7 seater vehicle suggestions - No Van

[JTK]

Yeah, we weren't minivan people either and have now owned 4 different make/models since ~2002. Enjoyed them all. They're all very powerful, nice riding and handling these days. Most for your money is going to be a Dodge Grand Caravan or a 2016-17 Nissan Quest. (2017's are all going to be ex rentals).

 

[SeaJay]

Driving a minivan does not make you an evil person. They are very practical for hauling lots of people or lots of stuff.

They are actually smooth and comfortable riding vehicles. My wife had some higher end ($40K or so) sedans. My minivan was a more comfortable ride. albeit a poorer performer when it came to handling, acceleration and gas mileage.

I drove this minivan for years, and while most posters will not believe it, all of my neighbors remained close friends and would even consent to be given a ride in my van every now and then. I did get booted from the local country club as they do not allow minivan owners on the premises.

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Originally Posted By: mcrn
I remember the mazda 5 having a really poor crash test rating.
I think the 5's crash ratings were pretty good until the frontal offset test was introduced. Mazda should have reworked the old platform at that point to improve its performance in that test.

Not that you can't have both, but the handling is so good that I would expect the 5 to get into fewer crashes in the first place. (I know, I'd rather have both good active and passive safety.)

And the rear end looks like an owl face
'12 - present, yes, good observation.



'06 - '10 (including our '09 of course) sort of remind me of a nerdy mad professor.



But then again, I consider this present crop of vehicle styling pretty poor in general. And Impalas should always have six tail-lights!

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted By: SeaJay
Driving a minivan does not make you an evil person. They are very practical for hauling lots of people or lots of stuff.

They are actually smooth and comfortable riding vehicles. My wife had some higher end ($40K or so) sedans. My minivan was a more comfortable ride. albeit a poorer performer when it came to handling, acceleration and gas mileage.

I drove this minivan for years, and while most posters will not believe it, all of my neighbors remained close friends and would even consent to be given a ride in my van every now and then. I did get booted from the local country club as they do not allow minivan owners on the premises.
I saved an article from the local broadsheet's auto section about 20 years ago. Looked for it a couple of years ago but could not find it. In any case, at that time they'd done a profile of who drove what, controlling for income, educational level, occupation, marital status, number of children, etc. That is, they were trying to correlate what you drove with your behavior, while controlling for confounding factors.

Minivan drivers typically donated the most blood, put in the most volunteer hours, were most likely to attend religious services regularly, had the highest level of charitable giving, and on and on. Just sayin'.

 

[earlyre]

If anyone here subscribes to motor trend on Demand, you've likely seen the Hotrod Garage episode(s) where they built up a Dodge Magnum(5.7Hemi) as a "Dad Rod" to avoid going the minivan route.

after uprating wheels/tires/suspension/sway bars/Cam/Valve Springs/Lifters/CAI/Tune... it was faster in their testing than the Stock Rental Spec Caravan They were using as a "control" but not by a lot.

I'd Like to see what the van would have done with better Suspension and Tires..

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Number_35
Originally Posted By: SeaJay
Driving a minivan does not make you an evil person. They are very practical for hauling lots of people or lots of stuff.

They are actually smooth and comfortable riding vehicles. My wife had some higher end ($40K or so) sedans. My minivan was a more comfortable ride. albeit a poorer performer when it came to handling, acceleration and gas mileage.

I drove this minivan for years, and while most posters will not believe it, all of my neighbors remained close friends and would even consent to be given a ride in my van every now and then. I did get booted from the local country club as they do not allow minivan owners on the premises.
I saved an article from the local broadsheet's auto section about 20 years ago. Looked for it a couple of years ago but could not find it. In any case, at that time they'd done a profile of who drove what, controlling for income, educational level, occupation, marital status, number of children, etc. That is, they were trying to correlate what you drove with your behavior, while controlling for confounding factors.

Minivan drivers typically donated the most blood, put in the most volunteer hours, were most likely to attend religious services regularly, had the highest level of charitable giving, and on and on. Just sayin'.

Doesn't really matter what other publications say. Getting a minivan basically says to most guys that your man card has been pulled. Very hard to look cool when you're pulling up in a minivan. While all those other things about donating blood etc may be true, it doesn't look cool. So it's basically the embarrassment factor of driving it.

Just saying'...

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Number_35
Originally Posted By: SeaJay
Driving a minivan does not make you an evil person. They are very practical for hauling lots of people or lots of stuff.

They are actually smooth and comfortable riding vehicles. My wife had some higher end ($40K or so) sedans. My minivan was a more comfortable ride. albeit a poorer performer when it came to handling, acceleration and gas mileage.

