It’s a decades long debate for moms and dads. Accept the minivan stigma? Or, opt for the “rugged” 3-row crossover or even a monster truck-based SUV with a third row of seating. Comparisons with advantages and disadvantages are frequent, even at our car safety discussion forum. In short, by accepting the minivan image, you get a vehicle that generally costs less, offers better interior space, more flexible seating options and improved fuel economy. On the other hand, SUVs tend to have more readily available options for all-wheel drive and increased towing limit packages. Let’s take a look at some upscale choices (details provided by manufacturers’ websites and cars.com) including two minivans, two crossovers and three full-size truck based SUVs, ranked in order of overall EPA fuel economy:
2012 Honda Odyssey Touring 2WD: 19mpg city, 28 mpg highway, 22 mpg overall. 148.5 cu. ft. max cargo volume. 3500 lb. towing limit. $41,330 MSRP
2012 Toyota Sienna AWD Limited: 17mpg city, 23mpg highway, 19mpg overall. 150 cu. ft. cargo volume. 3500 lb. towing limit. $40,570 MSRP
2012 Dodge Durango R/T AWD 13mpg city
2012 Buick Enclave 2WD Premium: 17mpg city, 24 mpg highway, 19mpg overall. 115 cu. ft. cargo volume. 2000 lb. towing limit. $43,165 MSRP
2102 Dodge Durango Citadel AWD V6: 16 mpg city, 23mpg highway, 19 mpg overall, 84.5 cu. ft. cargo volume, 6200+ lb. towing limit, $43, 195
2012 Chevrolet Suburban 2WD LT 1500: 15 mpg city, 21 mpg highway, 17mpg overall. 137.4 cu ft cargo volume, 5000+ lb towing limit . $45,980 MSRP
2012 Ford Expedition 2WD XLT Limited : 14 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, 16mpg overall. 108.3 cu. ft cargo volume. 6000+ lb. towing limit. $45,265 MSRP
2012 Nissan Armada SL 2WD: 13 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, 15 mpg overall., 97.1 cu ft. cargo volume, 8200 lb towing limit. $45,320 MSRP.
Notice the minivans tend to dominate in terms of maximum cargo space. Also, even the AWD minivan option has better fuel economy and a lower price tag than most midsize or full-size models with AWD and even many with 2WD! Yes, there are a few 3-row SUVs with better fuel economy than minivans, but they tend to be much smaller than minivans and even somewhat smaller than the typical midsize SUVs. They also generally have limited towing capabilities when equipped with the more fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engine. Even so, most of us in the city or suburbs never go offroad, never tow anything more than a compact trailer and rarely need to tackle stretches of deep, unplowed snow. Opting not to equip your family-hauling SUV with AWD and the larger engine not only saves money at purchase, but also in fuel and maintenance costs.
Below are some of the most fuel efficient choices for vehicles with a third row seat, ranked in order of MSRP, with a popular minivan added for comparison. For families on a budget, the Dodge Grand Caravan AVP and Mazda5 Sport are hard to beat in many regards.
2012 Mazda 5 Sport 4-cylinder 2WD: 21 city, 28 highway, 24 overall. $19,625 MSRP (max cargo volume and towing limit not listed)
2012 Dodge Grand Caravan AVP: 17city, 25 highway, 20mpg overall. 3600 lb. towing limit. 143.8 cu. ft cargo volume. $20,995.
2012 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, >28mpg city
2012 Mitsubishi Outlander SE 4-cylinder 2WD: 23 city, 28 highway, 25 overall, 72.6 cu ft. cargo volume. 1500lb. towing limit. $24,155 MSRP.
2012 Kia Sorento EX 2WD: 4-cylinder 2WD: 22 city, 32 highway, 25 overall. 72.5 cu.ft cargo volume. 1650lb. towing limit. $25,950 MSRP
2012 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 6-cylinder AWD : 28 city, 28 highway, 28 overall, 94.1 cu. ft. cargo volume. 3500lb towing limit, $38,715
I confess, after over 10 years driving a Honda Odyssey, I opted out of the minivan mostly for image. Heather and I are former minivan drivers who switched to an SUV once our kids got a little older. Jennie has younger kids and drives a minivan and Kecia still has her minivan as well.
So, what did you choose and why?
