SUV Vs. Minivan

You didn't say where you live, so this may not even be a concern for you. I'm in Reno. I have a Yukon. I absolutely will not have a minivan because my Yukon has real 4 wheel drive, the kind that you can switch from rear-wheel to all 4 (4 hi, 4 lo) and a full-time AWD option. I've found AWD isn't the same as true 4-WD. In snow, in ice, I get around great! I see people in minivans spinning on icy spots and fishtailing. I don't have that problem. The gas mileage in a Yukon sucks, but I'll trade it for the ability to get where I need to go anytime in any weather. We drive everywhere in it, including over Donner Pass down to the Bay area and it's comfortable, plenty of room for kids, stroller, toys, bags, and the dog (German Shepherd).

first let me tell you my opinion is biased my husband works for Toyotas national headquartes. as for suvs mine is the Toyota 4 runner it seats 7 people same as the sienna minivan the seats in the back fold up to the sides when you dont need them and lock down when you do, the highlander (which is smaller) can seat 7 its seats fold down into the bottom of the car when you dont need it. My 4 runner gets 20 miles per gallon. the sienna and highlander gets 26. and the 2 larger suvs seqouia and landcruiser seat 8 people and get about 18mpg.

Hi!
I actually just made the transition from my husbands SUV (he was driving the car) =) and bought a mini-van. I did the research mostly because I didn't really want a mini van in the first place. I found the Odessey and Sienna are very similiar and nice. Then I looked at a Nissan Qwest. It wasn't even on my radar, but then I drove it! I love it! The only thing I can say is to buy newer (after 2005), they made some major changes. We found that we could buy brand new for a similar price to a used Odessey or Sienna. Especially if you go through Costco.

Regardless, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I would go the mini-van route. There isn't any lifting into car seats, the sliding doors are great, and the bucket seats in the back are great for multiple car seats. getting the kids in and out is easy and on the same "standing" level so there isn't any hoisting to get into a seat.

Good Luck!

S.,
I think we can all relate. :) We had a Subaru Outback with just our two kids. It was a perfect vehicle for us. It had room to haul around all the gear we needed while still allowing us to have a car with good gas mileage and it was still AWD. However, we had to give that up with three kids - we went with the Toyota Sienna. For minivans, it's awesome. Great car, good price, decent gas mileage. The bonus to a minivan versus an SUV is it's so much easier to load the kids. You open ONE door versus runnning between two sides of the car. Also, you have room to change a diaper in the car versus the tighter squeeze in a car or SUV. Plus the vans are shorter to the ground making it easier for the kids to get in themselves when you have your hands full (and less chance for accidents).

Many people have a hard time getting past the stereo type of the "minivan mom", but there are millions on the road for a reason. :) I wish you the best of luck!

hi S.

while the minivan image wasn't quite as cool, i am a practical person so we went for the sienna. i'd heard vans were much easier to load strollers and get carseats into. also it seemed like every SUV i got into had that rollover warning on the sun visor and that freaked me out.

it's a close call between the odyssey and the sienna. i think they're running neck and neck with the options these days. (we bought a 2004.) here were a few options that were available on our sienna but not on our friends' odyssey at the time:
-the windows in the odyssey's doors didn't go down and i really like that feature.
-the 3rd row seat (odyssey) did not have a split so either you had to put down the whole thing or leave it up.
-the door tracks on the sienna aren't as obvious
-the rear door on the sienna is automatic. this is a lifesaver when you've got a baby on one arm. just give a little tug on the handle and down it goes. or you can push the button on your keychain.

if you're an audiophile, you should know that the sound system is not great in the 2nd and 3rd rows in either but seemed slightly better in the sienna.

our friends got the factory DVD option which comes in the ceiling. it has a crummy screen and is another visual obstacle (in addition to the headrests) when you're trying to look out the rear view mirror.

in either van, if you're looking for a DVD player, i'd suggest getting it put in after-the-fact. they charge too much for this option and don't give you the best stuff. plus you can have it put in the back of your headrests.

our friends did get the navigation package on theirs. it is very nice and sometimes i do wish we had one as we recently moved and i'm getting lost a lot in our new town. (on the plus side, i'm getting to know where all the streets are.) we looked at this package on the sienna (XLE i think?) but it was $8000 more. it included a sun/moon roof and a rear camera for backing up plus the factory DVD. too much for those options in our opinion.

one thing i do find annoying in ours is that when you lay down the seats, the armrests don't go any lower so if you wanted to put your arms on the armrest, you'd have them pointing at the ceiling. probably the same in the odyssey.

