Time For a New Minivan

[Jun aka Pekto]

We're going to test drive some minivans after were done with summer vacation and close outs of 2008 models start to make room for the 2009 models. There's bound to be good deals too what with this fuel crunch. Wife's been wanting one because no sedan is spacious enough to handle a baby seat with ease, not even the Sonata. Same goes for most SUV's. Besides, the older kid's been screaming at me to get a new van ever since we got rid of the old one back in 2005. For me, I sorely missed the captain's chair during long interstate road trips.

Nothing flashy (except for overhead DVD players). These will be people haulers. With kids around our house all the time, a new van will get dented and scratched within weeks of buying.....

Our final choices. No Hyundai Entourage because it's just a more expensive Kia. No Honda Odyssey because the last one we looked at seemed pretty small. Definitely no Mazda 5 either because it's downright tiny. So, it's a pretty small selection:

2008 Kia Sedona


2008 Grand Caravan


2008 Nissan Quest


2008 Toyota Sienna


Sources: autoreview.com, usnews.com, flicker.com

[empy]

budget? and are you willing to go used?

of your choices the Quest has led its class for more than a decade, in my opinion, despite what the superior sales figures of the Chryslers might say. i'd put that at the top of my list before the test drives.

are crossovers out of the question? from a utility, flexibility and people-moving standpoint, the Honda Pilot and Mazda CX9 could be some pretty sweet alternatives

[niky]

Damnit... can't relate. I've driven the Philippine Sedona, so I don't know if the suspension tuning is the same... but if it is, it's a bit truckish, though it handles decently. Too bad you don't get the CRDi version there, yet... it's a good engine with decent economy.

If the Sienna is still close to the Previa in terms of performance, that's a pretty smooth performer, good suspension (not perfect yet... Toyota still needs beefier shocks), great comfort and a nice interior.

The Quest would be my pick here...

But if you decide to go for a CX-9... hehehe... do it, do it, do it! Drives nicely and the V6 has a lot of character. Very comfy, too, though the center console makes it more of a six seater than a seven seater.

[MXFX]

my wife and i have looked into a van before we got our sentra and we considered the sedona and the quest.

right now the quest is our first choice since we like something different and we didnt mind the "oddball" styling at all. i have driven a few 04's only for test drives. the advice i got from a nissan tech is to simply avoid the 04 and go with 05's and later, esp the current one. i sat in on a few 07's as a shuttle service and i can tell that the fit and finish inside is much more improved. oh yeah, we like VQ and nissan too .

we only looked into a sedona but was not able to drive one since my wife decided to get a small car instead. the positive reviews and crash test ratings got our attention on this one. the low price (esp the used ones) is also a big plus.

there are some deals for used ones around that are so tempting and the timing is actually getting better with people switching to smaller cars.

p.s. i also drive my sister's pilot and i can consider this as an alternate to a minivan. not as roomy but enough for a family. also a long shot, i keep reminding my wife how the armada/qx56 are getting cheaper. not working, she finds them too big .

[MXFX]

my wife and i have looked into a van before we got our sentra and we considered the sedona and the quest.

right now the quest is our first choice since we like something different and we didnt mind the "oddball" styling at all. i have driven a few 04's only for test drives. the advice i got from a nissan tech is to simply avoid the 04 and go with 05's and later, esp the current one. i sat in on a few 07's as a shuttle service and i can tell that the fit and finish inside is much more improved. oh yeah, we like VQ and nissan too .

we only looked into a sedona but was not able to drive one since my wife decided to get a small car instead. the positive reviews and crash test ratings got our attention on this one. the low price (esp the used ones) is also a big plus.

there are some deals for used ones around that are so tempting and the timing is actually getting better with people switching to smaller cars.

p.s. i also drive my sister's pilot and i can consider this as an alternate to a minivan. not as roomy but enough for a family. also a long shot, i keep reminding my wife how the armada/qx56 are getting cheaper. not working, she finds them too big .