I drove this minivan for years, and while most posters will not believe it, all of my neighbors remained close friends and would even consent to be given a ride in my van every now and then. I did get booted from the local country club as they do not allow minivan owners on the premises.
I saved an article from the local broadsheet's auto section about 20 years ago. Looked for it a couple of years ago but could not find it. In any case, at that time they'd done a profile of who drove what, controlling for income, educational level, occupation, marital status, number of children, etc. That is, they were trying to correlate what you drove with your behavior, while controlling for confounding factors.

Minivan drivers typically donated the most blood, put in the most volunteer hours, were most likely to attend religious services regularly, had the highest level of charitable giving, and on and on. Just sayin'.

Doesn't really matter what other publications say. Getting a minivan basically says to most guys that your man card has been pulled. Very hard to look cool when you're pulling up in a minivan. While all those other things about donating blood etc may be true, it doesn't look cool. So it's basically the embarrassment factor of driving it.

Just saying'...

Real men have the confidence to drive whatever they want and not care what other people think. Just sayin.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Wolf359

Doesn't really matter what other publications say. Getting a minivan basically says to most guys that your man card has been pulled. Very hard to look cool when you're pulling up in a minivan. While all those other things about donating blood etc may be true, it doesn't look cool. So it's basically the embarrassment factor of driving it.

Just saying'...

Real men have the confidence to drive whatever they want and not care what other people think. Just sayin.

 

[dareo]

Vans are great. Vans of any size really. I'm surprised at how easy it is to drive this E350 7.3L extended van i just got for work hauling. Its easier to park than my double cab truck. For the work (or people hauling) that can be done with a big van the fuel economy is incredible. Compare it to taking two vehicles vs one i mean.

 

[ATex7239]

The Buick Enclave seats 7 comfortably and has served us fairly well.

We had to replace the tranny and AC condensor early on, both were under warranty, and the O2 sensor and three motor mounts recently, not covered under warranty...

It’s hasn’t been a care free 138k miles, but it’s never left us stranded and we would buy another one.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Number_35
Originally Posted By: SeaJay
Driving a minivan does not make you an evil person. They are very practical for hauling lots of people or lots of stuff.

They are actually smooth and comfortable riding vehicles. My wife had some higher end ($40K or so) sedans. My minivan was a more comfortable ride. albeit a poorer performer when it came to handling, acceleration and gas mileage.

I drove this minivan for years, and while most posters will not believe it, all of my neighbors remained close friends and would even consent to be given a ride in my van every now and then. I did get booted from the local country club as they do not allow minivan owners on the premises.
I saved an article from the local broadsheet's auto section about 20 years ago. Looked for it a couple of years ago but could not find it. In any case, at that time they'd done a profile of who drove what, controlling for income, educational level, occupation, marital status, number of children, etc. That is, they were trying to correlate what you drove with your behavior, while controlling for confounding factors.

Minivan drivers typically donated the most blood, put in the most volunteer hours, were most likely to attend religious services regularly, had the highest level of charitable giving, and on and on. Just sayin'.

Doesn't really matter what other publications say. Getting a minivan basically says to most guys that your man card has been pulled. Very hard to look cool when you're pulling up in a minivan. While all those other things about donating blood etc may be true, it doesn't look cool. So it's basically the embarrassment factor of driving it.

Just saying'...

Real men have the confidence to drive whatever they want and not care what other people think. Just sayin.


I agree, I have owned a minivan since 2006 and have no issues driving one. They are practical and handy.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Number_35
Originally Posted By: SeaJay
Driving a minivan does not make you an evil person. They are very practical for hauling lots of people or lots of stuff.

They are actually smooth and comfortable riding vehicles. My wife had some higher end ($40K or so) sedans. My minivan was a more comfortable ride. albeit a poorer performer when it came to handling, acceleration and gas mileage.

I drove this minivan for years, and while most posters will not believe it, all of my neighbors remained close friends and would even consent to be given a ride in my van every now and then. I did get booted from the local country club as they do not allow minivan owners on the premises.
I saved an article from the local broadsheet's auto section about 20 years ago. Looked for it a couple of years ago but could not find it. In any case, at that time they'd done a profile of who drove what, controlling for income, educational level, occupation, marital status, number of children, etc. That is, they were trying to correlate what you drove with your behavior, while controlling for confounding factors.

Minivan drivers typically donated the most blood, put in the most volunteer hours, were most likely to attend religious services regularly, had the highest level of charitable giving, and on and on. Just sayin'.