I am a “stay at home” Daddy with three kids. Was deeply in love with my 2010 Town and Country and defended her every chance I got. I called her my UAV (Urban Assault Vehicle). I put a front USMC vanity plate on as well as a few stickers from the Marine Division and Unit with which I served years ago. Made it macho for me. Last week I was driving on Davis Island in South Tampa when a killer of a storm passed through. I got caught in high water with my 3 year old on my way to pick my sons up from camp. I always had a deep belief that the UAV would push through no matter what. Sadly to say she got water logged along with every other non Truck/SUV and left me sitting with 4 inches of water over the floorboards for several hours. Luckily my friend whose kids were also in camp was passing by in his truly rugged Monster Truck. I love the utility of the minivan and it has been perfect for us up to this point. However, when push comes to shove; and living in Florida with our unpredictable weather, I’m leaning toward a full size SUV with third row seating and second row captains chairs (Suburban). If the Suburban will essentially “do” what the minivan “does”, then I’ll just call it “piece of mind” to be able to push through whatever comes our way with a bit more gusto than the minivan was able to offer. Any Suburban owners out there willing to reinforce this view with a comment? My wife seems to think the minivan is still the way to go… Yes, she is much smarter than I am so I usually defer to her judgment. But with the proper support? Who knows…?
I drive a small SUV (Kia Sorento) years ago. We opted for a minivan when we had out second and were glad we did when we had twins a couple years later. Now that my twins are three and I have two very large dogs that do not fit well in the minivan I’ve been looking at large SUVs like the suburban. All the comparisons I see go in the direction of the minivan stigma saying that minivans are awesome even though they don’t look cool etc. I know they are but I need the rear storage space if a large SUV. What are your thoughts on that?
Oh, I love my old 2003 Ody. After a bad experience with climbing over seats to get to the miniature third row in a Buick Rendezevous, I was happy to be able to step easily into the van and walk to the third row. I have been very much wanting something maybe smaller just for tootling around town, but now that I have teenagers (with ever-present friends in tow!) and a daycare kid, I can see my van days aren’t quite over. We even comfortably put three adults, two kids in carseats, and two tweens in there yesterday for a two hour trip to the beach (and had plenty of room for beach gear in the back :))
I don’t understand why people dislike minivans. I never thought there was a stigma attached.
Even in my side business I use our minivan. After taking out/laying down the seats, it’s actually one heck of a cargo transport!
Then again, I also grew up as part of a large family and have been surrounded by large families in our area. Perhaps I’ve just known minivans and full size vans for so long I just never had the problem with them that some do.
I have a Chrysler Town & Country, and I really love my van. I bought my first van when we only had one child, because we knew we were gonna add 2 more children to our family one day. I traded my first van in last year and got a new 2011, but now we also have 2 kids, and trying for our next child (yay new car seats!). While I would love to be able to afford an Odyssey, that’s just not in the numbers for us. I personally won’t downsize my vehicle until my children are much older.
We are shopping for a vehicle and are probably going to go with a van. I never got the minivan stigma. I’m a mom, driving a van doesn’t make me look like a mom. The two kids hanging on my arm and baby spit on my shirt kinda give it away 😉
with gas prices what they are, I’m seeing the mileage is so much better in minivans. I’d go minivan unless you need the extra cargo, towing, and off-road/bad weather capabilities.
I love my MDX, but would I buy another one? I don’t know. I wouldn’t buy a minivan. We just got back from a week long vacation where, despite having packed clothing lightly, we were stuffed to the brim in the cargo area due to going to a national park where we needed to bring our own food supplies plus a heavy duty backpack and telescope for stargazing (and we didn’t even camp, lol!). Our old Sienna would have left us with room to spare and don’t think I didn’t wish for it often. But my X is so easy to park and it fits better in my garage. Like a previous commenter said, the RAV4 is a blast to drive and when our kids leave, I’ll look at another (we owned one of the very first). That is, if I don’t get sucked onto buying the Tesla X.
I’ve never understood the “minivan stigma.” But then again I love minivans. My folks bought a Chevy Astro as soon as they came out. I thought it was overkill because they only had two kids, but did come to love having my own captain’s chair- and if that wasn’t far enough away from my brother I could have the 3rd row to myself! I’ve always loved the seating flexibility of minivans, and the ability to haul more stuff than could fit in a sedan’s trunk.
