Minivan Reviews
The minivan was created in 1983 by a Chrysler Corporation just coming out of near-bankruptcy. Market research showed that the minivan would be intensely popular, if it handled well and easily fit into a garage. Given the era, the originals minis were moderately nimble and fit easily into most garages - they had the footprint of a K-car.
Nearly every minivan feature was based on customer requests, resulting in a crude but desirable vehicle that crushed the competition for over 15 years, despite repeated efforts by Ford and General Motors. (The initial 1984-1990 van was replaced by a far more refined version that was mechanically quite similar in 1991; the first full redesign would have to wait until 1996).
In the end, Chrysler ended up losing market share largely because of quality issues that started around 1989 and were largely solved by 1994 - poorly-designed four-speed automatic transmissions and Mitsubishi V6 engines with oil leaks. Today's Caravan and Voyager are high quality vehicles, nicer to drive than the Honda Odyssey, and from various tests, equally well made. However, the Toyota Sienna still sets the standard for reliability, according to quality surveys.
The Caravan/Voyager twins are still available in the widest range, from sub-Kia-priced models (powered by a four-cylinder with as much power as the old 3.0 V6) to the 3.8 liter Town & Country.
The Honda Odyssey has received rave reviews, with more horsepower (but less torque), albeit at a higher price and at the cost of some interior noise. Chrysler has managed to outdo it with the 2005 Grand Caravan and Town & Country, providing superior fold-down seats without extra interior noise; in the absence of a measurable quality difference, we'll recommend the Chrysler and Dodge, especially after their hefty price cut. But the new Toyota Sienna is surprisingly good, with a five-speed automatic that allows class-beating acceleration with class-beating gas mileage, and a better driving experience than the Odyssey; not to mention a huge list of standard features and optional equipment, and a luxurious dash. The Sienna's advantages are gas mileage, resale value, and predicted reliability; the Chrysler/Dodge, driver experience (more precise feel and more fun to drive).
The Ford Windstar/Freestar just seems outclassed in every area but safety, where it matches or beats competitors. The Kia Sedona seems like a good value, but given discounts on American minivans, it doesn't hold up quite as well on close inspection, and quality control is still an issue at Kia - though, oddly, not at Hyundai. GM has a nice set of vans, but they do not have much to recommend them over Chrysler, Toyota, and Mazda. Nissan's Quest has interesting styling, applying the 1970s Chevrolet curve to a mini, but the long moonroof and those curves seem to be its distinguishing features. We've heard a number of complaints about quality on the new Quest, though the original was apparently quite good.
Full minivan reviews:
- Chevrolet Venture
- Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited and Turbo (a mini-minivan)
- Chrysler Town & Country minivan - the gadget loverŐs van, now with added zoom
- Dodge Grand Caravan (Chrysler Town & Country) (2005)
- 2002 Dodge Caravan / Chrysler Voyager / Chrysler Town & Country (prior generation)
- History of the Caravan/Voyager: see this page at Allpar
- Mazda MPV
- Scion xB (2005) - surprisingly fun and economical miniature hatchback...or is it a minivan? or an SUV?
- Toyota Sienna (2005): luxury interior, and all the gadgets you can want, with class-beating acceleration and mileage
- Toyota Sienna (prior generation)