[slamtaz]

we were also looking for a van, months back, at sedona/entourage, odysssey and sienna lang ang natest drive namin. we almost got the sienna, which my wife also prefers having the best balance for our needs in terms of comfort/space/power/mpg/price, pero during that time i heard about the great deals for the pilot (08 being an outgoing model) which i researched and test drove din.

true enough, we got the price lower than the 3.5 sienna and even a 3.3 hyundai santa fe. it sits 8, very smooth ride and spacious for my family of six (children aged 9 - 16) even when my mom & sister visits us or my in-laws ay kasya kami. and the 19-20 city/23-25 hiway mileage is even better than our old toyota previa (16 city/20 hiway) or the pathfinder (14 city/17 hiway) which the pilot replaced (hope i recall the mpgs accurately )

i even got a surprise when i found out that the insurance premium of the pilot is cheaper than my wife's car

edit: pero kung budget is not tight, i'd go for the cx-9... deym, i test drove it and it drives & handles like a sports sedan cum suv. it also has wide rear doors which makes ingress & egress easier (me thinks its gud for having car seat mobility)

[HyBrideVo]

Here are some of my choices.

Minivans
1. Honda Odyssey
2. Toyota Sienna
3. Nissan Quest
4. Chrysler Town & Country
5. Hyundai Entourage

CUVs
1. Mazda CX9
2. Subaru Tribeca
3. Acura MDX
4. Honda Pilot
5. Buick Enclave

[drey]

I think I'll vote for the Grand Caravan for now. I haven't made some research yet but will try to help you out some time.

BFN.

[drey]

I think I'll vote for the Grand Caravan for now. I haven't made some research yet but will try to help you out some time.

BFN.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Well..... First thing's first. Crossovers aren't an option. Both the wife and kid had ridden in friends' crossovers before (Murano, Santa Fe, and a Lexus) and both agreed they preferred a minivan over any of those. They both also preferred sliding doors, esp in tight parking.

So, it has to be a minivan. If there was a 4-cylinder option, it'd be a plus. But, all of them have V6s which I'm fine with.

Although the Odyssey wasn't included earlier, we did notice Honda seems to have all sorts of deals right now. So, the Odyssey is back on the list.

I personally like the Nissan Quest. It's also the vote of every kin up north in Nevada. They've been Nissan fans ever since it was still Datsun.

So right now, it's the Quest unless Honda can give us a good deal on an Odyssey. The Previa dropped a bit behind those 2 in our list after reading some reliability issues with the V6. The Kia Sedona is 4th just in case the budget becomes tight.The Dodge is last.

Our last minivan was a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan SE which we traded in for the 2006 Sonata. We would've kept it longer. But, it suddenly developed transmission issues in 2005. We were saved from a $3.5k repair bill by the extended warranty. I'm sure Dodge transmissions have improved. But lemon-fresh is still on my mind.

[drey]

*Juan

I agree with your kids. It's good that you listened to what they want.

I liked the Dodge because of the toys and I think it's more convenient and family focused. I looked up at the Odyssey if the USDM is the same with the JDM... But it turns out that the JDM is smaller or shorter than the American model.

It seems you're choosing for the Quest already. So what's the dilemma between these minivans?

Honda Odyssey
- V6, 4 cylinder not available. But this has Honda's VCM which is good. I can't see much of the practicality of this minivan with the exception of it's VCM technology on some models. Though it has some aggressive exterior, it looks more conservative to me. The leather seats looks quite a bit old fashioned.

Toyota Sienna
- V6 only. No long comments really. A Toyota is a Toyota in some people. But I really think Toyota has some balance in their cars.

Nissan Quest
- V6 only. The seats have some styling issues to me, though some may disagree but it looks thin as a dining chair. Third row seat is a bit disappointing unlike other minivans on the market, hiding it means the whole 3rd seat without giving you an option to hide half/more than half of it.

Dodge Grand Caravan
- V6 only

If I were to buy one, I'd still choose the Dodge. Which I know that it's not really the most practical minivan too. But I like the toys.

[userfriendly]

I've driven the Sienna, its a nice minivan. No complaints. Same with the Odyssey.

Dodge has a bad rep for its transmissions specially the older (late 90's) Caravans. I would have thought they have solved it by now.

No experience with the Kia and Nissan.