another thing i wish mine did was to have the 2nd row seats go into the floor. there is a minivan out there that does this and it would be really handy when we want to move big things. you can take out the seats but they are really have and you have to plan ahead. no good for big impulse purchases.

oh and the sienna drives just like a camry because it's built on the same frame. we had a camry before too.

bottom line is that you can't go wrong with either minivan so it will come down to options & $. i think they both retain their value fairly well so are good for resale when you're ready to get a 'cool' car.

as to safety, again i think they're pretty close but the odyssey had slightly higher ratings a few years go.

here are your links:

http://www.toyota.com/sienna/models.html

http://automobiles.honda.com/images/banners/2007/odyssey/...

happy shopping :)

Hi S., I have had both I first had a toyota sienna and I loved that van.it was great on gas milage I felt safe in it.so you might want to consider that especially with gas prices so high.what i did was i went to the dealerships that i was interested in and i got brochures on those auto's and read them over and compared. then I sold my van when I moved up to Alaska and now i own a ford expedition its a heavier suv but the gas milage is terriable right now with the gas prices.it sits 8 people just like the van does some vanes I guess can hold a liitle more but you just have to check around.we only have 2 children so my suv is fine for us.I other thing I did was check with our insurance company about the vehicles we were looking at. that helps alot for premiums. I think it all boils down to your preference and what all you want to use the vehicle for. my suv we use for hauling a trailer.ect so maybe take all of that into consideration as well.I am sure you might be able to haul trailers and other things but it might depend on the lbs you are hauling. and the other is price of vehicle what do you want to spend? well I hope I helped you a little with some ideas. good luck on your request.~L.~

My best friend has a suzuki XL7 it is a 7 passenger small suv and she loves it. the gas mileage is comparable to the minivan my mom has. We are looking at a Dodge Durango. It is a bigger suv but not as big as the epidition or the suburban so it rides and parks easier. they have a 3rd row seat option to seat 8. It takes a bit more gas than a minivan but has more power. My friends mom had a sienna and when they got rearended the floor buckled and all of the seat broke free if the children had been in the car they would have been seriously injured possibly worse. That is all I know about any of these vehicle.s

I think a SUV is the better way to go. We have two SUVs, one explorer and one expedition; we are selling the Explorer if anyone is interested. Our expedition has a third seat which is great when we have more than the usual number of passangers. It doesn't get great gas milage, but the seats go down easy if you have to put something big in your vehicle. It also has lots of trunk space when the 3rd seat is not in which is great for groceries or christmas shopping. Plus the newer suvs are getting better gas milage as they evolve. I have been in the new Ford Expeditions and they are nice, plus they have everything that ours has, plus extras.
Good luck in the search - I have to start mine soon, thankfully we are looking to downsize from the explorer.

I was on the hunt just last Jan! So this is what we found: First off DONT go with an SUV. They eat gas and arent as roomie! Not really family friendly (unless you plan on going off roading out in the boones!) The odyssey is nice has a lot of neat features but doesnt have a lot of leg room when you get into the back seat! I Also checked out the Toyota and still, not much leg room! I know at this point you may not need it so much, but when your kids are older and bigger think of the griping that will go on if their legs are cramped!! We have a 7 year old, a 5 year old and an 8 month old!( all boys!) So over ALL the mini vans that were out in 06 we went with the Nissan Qwest! It has some AWESOME features and the back seat I dont mind sitting in! And there is still PLENTY of room to haul around all my Mary Kay Products!! I dont know what the new ones are like but I can only guess they are already better than mine!! Good Luck in your search!!

This is a little bit of a pet peeve of mine. The whole, "we have 2 kids so we have to drive a mini van or a massive SUV". I have 2 daughters, and I drive a 2004 ford Taurus, and we are always comfortable. It has a really big trunk,and plenty of room. I don't get why anyone really needs a huge vehicle to accomodate a family of 4.

I do not own either a minivan or an SUV, but I can offer a bit of advice. I like the way SUV's look better than minivans, but I would probably not go that way. Minivans have MUCH BETTER safety records than SUV's do. EXPECIALLY when it comes to roll over accidents. Minivan's are built with the thought that they will have lots of children riding in them and are designed better from a safety standpoint. SUV's are roll-happy and not designed as specifically. they could be carrying children...but then again, they could be carrying all the equipment I need to finish that addition to my house that I've been meaning to finish up for years. Also, in general...if it makes a difference to you...SUV's usually drive like a truck and minivans usually drive like a car. Good luck with your decision!

