They are for peak for transporting 4-6 people and some cargo. Or a couple people and a lot of cargo. They are more fuel efficient than SUVs and use all the available space for their footprint up to the roofline.
Minivans are basically the mid sized truck version of vans.
That used to be literally true: back in the early '90s, the Ford Ranger pickup truck and the Ford Aerostar minivan shared a lot of parts (along with the Ford Explorer SUV).
Still true. For many larger platforms that have frame on body construction, the van and truck are almost identical except for the shell put on top. But you’ll see a lot of shared parts even in unibody stuff.
I have a “midsize” SUV and went on vacation with seven people, and it could hardly hold all of us even with a luggage rack on the hitch. We rented a minivan at our destination, and it EASILY fit all seven people and luggage with room to spare and was more comfortable. It also was a hybrid and got > 30mpg. Definitely wanting to rethink that SUV purchase now.
I do think minivans should be more common as being more practical, but I don’t see how they’re safer. They also tend to be less fuel efficient due to aerodynamics. They tend to have a lower floor with more or less the same ceiling height. That gives them a larger frontal cross section compared to an equivalent sized SUV.
This applies to vans and trucks, as well. Trucks based on the same platform tend to have better mileage than the van.
They are safer to pedestrians because they tend to have lower and more curved hoods (making impact at low speeds less dangerous) and they also give better visibility to the driver.
Thank you. For some reason our entire society thinks “safety” only applies to the people inside of the vehicle.
It’s a testament to our very individualized society under capitalism. It’s basing all values on a individuals consumption choices. Rather than the safety and security of society as a whole.
Sadly, carrying around a brick above your head is still the only “consumer” choice pedestrians have for safety.
A minivan will hold as many kids, is safer than an SUV, and they are on the smaller end of the SUV sizes.
Plus a minivan is 100x easier to get kids in and out of compared to an SUV. Honestly minivans might be peak transport vehicle form factor…
They are for peak for transporting 4-6 people and some cargo. Or a couple people and a lot of cargo. They are more fuel efficient than SUVs and use all the available space for their footprint up to the roofline.
That used to be literally true: back in the early '90s, the Ford Ranger pickup truck and the Ford Aerostar minivan shared a lot of parts (along with the Ford Explorer SUV).
Still true. For many larger platforms that have frame on body construction, the van and truck are almost identical except for the shell put on top. But you’ll see a lot of shared parts even in unibody stuff.
…minivans and hatchbacks: purposefully-designed suburban utility vehicles, all the respect in the world for both…
I have a “midsize” SUV and went on vacation with seven people, and it could hardly hold all of us even with a luggage rack on the hitch. We rented a minivan at our destination, and it EASILY fit all seven people and luggage with room to spare and was more comfortable. It also was a hybrid and got > 30mpg. Definitely wanting to rethink that SUV purchase now.
I do think minivans should be more common as being more practical, but I don’t see how they’re safer. They also tend to be less fuel efficient due to aerodynamics. They tend to have a lower floor with more or less the same ceiling height. That gives them a larger frontal cross section compared to an equivalent sized SUV.
This applies to vans and trucks, as well. Trucks based on the same platform tend to have better mileage than the van.
They are safer to pedestrians because they tend to have lower and more curved hoods (making impact at low speeds less dangerous) and they also give better visibility to the driver.
Thank you. For some reason our entire society thinks “safety” only applies to the people inside of the vehicle.
It’s a testament to our very individualized society under capitalism. It’s basing all values on a individuals consumption choices. Rather than the safety and security of society as a whole.
Sadly, carrying around a brick above your head is still the only “consumer” choice pedestrians have for safety.
I have a little Mitsubishi Outlander that seats 7 and I’d cut off a toe for a minivan.
My teenager has to crawl through the hatch to get in her seat lol.