Are Mini-Vans really mini anymore?

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CharBaby

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I went to a local minor league baseball game here at home. In front of the stadium, a local Honda dealer is displaying NEW Honda models including the new Odyssey MV...Man, is this thing BIG!

Has anyone else noticed that the new MINI-VANS(Chrysler, Honda, Toyota) are like small busses?

Their dimentions may even rival the Full Size Vans, Hmmm? Gee, these MV have gotten HUGE!
 
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I do totally agree.
I think the new "minivan" is something like the Mazda5.

I've also only ever called them "vans" but a lot of people still call them minivans.
 
The only REAL mini vans were the Ford Aerostar and Chevy Astro. I say they were real mini vans because they were not built on front drive automobile platforms. There also was a forign one that was rear wheel, Toyota maybe. To me, what is typically called a mini van is really more or less the station wagon of the front drive era.

On size, it seems many vehicles are ballooning to bigger and bigger these days.
 
My uncle bought a 2011 Sienna last year. I wouldnt fit in his standard size garage. He had to have a step in the garage removed to fit that bus inside!
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Their dimentions may even rival the Full Size Vans, Hmmm? Gee, these MV have gotten HUGE!


I respectfully disagree completely. Go drive a Chevy Express or a Ford E-series and then go drive a minivan right after. They're not remotely close in size or driving dynamic.
 
They do seem to be getting bigger. They seem to be doing the same thing with smaller trucks too. The newer Toyota Tacoma looks more like 3/4 of a full size truck than a small pickup to me. Height wise I think that the full size vans are still substantially more roomy than the newer minivans.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Their dimentions may even rival the Full Size Vans, Hmmm? Gee, these MV have gotten HUGE!


I respectfully disagree completely. Go drive a Chevy Express or a Ford E-series and then go drive a minivan right after. They're not remotely close in size or driving dynamic.


Yes, very true! I guess I was just remarking on how large the new Mini-Vans "have" gotten in regards to what they used to be. And the Mazda5 is closer to the true mini-van size.
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I realize that the Express and E-Series are the BIGGEST vans on the market
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And one can actually stand up inside and walk around.

But you'd have to admit that, these so called mini-vans today are Mid size and not mini any longer!
 
Minivans are still more like overgrown front wheel drive cars, such as the original Chryslers-I always considered the RWD Astro/Safari & Aerostars little brothers of the fullsize vans-and also could handle larger payloads & tow A LOT more than a FWD minivan.
 
Yes they are big. The Odessey, while horribly ugly, seems to have nice dimensions, while the sienna maybe just by optical illusion, looks GIANT!
 
I like the proportions of the Transit Connect. The marketing, however, is awful!

They need a "Green" version, electric, diesel, hybrid, whatever. Even if they only sell 500 the halo would stretch to the rest of the vans.

My 97 silhouette was a great sized van. Sources say it's a few inches narrower than most of its competition. Flat floor was nice with the 35lb captain's seats out. Mopar's Stow & go seating is too wierd (IMO). New chryslers the spare tire sits in the middle of the floorpan between driver and passenger seat. WTH?
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I like the proportions of the Transit Connect. The marketing, however, is awful!

They need a "Green" version, electric, diesel, hybrid, whatever. Even if they only sell 500 the halo would stretch to the rest of the vans.

Ford already does sell a full-electric Transit Connect.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
But you'd have to admit that, these so called mini-vans today are Mid size and not mini any longer!


They are larger than minivans used to be, yes. But full size vans are larger than full size vans used to be as well. I think most of the market has up-sized a notch or two, and minivans are no exception. They're still an attractive alternative to buying a full size van for larger families, which I think is the market that the original minis were targeting.
 
I think the last "mini" van was the Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager of the early 2000s. They're more like tall station wagons.
 
My Rondo is about the same size as a Mazda 5, those are the two vehicles I see as being closer in size to a "minivan". Unfortunately the Rondo is not sold here anymore, although they still get it in Canada and in the rest of the world it's called the "Carens" but the same vehicle pretty much with some different powertrain options such as diesel and stick.

Of course, over in Europe they have about 5 sizes of what they term MPV's. I saw an article in C/D that was about a microvan based on the Focus. I wish we had all those options over here.

Most people that don't live on a farm or tow trailers regularly don't need a pickup, an MPV would suit them fine. I can get about 20x 8 foot 2x4s completely inside my Rondo by putting down both the back seat and the passenger side front seat. I can't think of anything I would need to carry that won't fit. And I average 23 MPG in 80-90% city driving.

But people just tie up so much of their self esteem in their pickups (and in their cars period), it's not going to change anytime soon if ever. My car does not personify me, it's a method of carrying myself and my stuff from Point A to Point B in the most efficient manner possible.
 
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Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I like the proportions of the Transit Connect. The marketing, however, is awful!

They need a "Green" version, electric, diesel, hybrid, whatever. Even if they only sell 500 the halo would stretch to the rest of the vans.

Ford already does sell a full-electric Transit Connect.


Well, I'll be darned. Fueleconomy.gov calls it an "Azure Dynamics Transit Connect."

Irregardless, my point stands, the marketing is terrible.
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1999 Odyessey"-
External dimensions: overall length (mm): 5,110, overall width (mm): 1,920, overall height (mm): 1,740, wheelbase (mm): 3,000, front track (mm): 1,679, rear track (mm): 1,679 and curb to curb turning circle (mm): 11,491

2012 Odyssey:-
External dimensions: overall length (inches): 202.9, overall width (inches): 79.2, overall height (inches): 68.4, ground clearance (inches): 6.0, wheelbase (inches): 118.1, front track (inches): 68.1, rear track (inches): 68.2 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 36.7

My mm/inches mental calculation is telling me that they have similar sizes.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I think most of the market has up-sized a notch or two, and minivans are no exception.

Agreed. My Volvo S40 is classified as a subcompact, yet it weighs as much as my former 80 Crown Vic (3700 lbs).
 
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