The only reasons I can think of to buy a SUV over a minivan is towing and bad weather or off-road capabilities. If you need a SUV to do those things, by all means get one. I don’t tow, live in the suburbs, and our only bad weather is extreme heat. Same goes for my neighbors yet they insist they need SUVs… ?
We just traded in our CX-9 for an Odyssey. With 3 kids and grandparents close by we needed a more comfortable 3rd row. The CX-9 was ok for the kids in car seats but not at all for an adult. Getting in and out of the Ody is so much easier. We bought the EX-L with Nav and it has more features and quality than the CX-9 Grand touring.
I LOVE my new Odyssey.
I loved my Pilot, and it was great with two kids. Once #3 was on the way, though, we decided we needed the seating flexibility and ease-of-entry the Odyssey gave us. I also have a very impulsive child who is prone to throwing open car doors in crowded parking lots. I don’t pink-sparkly-heart my minivan, but I sure respect and appreciate it.
I love my minivan even though it doesn’t really fit my personality. But it fits my needs exceptionally well and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Except a new Ody Touring Elite! 😉
I don’t have a minivan or SUV, but I do know that my father owns a truck (he uses it for work). The advertised gas mileage is definitely not the gas mileage one would get. For example, his truck (a Chevy?) is advertised for 19 mpg in the city, but if you were to calculate how much you would get for gas mileage, he only gets 14 mpg in the city, which really sucks.
LOVE my Odyssey but will be glad when I trade it in for something else one day. For now it fits my needs perfectly.
SUV, and I have three kids. I used to have a 2005 Suburban and traded it in and opted for a 2012 Durango SXT V6 because I wanted the better gas mileage it offered vs. it’s V8 model (which my husband wanted). I also only paid $26k for it brand new. I average 17mpg around town and 26-27 on the highway. We have a travel trailer that weighs more then any minivan could tow, though even if one could, I personally will never own one. My three kids (7,4,1) all still currently ride in harnessed seats, two were rear facing until a couple weeks ago when the 4yo was turned forward facing. The oldest is now booster training. I haven’t had any problems fitting them three across in my Durango in any combo of seats I’ve tried. Widest so far has been Graco Nautilus/Britax Roundabout 55/Britax Frontier 85. I can have my Roundabout in the center (off center a bit mind you) and still access the third row when my two older kids sit back there. I have a BOB Duallie jogging stroller and can still put it in the rear when my third row is up. It’s not as easy to do as it was in my Suburban, but certainly doable. I love my SUV’s and will never stray from them.
SUV all the way! But then, I only have 2 kids, I’m not having more, and I rarely drive others.
We are on our 3rd suv & I have LOVED them all! Started w/an explorer, then expedition, which we replaced recently with a yukon xl. (wanted more cargo room behind 3rd row.) I don’t neccessarily hate vans, but dh does so…suv it was! I love the 4wd, sitting up higher off the ground, & ability to tow. We’ve never been small car people, started out w/a fordf250 before kids, so we don’t mind the gas milage AND our new yukon xl gets better gas milage than our expedtion did!
Hi Erica, you can find the same measurements at most automotive websites. I have requested the refreshed 2013 Ford Flex for review, but do not yest have a response as to if and when I will receive one. According to fueleconomy.gov, the 2013 2WD Flex improved its fuel economy from 17/24 (19 overall) to 18/25 (20 overall) with the 3.5L V6. They appear to both have the same 83.2 cubic feet of cargo volume and a 2000lb towing limit. The Flex is similar to other larger midsize SUVs, but the third row folding mechanism is a little different. The seats come of of the space behind the third row, like a minivan, so you get a little bit of extra cargo space when the third row is in use.
I was hoping the Ford Flex would be in this comparative. We’re buying a new family vehicle in about 10 months and I’m trying to figure out if I want SUV or van.
Used to drive an Odyssey, opted for a RAV4 because I wanted 4WD not AWD. I liked my Ody but I :sparklyheart: love my RAV4. For transporting 2 children and nimble driving in the city, not to mention fun fun fun acceleration in the V6, I love it. Of course, if get pretty horrible MPG, but that is my driving LOL.