I absolutely love my Odyssey. I went back and forth on the mini-van vs SUV, and the safety of the Odyssey won me out. I love the features for storage much more that what the Sienna had to offer. If you live in the San Fernando Valley, of anywhere nearby, I recommend Keyes Honda of Woodland Hills. We all hear the horror stories of the crooked car salesman, who is out to take advantage at every turn, but I found the complete opposite at Keyes Honda. The General Manager, Scott, sets an incredible tone of a customer first environment. He was extremely helpful, and made sure that my every need was being met. I have never before experienced such a customer first attitude overall from a car dealership, let alone had the General Manager take such a complete interest in my happiness. I highly recommend Mike Fogelman as a salesman, and Brian Sobel as a sales manager. I found them both to be knowledgeable, friendly and non-pressuring, which was actually my overall impression of the dealership in general. I also recommend Claude in financing, he is a doll.

Remember to consider looking for storage space. I love my Expedition but storage is terrible. Getting the stroller in is always a challenge. On the mainland we would travel a lot and could'nt bring much because there wasn't any pace to put it. We rented a mini van when we moved here and I was impressed with the storage space available.
On the good side I have backed into a car and into a large van and dented them but not my car. This showed me that the Expedition is probably safer.

Hi S.,
I have twin boys and before they where born we had two trucks then we got rid of one of them and bought a Nissan Altima before they were born. Shortly after we sold it for lack of room both passenger and cargo. We bought an 06 Toyota Sienna 8 passenger and LOVE IT!!! we have plenty of room for our extended family and all of our stuff.My LIL bro is over 6ft and he says he can sit any where in my van comfortably. I have noticed that some of the SUVs don't have as much cargo room as my van does. We also get great gas millage not to mention the 13 cup holders Lol. There is also a neat feature in the middle row the middle seat has a handle that you can easily pull from the front seat to move it forward to care for and infant.There is a ton of storage compartments all over. I would buy another in a heart beat.Good Luck

Well I don't know much about the Toyota minivan but I do know how much I love the Odyssey. I had my eye on one for a long time until we decided we needed to go the SUV route for space (we have 4 kids - who want to bring friends with them so we need more than 7 seats). I have looked at just about every SUV on the market and the two that stand out in the gas mileage department are the Honda Pilot and the Saturn Outlook. They both get about 17 - 18 mpg city and 22-26 highway. My personal opinion is that the Outlook is a much nicer vehicle. I sat in both and looked at the things that would matter to me - and I could lay a full size stroller flat behind the third row seat of the Outlook and still have room for cargo, the Pilot well, not so much. Also if you ever plan to have adults in the third row seat the Pilot is out - I didn't even get back there as I didn't have the energy to maneuver in but it is much smaller than the Outlook. I sat in the third row of the outlook and it was not just doable but it was actually comfortable. Outlook has the usefulness of a huge SUV but honestly it didn't feel that big to drive. Pilot feels to me like a mini SUV. I guess it really depends on your needs - hope this helps!

My mother has always liked Mini Vans. I however have always hated them and found them to be awkward to gain access to seating and whatnot. I just purchased a 1999 Lincoln Navigator off of eBay for $8995 with 110k miles and I just love it! So much room for the kids and it drives so nice! I've only run 2 tanks through it so far but the last one I was averaging 13 miles per gallon, although the truck is rated at 16-18.

I've been loyal to the ford products for the last 6 or so years, very little problems with them and I tend to buy used because I hate owing money on vehicles. When I was looking to buy my Navigator is simply did a google search on the year and model (example: 1999 Lincoln Navigator, or 1999 Lincoln Navigator problems) and found lots of info on known probelms, ect. It dosen't take much looking around to get info. =)

Best of luck to you

S.,

If I were you and your not sure on what your going to do.... why don't you go out and really look at the cars sidebyside!

Compare on what kind of room you will have, what the seating is, can the seats be taken out or put down to haul those loads of groceries and etc. What the warrenties are... get down to the NUTS AND BOLTS....

My husband's family is big on mini vans... his mom, his two sisters and his brother all have them... They all tried to talk me into buying a mini van when I sold my 2004 Mustang. I'm not the mini van type of person... I upgraded for my daycare business and I bought an SUV, yes a BIG Suburban.

To me, there just wasn't enough room after that third seat. Yes you could haul 7 people total in a minivan but what about that room in the very back.... Big deal your going to save what maybe 5 mpg more than what a bigger vehicle is...

My gas mileage is about 20 mpg, it has a bigger gas tank than the minivans, I can go anywhere in comfort, I can fit 8 people in it all comfortably... and still have space in the back for luggage and etc. That 20 MPG was with the ac blasting the entire time during the summer and driving around in Portland....

Most importantly since I live in Central Oregon, I have the need for a 4X4. I feel comfortable in it, and I don't worry about ROLLING OVER!

