Home >> Car Reviews >> Minivan Comparism
  Minivan Comparism

 

   New/ Used Cars

New and used car prices & specs

New Used

Make:

Model:

State:




 

Directory
Australia-Wide products/services
Category:
Service:
Suburb:
State:

 

More Motoring Fun

Zoom 

The only true performance magazine that focuses on the "go" not the "show". Packed with technical articles, mechanical theory, engine conversions, DIY performance tips, supercharger and turbocharger installations…

See all available magazines

Australian In Car Entertainment 

GOLD PACKAGE - $59.95 6 issues of InCar Entertainment, InCar Entertainment Yearbook, 1 Speedline Keyring, 1 InCar Entertainment sticker, InCar/Car Audio Masters Members Card (entitling 10% discount off any installation from any…

See all available magazines

Jaguar Magazine 

In November 1984 we published our first edition of the first free standing Jaguar magazine in the world, and we are not only still standing, but here we are all these years later and haven’t things changed in the Jaguar scene in that time!

See all available magazines

Street Commodores 

Each month Street Commodores brings together the best Commodores from around the country along with the latest news, reviews, tips and products available for this Aussie automotive legend.

See all available magazines

Australian 4WD Combo 

With fantastic travel destinations, road tests, customised 4WDs and tips and techniques, it's the complete package for the four-wheel driver. And at 260-plus pages every issue, it offers unbeatable value too. Australain 4WD monthly…

See all available magazines

 

Automotive Articles
Used Car Sites
Car buying online.
Discount Auto Parts Online
Where is it most convenient place to search when you need discount auto parts for your Toyota, Holden or BMW?
Petrol Saving Tips
Ten tips to lower your fuel costs!
Kankkunen Breaks World Record With Bentley Continental GT
The Bentley Continental GT made a record-breaking attempt early this March when it runs on the frozen sea in Finland reaching a top speed of about 200 mph,breaking the current world ice speed record.This proves this Bentley Continental is a high performance car.
Automotive Talk Know How
Informed consumers know how to talk the talk
 
 
 

Which is the Most Family Friendly Van?

Nissan Quest

For this case we used the most recently introduced vans and thus the General Motors vans were excluded, as was Mazda's and others. In addition, our pick as best van ever, the Honda Odyssey is being redone for next year with several improvements including a handy lazy susan type tray, more power, and better utility. Although the Honda would hold up well in terms of performance in this case, it just cannot compete in utility with the fresher models.

The Defendants:

Nissan's Quest, Chrysler's Voyager, Toyota's Sienna, and Ford's Freestar are all guilty of trying to provide the buying public with durable, handy, and economical transportation in the form of a van.

The evidence: We dealt with the best sellers in this comparison trying to avoid leather interior, power doors, and DVD options. We were looking for well-priced vehicles that you could get dirty without worry. As for price, every one of the vans was within a thousand dollars of each other with the Chrysler being the most expensive and the Freestar the price leader.

Athletically, the Nissan Quest was the best. It has excellent handling, a powerful drivetrain, and a lot of interior room.

The Voyager had the flip and fold seating and storage option and it is sensational. If you don't hot foot it down to your nearest Dodge or Chrysler dealer to see how this feature works you are missing one of the great engineering feats in family history. In addition, the third seat folds flat into the floor or swings out to be used as a seat to watch a drive-in move or a soccer game in comfort. The drive train is capable, and you have a quiet ride.

The Freestar had a nice interior, is nicely priced, and has a large engine and plenty of safety features. However, it just not have the fit and finish of the others or the utility.

The Jury:

Mom's view: The Toyota was the most enjoyable to drive. It had a lot of wind noise, though, and the placement of the transmission shifter took a while to get used to as it resides at the bottom of the dash. The Nissan's had the most unusual shifter location using a truck type placement high on the center console next to the driver.

All of the vans were nice to drive, but the Toyota was so easy to park it bordered on amazing. This long van had a turning radius of just 37 feet, or more than two feet less than the competition. That can win a lot of kudos when in tight parking lot situations.

In terms of ease of loading, the Nissan was the champion. The large opening doors made even made it possible to walk into the third seat area without having to move the second seats a bit. However, the rear seats did not fold out of the way as easily as the others.

It is of great interest to me how these 4000 pound vans can get such excellent gas mileage while the top heavy and equally heavy SUVs struggle to even reach 16 mpg on the highway. The vans are also safer as they don't topple over as easily. Anyway, the 26-gallon fuel tank on the Freestar gave it a potential cruising range of 600 miles on the open road. The rest of the group had smaller tanks, but they all could conceivable give you well over 500 miles of travel before refueling. Realistically, you can expect gas mileage in the 22 to 23 miles per gallon on unleaded. In terms of safety ratings there wasn't a bad one in the bunch.

Don't let a van's appearance fool you, these two ton vehicles can accelerate quite well and can hold there own in highway passing situations even when loaded. The Quest and Sienna were the fastest.

