Some 13 yo kids obsess over baseball. My 13 yo obsesses over vans and minivans. Yesterday for his birthday he asked that we go test drive the big three.
Honda dealer: lot nearly empty. No new vans available due to current car shortages. Drove a 2020 Odyssey with 20k miles. It was a great typical Honda driving experience. Great handling, great brakes, wonderful engine, exceptional steering. Moderately quiet. I currently have a 2006 Odyssey with 275k miles and it felt like home. Didn’t care for push buttons but I could get used to it for transmission. It ended up being my favorite.
Toyota dealer: again lot empty but they scratched up a 2021 hybrid Sienna. It was okay. Didn’t care for dash. Exceptionally quiet and generally a nice all around driving appliance. Much less fun than the Odyssey. Felt like a Japanese Pacifica. Didn’t like 4 cylinder drone.
Kia Dealer: lot empty. Zero chance to try Carnival which is a bummer for the kid.
Prior experiences:
Multiple Chevrolet Express short wheelbase vans for the family. They are crude and rough but they haul people and tow excellently. A big ass traditional van for van stuff. If you tow get the 6.2 and enjoy. It’s an amazing package for that. If not, the 5.3 is reliable and great on gas.
Rented Ford Transit for a cross country trip with standard non turbo V6. It impressed the entire family and since we don’t tow often would be our choice if we were buying again.
Rented Chrysler Pacifica/New Plymouth both FWD and AWD version twins on various family trips. The Pacifica is top of the minivans for doo dads and luxury. Performance was fine but not Honda sharp. Great for daily driving and especially highway trips, but it kind of feels like a big old boat that doesn’t want to turn but will if you ask it to. Probably the best interior. I would never buy one because I don’t trust American cars to last and all those luxury doo dads will break. Buy new and ditch it at the end of warranty IMO.
Overall I love vans and think almost anyone who has a SUV would be better served with a van. I find nothing at all to comisserate about driving one. We have a 2018 Highlander (wife liked it so it’s for her) but an Odyssey would have been a better choice in almost every way.
For me:
Daily Driver: Odyssey all the way.
Bigger Family Hauler: Transit.
Big family hauler plus towing: Express 6.2l