For nearly four decades, the minivan has been a factor for families considering their mode of transportation. These models might not be style winners, but they’re highly versatile, comfortable, and even efficient. The Chrysler Pacifica builds on that tradition by delivering a modern model that is anything but mini. SUVs … Read more
How do you mark 25 years for one of your most enduring models? By developing a commemorative edition and limiting its availability, that is how. In this case, the Toyota Sienna has reached its 25th anniversary and that’s quite a milestone in a segment some wrote off years ago. Introduced … Read more
MPV life as a Kia Carnival. The modern minivan movement launched in the 1980s with the debut of the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan. We say “modern” because similar-sized vans like the Volkswagen Bus (Type 2) preceded it. For the next two decades, nearly every major manufacturer gave minivans a … Read more
The Toyota Sienna is hybrid-only as it starts its fourth generation. The minivan segment is shrinking, but the remaining players are committed as they regularly introduce new or improved models. For instance, the Chrysler Pacifica offers a plug-in hybrid, the Kia Carnival replaces the Sedona with a crossover look, and … Read more
Kia offers a fresh take on a tired segment. It’s out with the old and in with the new for Kia’s minivan. Leaving us is the 2021 Sedona and taking its place is the 2022 Carnival. The Sedona is a minivan, while the Carnival is called a multi-purpose vehicle, but … Read more
An established nameplate gives way to global model. Model names come and go, but there are some strong exceptions. Indeed, the Chevrolet Suburban, Toyota Corolla, and Honda Accord are names that span decades and are not going anywhere. On the other hand, Kia has purged names in the past, including … Read more
The Kia Sedona is a minivan, one of just a handful of models in a shrinking segment Although most shoppers will consider a crossover first, vehicles like the Sedona offer exceptional utility, superior access and egress, and decent overall value. The 2020 Kia Sedona is a carryover model with … Read more
The Toyota Sienna is a multipurpose vehicle, better known as a “minivan,” although it certainly isn’t diminutive. The Sienna is a three-row people hauler with room for eight, an alternative to the Toyota Highlander crossover. Both offer all-wheel drive. The Sienna’s available all-wheel-drive system is unique to minivans, giving … Read more
The Chrysler Voyager is back, a model name first used by the long-defunct Plymouth brand. When Plymouth was discontinued in 2001, the then Plymouth Voyager minivan became a Chrysler model for a few years and was sold alongside the Chrysler Town & Country. Fast forward to today and few consumers … Read more
The 2020 Kia Sedona returns unchanged this year. The 2020 Kia Sedona launches the sixth year of this third-generation model, a carryover vehicle with no changes whatsoever. This model is part of a small collection of minivans, which are probably better described as multipurpose vehicles. Although the market is shrinking, … Read more
Chrysler calls its Pacifica minivan a multipurpose vehicle and that’s not an inaccurate assessment. Indeed, this vehicle not only holds as many as 8 people and supplies upwards of 140 cubic feet of cargo space, but it pulls up to 3,600 pounds. And with a curb weight of 4,400 pounds, … Read more
The last time the industry sold 1 million minivans was in 2006, just ahead of the recession and during the early days of crossover utility vehicles. Today, just under 500,000 units are sold in the U.S. annually, as manufacturers such as Ford, GM, and Nissan no longer participate. But the … Read more
The only plug-in hybrid minivan. The once dominate minivan segment continues to shrink as consumers embrace crossovers. In reality, the two segments are closely related as minivans rival three-row midsize SUVs in size. The difference is, of course, in exterior utility — crossovers offer available all-wheel drive, while all minivans … Read more
VW’s beloved bus is coming back. One of the most iconic vans in automotive history is the Volkswagen Bus or Volkswagen Type 2, introduced in 1950 and popularized in the 1960s. Long before the minivan craze began in 1983, Volkswagen claimed the market all to itself. We’ve seen various Volkswagen … Read more
Chrysler’s award-winning minivan continues to attract new customers. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When crossover utility vehicles began to take hold early on in this century, minivan sales were expected to decline, then eventually disappear as models were canceled one by one. Manufacturers such as Ford and GM … Read more
The capable Toyota Sienna receives an important update ahead of its next major change. As far as minivans go, the Toyota Sienna is the cream of the crop. Well, don’t tell that to Honda and Chrysler as both brands field excellent people movers of their own. Add in the Kia … Read more
A small cargo van for a niche market. Did you know Nissan has a burgeoning commercial vehicle business? This Japanese automaker with a huge manufacturing and distribution presence in the United States has pickup trucks, vans, and taxis designed with commercial customers in mind. With this particular sales division, Nissan … Read more
The Chrysler Town & Country is gone, replaced by the all-new Pacifica minivan. The Chrysler minivan is back. Not that it ever left, but the previous models were overshadowed by the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey. Not anymore. The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is as good as any model out … Read more
New Chrysler Pacifica minivan may give the males amongst us one less reason to avoid a minivan. No doubt, the minivan segment has seen better days. And those better days aren’t likely to return, due mostly to a bevy of crossover sport utility vehicles offered by luxury and mainstream brands … Read more
The minivan segment may be ailing, but the Kia Sedona has breathed fresh life into it. If you’re looking for an excellent combination of people carrying capacity and utility, this model may have everything you want. The minivan segment may eventually go the way of the station wagon, but its … Read more
IIHS assigns poor ratings to Nissan, Chrysler and Dodge models. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently put four minivan models through its new small overlap front crash test and three of those models received poor marks, the institute’s lowest score. The Nissan Quest, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler … Read more
Note: Image above is simply a rendering of what an Acura minivan COULD look like. An Acura minivan? Really?! It seems that prior to any major auto show — the Los Angeles Auto Show begins next week — various model rumors surface. On occasion, they are “supported” by pictures of … Read more
The modern minivan movement began in 1983 when the Chrysler Corporation brought the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan to the market. Those early models were based on the automaker’s K-Car platform, a compact car line that spawned numerous other Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth models. The earliest minivans lived up to … Read more
Driving the little van that could. Cars, trucks, utility vehicles and vans have come and gone, but there has been nothing quite like the 2014 Nissan NV200 Cargo Van that was a recent weekly driver. For one thing, the compact Nissan was the first model supplied by a manufacturer’s commercial … Read more
The Dodge Grand Caravan is the antithesis of a sports car, a wholly practical vehicle that has dutifully served as a family hauler for the past three decades. When the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan were introduced in 1983, a new vehicle segment, minivans, was introduced. The Grand Caravan, a … Read more
First ever diesel hybrid showcased by VW. Since the late 1990s, we have seen a slew of hybrid vehicles enter the market with Honda and Toyota leading the way. Other manufacturers including Ford, GM, Chrysler, Hyundai and Kia have jumped in, while the German companies have chosen to stay out … Read more