My verdict is for the Toyota Sienna. They were all good, but the turning radius, silent power of the engine; great gas mileage, build quality, and resale were the key considerations in my decision. If we still had young children, bite your tongue, the Chrysler Town and Country would be my choice without question. The Stow and Go seats are magnificent and make attaching a baby seat, hauling diaper bags, and even hiding items a breeze. The Quest's appearance and the interior didn't suit me. The Ford felt and looked old and there was nothing to get me excited about it.

Chrysler Sto and Go

Dad's view: Is a van supposed to be just for hauling or for driving enjoyment or both? That is the decision I had to make. Well, much to my surprise the Sienna was a joy to drive although the handling was soft. Toyota must be downplaying the power because this two-ton people mover is never is at a loss for motivation. The downside was a transmission that was a little too relaxed for my driving style. However, the shift lever is very easy to use and you could fetch your own gears if so inclined. The Nissan was the easiest to manually shift with its high mounted lever. In addition to driving enjoyment, the Sienna sipped regular unleaded so slowly that we thought the gas gauge was broken. Negatives were the soft handling and small seats that may not appeal to everyone. If you are into speed, the Nissan has the strongest engine. The Chrysler was the quietest, and had the best interior features.

All the vans had enough floor space to enable you can carry a full sheet of plywood. The Toyota's third seat is split 60/40 and each side can fold into the floor well. The second row captain's chairs tumble forward. Removing the second row seats in the Sienna is the most difficult of any of the vans though. The Sienna is available in eight passenger configurations, which is a plus for some users.

Ford's Freestar has one of the most novel feature of any van and that is an inside mirror that enables you to see what is happening in the rear seats. It is similar to those used on school busses and it is very useful. It also has the engine with the most torque, but it is not the quietest of powerplants.

The best feature on the Quest, outside of its strong engine, is the wide opening doors. It is so easy to get into the second and third rows of seats that it makes you wonder how long it going to take the competition to copy this feature. As the other vans, the Quest's rear seat folds flat into the floor, but it is takes some muscle to pull it out of the floor into the upright position. Unfortunately, the second row seats are also fairly difficult to remove. Not as bad as the Sienna's, but not as handy as the Chrysler.

A center mounted instrument cluster built below the Quest's 6.3-inch information display and a console mounted shifter make the interior of the Nissan the most unique, and strangely, not difficult to adjust to.

My vote would go to the Nissan. The strong engine, tidy handling, and spacious interior were all good qualities that offset the difficult to read gauges and questionable placement of some controls.

Young male's view: The Nissan Quest was just plain strange inside and out. It was certainly the easiest to load and held the most. The engine was the most responsive and had the most buttons to play with. You have an overhead console and an available full-length rear overhead console, four 12-volt power points, and a Skyview which is Nissan's name for its rectangular glass roof panels in the Quest's roof. It was my favorite because it could be driven hard and it felt sportier.

Young working woman's view: I cherish utility and the Dodge and Chrysler vans with the Stow and Go are my favorites. They come well loaded, have adequate power even when loaded, and are well priced. I especially liked the Town and Country from Chrysler that had the available power lift gate, power side doors, and crisp handling. The option list for these Chrysler vans borders on rivaling War and Peace in number of pages. You have to decide on so many option packages that it is best to come well prepared. The flexible-fuel 3.3-liter is not as handy as the larger 3.8-liter V6.

Toyota Sienna

The Verdict:

The question we asked was why did the Freestar provide so little evidence it was the best van. It appears to be well situated with the largest engine, lots of options, safety features in abundance, and looks good. Basically, what we found was that it did just did not feel as useful as the others. The beautiful interior is not as creatively done and the engine is more truck like in noise level and reaction. The rear seat folds into the floor but does not split, and the touch isn't as good as the others. Mind you this is a good van, it just is not as useful or as inventive as the others. A couple of years ago this would have been the best van around, but since 1999 the competition has surged and Ford has put a lot more energy into other areas from our viewpoint with a new sedan, hybrid SUV, and GT supercar all competing for attention.

The Chrysler/Dodge vans had the most useful interior features and the quietest ride, but suffers from concerns over quality control. Although we feel these concerns have been addressed, it is difficult to change the public's impression. Furthermore, these vans are not as easy to maneuver and we felt the need for more power. There is no question they are the most family friendly.

Nissan's Quest is just plain unique. If you like the powerful engine, spacious interior, and different interior set-up you can get a good deal. We felt that it was not nearly as easy to live with on a daily basis as the other vans and the gas mileage was not as good.

Toyota's Sienna was guilty of being the best mini-van for our needs. Outside of the very heavy second row seats, the Sienna provided exceptional gas mileage, a spunky engine, and a comfortable, if not sporty, ride. It was by far the easiest to live with on a daily basis.

Written by The Car Family