Looked at the Odyssey. Wondering what you people who have them get for your mileage? I was a bit disappointed in that.

One thing I've noticed is that the mid-size crossovers have the same (or very close to the same) cargo space as the larger ones.

Looking at on-line specs I get some weird data. For instance, Hyundai claims the Tucson has 80.3 CF of cargo space behind the front seats. But the larger Santa Fe only has 72.1. I will be curious to find out what that looks like in person or if that's just plain incorrect.
 
MeanDean said:
I'm kind of looking for a future (about 12-18 months out) replacement vehicle.

I'm looking at maximizing MPG and cargo space behind the front seats for the semi-annual migration between Iowa and Florida. Also purchase price, of course.

Currently have a 2017 Flex. I do love it but they don't make them any more and the MPG on the highway is around 25. I'd like to see a bit more.

Cargo space behind the front seats is 83.2. And we often use every bit of it. And since it's a pretty squared off design it packs quite well. Not a lot of odd leftover spaces.

Looked at the Odyssey. Wondering what you people who have them get for your mileage? I was a bit disappointed in that.

One thing I've noticed is that the mid-size crossovers have the same (or very close to the same) cargo space as the larger ones.

Looking at on-line specs I get some weird data. For instance, Hyundai claims the Tucson has 80.3 CF of cargo space behind the front seats. But the larger Santa Fe only has 72.1. I will be curious to find out what that looks like in person or if that's just plain incorrect.
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Our 2019 Odyssey gets around 27 mpg on the highway.
 
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MeanDean said:
I'm kind of looking for a future (about 12-18 months out) replacement vehicle.

I'm looking at maximizing MPG and cargo space behind the front seats for the semi-annual migration between Iowa and Florida. Also purchase price, of course.

Currently have a 2017 Flex. I do love it but they don't make them any more and the MPG on the highway is around 25. I'd like to see a bit more.

Cargo space behind the front seats is 83.2. And we often use every bit of it. And since it's a pretty squared off design it packs quite well. Not a lot of odd leftover spaces.

Looked at the Odyssey. Wondering what you people who have them get for your mileage? I was a bit disappointed in that.

One thing I've noticed is that the mid-size crossovers have the same (or very close to the same) cargo space as the larger ones.

Looking at on-line specs I get some weird data. For instance, Hyundai claims the Tucson has 80.3 CF of cargo space behind the front seats. But the larger Santa Fe only has 72.1. I will be curious to find out what that looks like in person or if that's just plain incorrect.
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I get high 20's to low 30's driving on the interstate depending on all sorts of variables. Low 20's in the winter cold, in-town driving, including remote starting before we leave the house.
 
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I do give people props for getting minivans, especially with kids. They're probably the most practical and enjoyable family vehicle and yet the stigma keeps most from ever considering them. Before we swapped leases Highlander to Highlander, I thought about the Sienna but just couldn't do it. Every time it rains, is cold, windy, etc and I have to help our youngest in and out of the car, I second guess that. Of course it gets easier as he gets older, but still.
 
besserheimerphat said:
If you want to keep the Wrangler, look into a small enclosed trailer (though a minivan probably has a very comparable tow rating).
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Yeah, if we did go that route I’d need something to deal with the forest roads and places I like to get for fishing and hiking. Hit the beach by Gearhart OR to see bottomed out minivans in the sand all summer.
 
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2011 Odyssey with 180k miles on it and no major issues. Have a 2012 Pilot with 175k miles that we bought for the third row seats and have used like 3 times, because no adults would be comfortable back there. Had a 2006 Odyssey before that we put 110k on before buying the 2011. Can't go wrong with Honda. The ease of getting in and out of the minivan compared to SUV is not even comparable.
 
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Wife has had 4 Odyssey's over 20 years. She wouldn't think of any other make. Current Odyssey is pushing 185,000 miles. She's put 100,000 plus on all of them but 1. Mileage is good 25 - 30 on highway, much better than SUV's. We have a Tahoe too. Maintenance oil changes, change filters and tires. Minimal issues beyond basic upkeep mentioned on all 4.
 
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