Minivans get a lot of grief from the cool police, but they are hands down the most utilitarian vehicle available. Our Grand Caravan hauls our three kids (one booster, two car seats), our 100 pound German shephard and not-so-mini dachshund, and enough luggage for a long weekend. Keep in mind luggage for us involves all the crap necessary for three kids less than 4 years old - bath seat, plastic training toilet, 2X as many cloths as necessary, toys, diapers, snacks, drinks, etc etc. And it can also haul a good size boat or popup camper (5000 lb trailer limit).
It does better in the snow than our AWD Honda CR-V did just because it's heavier and has a little better ground clearance. I've used it to haul (6) 4'x8' sheets of plywood before. The third row seating is big enough to be usable for our girls as they get older. When we were looking at SUVs with third row seats, they are usually tiny unless you go the Suburban/Excursion route. So far we're averaging about 23 mpg (we have the 3.3L flex fuel engine, usually run the cheap 89 octane ethanol blended gas). It's got 31k miles in about 1.5 years of ownership.
I'm not going to pretend it's cool, and I have a lot more fun driving my truck. But it is the most versatile vehicle I've ever driven.
It does better in the snow than our AWD Honda CR-V did just because it's heavier and has a little better ground clearance. I've used it to haul (6) 4'x8' sheets of plywood before. The third row seating is big enough to be usable for our girls as they get older. When we were looking at SUVs with third row seats, they are usually tiny unless you go the Suburban/Excursion route. So far we're averaging about 23 mpg (we have the 3.3L flex fuel engine, usually run the cheap 89 octane ethanol blended gas). It's got 31k miles in about 1.5 years of ownership.
I'm not going to pretend it's cool, and I have a lot more fun driving my truck. But it is the most versatile vehicle I've ever driven.