Doesn't really matter what other publications say. Getting a minivan basically says to most guys that your man card has been pulled. Very hard to look cool when you're pulling up in a minivan. While all those other things about donating blood etc may be true, it doesn't look cool. So it's basically the embarrassment factor of driving it.

Just saying'...

Real men have the confidence to drive whatever they want and not care what other people think. Just sayin.


Sure, that's what they have to keep telling themselves. The evidence is right in front of you if you look just by the nature of the existence of this thread. Lots of people buy trucks/SUV's because they don't want to be driving a minivan although they're probably the best setup for 7 passengers.

Just saying...

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
We had a 2018 GMC Acadia as a rental when our Grand Caravan was in the body shop. With the third raw up, that thing could not fit a normal solize suitcase and this is supposed to be a mid size SUV.

Many people don't realize this, but only the full size SUVs like a Suburban or Navigator can compare to the inside volume of a minivan.


That's exactly my issue/point. The in a pinch scenario may include needin to bring something along and all of a sudden there is no space. Even in bigger ones like tahoes.

It's just silly to take the mpg and space penalty unless awd was really needed.

 

[4WD]

That is real… but all those folks and towing capacity on top of it … a real 4WD system … not cheap …
At least with the AFM mature enough … way better MPG than 10 years back … and much more refined …

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Wolf359


Doesn't really matter what other publications say. Getting a minivan basically says to most guys that your man card has been pulled. Very hard to look cool when you're pulling up in a minivan. While all those other things about donating blood etc may be true, it doesn't look cool. So it's basically the embarrassment factor of driving it.

Just saying'...

Real men have the confidence to drive whatever they want and not care what other people think. Just sayin.


Sure, that's what they have to keep telling themselves. The evidence is right in front of you if you look just by the nature of the existence of this thread. Lots of people buy trucks/SUV's because they don't want to be driving a minivan although they're probably the best setup for 7 passengers.

Just saying...


Precisely why I made the initial comments that I did.

People feeling that a van, like a wagon, either artificially ages them, or compromises their manlihood.

So let's go buy a car based truck-ish looking thing to make ourselves feel good.

We can smugly say that guys that drive body on frame guzzlers that are jacked up, are compromising for small "feet".

We can smugly say that people driving vans are old or are akin to driving station wagons in the 80s.

So let's drive car based truck looking things, because it gives the appearance of being rugged, while being compromised in most every aspect of both ends of the spectrum that were trying to achieve. In esssemce, excused mediocrity because we can smugly say that we're not the people on either end of the spectrum ,that we don't want to be.

Some car-based suvs are kind of neat. Ive sort of wanted a Lexus RX or Acura MDX hybrid for a number of years. But there's just no justification when a van and a sedan will do all things better. IMO.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
That is real… but all those folks and towing capacity on top of it … a real 4WD system … not cheap …
At least with the AFM mature enough … way better MPG than 10 years back … and much more refined …





Yup, fancy.

Have a friend who has a Tahoe in that interior color.

Real space means van or suburban.

 

[Broo]

My brother has a 2010 Acura MDX. While it does have 3 rows, the 3rd one is much more difficult to access than a van and highly uncomfortable. I didn't like vans much, especially for the looks of them. However, after we bought our Sienna in 2011, I realized how much sense it makes. The 3rd row is easily accessible even for adults, the floor and seats being the same height at any place in the car. The sliding doors are much safer in parking lots when the kids get out, you don't add dings to the car next to you. The ride is very comfortable. As a people mover, you can't get better than a van.

I once rode in a colleague's Dodge Journey's 3rd row for just a few minutes. It was awful. Uncomfortable seats had very little padding to make them fold down easier, the seat was too close to the floor and REACHING and GETTING OUT of that 3rd row gets old fast. Quite the same in my brother's MDX.

 

[Koz1]

Vans are awesome for moving anything. If you are considering it that's what I would get.

 

[Subdued]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Wolf359

Doesn't really matter what other publications say. Getting a minivan basically says to most guys that your man card has been pulled. Very hard to look cool when you're pulling up in a minivan. While all those other things about donating blood etc may be true, it doesn't look cool. So it's basically the embarrassment factor of driving it.

Just saying'...

Real men have the confidence to drive whatever they want and not care what other people think. Just sayin.


Sure, that's what they have to keep telling themselves. The evidence is right in front of you if you look just by the nature of the existence of this thread. Lots of people buy trucks/SUV's because they don't want to be driving a minivan although they're probably the best setup for 7 passengers.

Just saying...

I use the best tool for the job at hand, like a real man does. No reason to stuff 10 lbs of junk into a 5 lb bag. People who determine manhood by the vehicle they drive are overcompensating chumps.

JUST SAYING!!!!!