My mother in law, could not believe that I bought the Suburban, but after she saw how many people I could get in it, what I could tow, and the space that I had in the back at the third seat... she understood why I got what I did.

They have been hating life this winter over in the Valley.. because of the weather they have been having, and they wished they had an SUV.

Hi S.!

I do not drive either, but a great friend of mine just got a Toyota Sequioa, their SUV. And if you want space it is the way to go. A week ago my friend and I as well as our 3 children (5yrs, 1yr, and 6 mnth, so they all meed carseats) and another friend and her two children (4yrs and 9mnths, so they too needed carseats), the total was 3 adults and 5 children in carseats got together to go to the Zoo and we all fit in that Sequioa, with room to spare. Two adults in the front, one adult and two carseats in the middle, and three carseats on the back seat. And we even managed to fit all our bags and strollers (3 strollers, not one was an umbrella), and picnic lunch in that car too.

So if you are looking for something for someting with plenty of room for growing kids and a home business (I sell PartyLite) this is the way to go. As a matter of fact over the summer when my husbands lease is up we are going to get one. Good luck I hope this helps a little.

D.
Mother of 2 beautiful daughters, 5yrs & 1yrs

My sister has a Nissan Quest and she loves it. When she is out of town I drive it around and it is great!! I love all the features with the doors. I'm only 22 so when it came time for me to buy a bigger vehicle for my family I refused to do the mini van thing, but man after driving my sisters around I would so do it now. It is so easy to put the kids in and is super roomy.

I own a Honda Odyssey, it's a few years old, so I'm not sure what improvements they have made. I absolutely love it! It's very roomy and our 8-year-old loves that we can now take her friends with us. The only complaint I have is that when it's really cold and icy out, the side doors that push back stick. Mine doesn't have the auto-open door feature. It handles exceptionally well for being front-wheel drive (I do have studs though). I get about 18-20 miles per gallon in town, but last summer we drove to Kenai and went 300 miles on just 1/2 a tank. I hope this helps.

Hi S.,

We just recently got a new SUV. We have a GMC Envoy and we love it! It makes it so much easier to not bend and put the child in the carseat. We went to Pontiac Buick GMC in Kirkland. They were great! Best experience EVER buying a car! The best part is my husband LOVES the car too. He will sometimes take our child for the day, and suggest I use his car. That NEVER happeend before. We don't really like minivans, and the vehicle we got is to begin preparations for the second baby. Hope this helps....

Blessings,

K

I have 2 kids. I had a minivan for 2 years I hate It. I wanted to be A mom but a hip mom. I'm 38 now and I will never go down the van road! there are suv where you can tow and have the room. (like the 3rd rood seat) And a truck-like look. My brother is a fire fighter, he had 7 of his friends in my suv and had room for naps from seattle to Portland. I love my Tahoe will never get anything different. My kids are now 9 and 11 I went snowboarding with my kids and each had one friend. the weather was bad I put there Tahoe in 4 wheel drive and we were warm and safe. in a van cant do that....
good luck

Hello S.,

I hate minivans they remind me of the soccer mom label. (I am not saying anything bad against soccer moms- its just not me); here it comes BUT I got a sienna and I love it. It is roomy. It seats 7 comfortably.. and room for you to keep your pampered chef papers/catalogs with you at all times.
My husband works at toyota in Auburn and it would be really beneficial for you to see how much they will give you for your camry.. don't get me wrong I still want my SUV but check out the sequoia as well. I went to msn auto section and compared the vehicles I wanted to look at.
feel free to email me at ____@____.com

We bought a minivan when we were expecting our 3rd child and couldn't fit into our car anymore. We had the minivan for 3 1/2 years and just 2 weeks ago traded it in for a SUV type (Chevy Trailblazer). So I may be a bit of a help with this...

As far as the "mom-practicality", the minivan is the way to go. It has better gas mileage and easier access to the rear seats. Plus the sliding doors help with kids who like to "do it mySELF" and slam car doors open.

The SUV is heavier- therefore getting a bit crummier gas mileage, but it is also sturdier and personally I feel MUCH safer in the Blazer than I did in the minivan. So much so that we started payments over for 72 more months (eek!), even though we only had 16 months left to pay on the van.

For us the choice was largely a visual one. I have my own business that requires me to have a professional appearance, and the minivan screamed every kind of MOM- soccer mom, carpool mom, scout mom- and while that's fine and good, I wanted something that looked more professional, so I chose the suv.

If it wasn't for the business though, I probably would have kept the minivan for it's mileage and ease in getting to the back seats. (on road trips we would bring a potty chair and have it in the open space in the back- the blazer doesn't have any of that open space).