[redorange]

Also checkout the Ford Taurus X and the Dodge Journey before making your decision. Not exactly minivans but not the typical crossover either. Personally on your list the Nissan has the most personality without looking boring (Toyota) and not having the history of others(Chrysler). Recently saw a new Sedona with dealer tags and it already had a broken interior grab handle.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Also checkout the Ford Taurus X and the Dodge Journey before making your decision. Not exactly minivans but not the typical crossover either. Personally on your list the Nissan has the most personality without looking boring (Toyota) and not having the history of others(Chrysler). Recently saw a new Sedona with dealer tags and it already had a broken interior grab handle.

The wife wants the "classic" minivan. It has the most room and the best accessibility.

Unfortunately, now she can't decide what she want. I thought we were set on the Quest. Now, she's thinking about the Odyssey again. Apparently, her "kumares" have been brainwashing her into getting an Odyssey. *SIGH*

[drey]

Lol...

Well, have a nice happy minivan hunting!

[MXFX]

jun, i happen to find a thread from fatwallet. nissan is unloading their big vehicles including the quest for up to 40% off. selected dealers though, but at 40% this is worth trying.

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-...45337/?start=0

from what i hear, among the minivans honda is the most fun to drive.

[Type 100]

The Quest ain't bad...although I have no experience with current model. My aunt in South Pasadena used to own an old one. It was definitely not frugal on fuel when driving around town (a caveat), but if you see mostly freeway miles that shouldn't be a problem.

My vote would go to the Odyssey. If minivans are as "boring" as people think they are, one might as well go for the one that's the most fun to drive.

Can't ignore that very fat 40% discount on the Quest though...

[Jun aka Pekto]

Well, my view of the minivan is a people-mover. Its main advantages are the different seat configurations possible, how it maximizes available space, and the creature comforts, esp the captain's chairs.

Fun.... Let's see what my idea of fun driving is through the years.....

1. Doing 0-55mph in 2nd gear with my Laser Turbo. That was fun if a bit scary. I almost expected a piston to come shooting through the dashboard.

2. Taking the same car to 150+ mph at a deserted road. That was fun.

3. Blasting off from the Truckee toll gate along I-80 on that steep mountain climb and leaving an IROC-Z far far behind gasping for breath. That was fun.

4. Doing 40 mph on an ice-covered parade ground, slamming the brakes, and watch me and my car slide crazily all over the place. That was fun.

5. Successfully overtaking 11 semis, motor homes, pickup trucks, and other vehicles all at once on a 2-lane road to Chico, CA. That was fun.

6. Neck to neck with a V6 Mazda 6 in my Sonata until the Mazda driver hit the speed governor. That was fun.

But......... Putt-putting around town at 40-45 mph not just in a minivan, but any car isn't fun. There's no fun in driving (for me) if I'm not pushing the car. It doesn't matter if it's a Miata or M3. If I'm just using them to drive around town, there's no fun in it.

I wouldn't push a minivan because it's simply not designed to be pushed hard. So, it really wouldn't matter whether the van is a Dodge or Honda. But, the Dodge is butt-ugly and the Sienna has had some quality control issues. The Quest I liked not just because of the lower prices. But, most of my relatives are Nissan/Infiniti fanatics. So, it's a strong contender.

But, we took a second look at an Odyssey. It's actually quite roomy. The first time we looked at an Odyssey, we also brought along friends and neighbors. One's a big muscle head. Another has a huge beer belly. Still another had a big butt. The Odyssey looked pretty small with them in it. The 2nd time around, my family and I rode in a kumare's Odyssey. My smaller-framed family members fit quite well at the back. I rode shotgun. I guess it's roomy enough for us. My wife's impressed most with the Odyssey's build quality. Me? I just like captain's chairs. As far as driving it? It's a minivan, whoopty-do. Let the wife decide what she wants

[Type 100]

Hahaha! I see your point. Yeah, let the wife decide.

[empy]

if the Odyssey is in the picture i change my vote to that one. my assistant has one and she has three teenage daughters that play sports. it's super roomy, versatile and has that honda reliability. and as far as minivans go, it's the most carlike in terms of ride and looks....the new ones actually look like sporty tall station wagons.

if you want to be different, check out the Chrysler Pacifica. with the struggles that the American Big 3 have been having, you might be able to score a killer deal on one as well...