Tuesday Q & Forum Chat: Mini Van Recommendations?

 Member forum post::

 

We need to upgrade to something bigger for our family! We want to buy something that accommodates 7-8 people. I am looking for recommendations for this search. What do you have and are there features you really love with your mini van?

 

 

Power doors are a must! I love that I can have the van open and ready for us before we even get to it!

Add power tailgate to that too. I am so bummed when I drive my husband's pilot and I have to put the tailgate down myself. I am spoiled now. It is nice when you are getting a stroller in and out of the back all the time.

I don't know if everyone would agree, but the one thing I would kill for my minivan to have is the 3 seat option across the middle (so I don't have to put anyone all the way in the back - so the 8 passenger vs 7), but if you only have 2 carseats that may not be as important to you...good luck minivan shopping...as much as I dreaded having to get a minivan, I have to admit that I really love it!

We just got the 2011 Honda Odyssey & are expecting twins in a few weeks (and have a 2.5 year old). We love it!! The new 2011 Odyssey is the only mini van that allows three car seats in the middle row, so no one has to climb in the back (if that is important to you...it was our biggest selling point!). I also second the auto doors & tailgate. We decided to go with the upgraded version to get leather seats, which are much easier to clean. Already our 2.5 year old has made this worthwhile! Another nice thing about the Odyssey is that the entire back row folds up into the floor, so you can have a flat back area for a stroller and lots of other "necessities" if you don't use the seats. I think other mini vans probably do this too, but can't remember all the details when we were shopping. You can also fold 60% or 40% of the back row down if you need a seat or two, but want a little extra space for cargo. We also thought the Sienna was very nice & had almost all the same features, but just couldn't accommodate three car seats in the middle row safely, so we'd have to crawl in the back to buckle in small children (ugg!). Hope this helps...I sound like a car salesman:)

I love our Touring Honda Odyssey for it's function. I will fully admit I'd love to have something sleek and sporty and maybe one day, we'll get a fast sporty two seater to satisfy that need, but the mini van is pretty functional. The power doors on the sides and rear are a must, I love the back up camera, leather seats are amazingly easy to clean mess off of, tons of cargo space, 24 cup holders!, DVD and Nav system, 6 disc cd changer for hours of children's music, it has the works! It has made traveling a breeze for us. One thing I liked about the Honda was that it seemed like it tried to be sportier than the other mini vans. I could almost pretend that I was driving my MDX when we traded that in. Hope that helps!

LOVE the Honda Odyssey. We have 4 Britax marathons in it and it's still roomy. Huge trunk too. And make sure you get the automatic doors, a must have!

We recently got a 2007 Honda Odyssey (finding used with low mileage and excellent condition not easy, though!!) and we love it! I agree with other posters...Power-sliding doors are a MUST with the kiddos !! I also love the built in sunshades, the heated seats and the fact that I can wipe the leather off easily. Several seat configurations for the middle row which I love.


        *                   *                    *                  *                    *                    *                    *                  *                   *                   *


From me:  I find it very interesting that not one Toyota Sienna recommendation popped up (so far).  We have an Odyssey, too.  And we're on the lookout for another.  Yep, that's right.  We're going to become a two mini van family if we can find a used one for the right price.  Transporting three kiddos in a Honda Accord just isn't realistic.  The only feature we have from above are the remote sliding doors which are AWESOME.  

Even though the Sienna wasn't mentioned above, I feel this video appropriate to view, especially for us Mommies looking for a little "Me" time:      Mommy Like Swagger Wagon

And just maybe this is why my husband is good with another mini van #2:   Honda Odyssey Commercial