Okay S., I asked my husband your question. He's an automotive tech with a lot of car experience and currently works for a Honda/Nissan/GM dealership. He says get the Sienna because the Odyssey's have a lot of transmission problems. He also says if you're not going to be towing or off-roading, a mini-van is better because they get better gas mileage and they're safer. Hope that helps and by the way we both drive Toyota 4Runner's - Toyotas are by far my husband's top choice of vehicle.

Saturn Relay or similar Chevy model is a good option. They are made to look like SUV, get decent mileage, but are minivans inside. I have the automatic doors so I don't have to worry about carrying kid and everything else and trying to open the door. You have plenty of room! Good luck and hope you find something perfect for YOU!

I went from an SUV to a Toyota Sienna two years ago. I have absolutely no regrets! The Sienna has an amazing amount of room inside and can haul a lot of things you might think you need a truck for. Great gas mileage, very comfortable, and it drives just like a Camry.

One thing I will point out is that the Sienna does not have dual automatic sliding doors as a standard option, while the Honda Oddysey does. This didn't seem like a big deal at the time but now I wish I would have purchased the Sienna model that did have dual automatic doors. Otherwise, the Sienna is a wonderful ride.

My suggestion would be to get a Honda CRV, which is very cute and can have lots of add-ons, or another small or hybrid SUV or Minivan. In the days of global warming, it's just plain irresponsible to go any other way.

We don't have a minivan or SUV yet, but we are also starting to consider baby #2 and what our options are. Something else you may want to look into is the Mazda 5. They are a crossover vehicle - half minivan half SUV. It's great! Atleast when we saw them they were. That may be another option for you guys :) Happy car hunting!

I have 2 kids and a Honda Odyssey. I love it, however, I would recommend getting the touring edition as it has the DVD/Nav system, something my husband and I WISH we had. Would be nice for longer trips. Minivans have much better safety records and perform better in crash tests. I feel very safe in our huge minivan. Minivans also get better gas mileage. Good luck!!! Hope you find what you want!

Hi S.,
My husband sells cars and I used to be in the car business as well. First, you have to drive them and see what you like best. Think of the features you are looking for. He (husb) says Minivans have more room than a SUV. The rear storage has a pocket which is great for strollers & bags. We had a Nissan Armada when the baby was firt born and I thought it was great. I would park, climb in the back seat and nurse. It also provided a great place to change the diaper in the back without the baby rolling into the seat crack or hitting her little soft spot on the seat belt buckle. But those two things are nothing a blanket can't fix. You just have to shop around and consider what your needs will be with a newborn. I think all of today's vehicles offer the baby seat anchors in the backrest for easy installation.

I don't have experiences with minivans, but I bought a Honda Pilot in '05 and absolutely LOVE it! It has 3rd row seating (seating for a total of 8 people) and I haven't had any problems whatsoever. You should be able to get one for $27-30K. Good luck on your search!

Hello. I have drove minivans for over 10 years. They are not as bad as some may think.
I finally last year bought an SUV (durango) only because of the stow and go option (The seats fold into the floors) and it was a 4x4.
Short story, I always wonder why I didnt own a SUV before. That thing gets around better than my chevy k-2500 4x4 xtd cab. Sorry guys =)

S.,
Hi, I think the mini van is the way to go with a family. My children are older now. I find that we need far less room in the car than we used to. With younger children you naturly have more you need to bring with you. With two children that doubles.We had a Dodge Caravan when my children were younger and it was wonderful. Now, we do not need as much room. The kids are older. We have owned 2 Honda sedans and loved them,they are very reliable. So this weekend we went out and purchased a Honda CR-V. I am thrilled. I know we have a car that is a little better on gas and is very reliable. In doint the research we found that you can't go wrong with Honda or Toyota. Hope you get what you want and it works well for you and your family. Oh, I just left Pampered Chef as a consultant, its a great company to work for. Love their products.- G. Koel

I have 3 kids, ages 3 2 and 4 months. We have an SUV. I liked them better than the minivan because in the SUV (we have a chevy trailblazer EXT) you can fit 3 carseats across 1 seat so you can reach all the kids. Having only 2 you won't have this problem, but if you have more kids and the ones you have are still in carseats or need you to be able to reach them, it's important. It also has the 3rd ros, so when we go out with family all you do is put 1 kid in the back so the fold down seat is available and have someone sit in the back with them. Only drawback...SUV is higher up. My 3 year old can climg up on her own most of the time, but I still have to lift my 2 year old. He can crawl into his dad's car which just a little lower than a mini van. Depends on if you want to be lifting your older child into the SUV or not. Hope it helps a little. Good luck with your new little one!