The Minivan Thread *AKA The Toyota Sienna Thread*

I have found the best minivan ever. Behold:
chevy-astro-van-custom.jpg

I'm not sure if its the fat dude lowering it but.. RICE!
 
Forget about the Toyota Sienna...

The new Quest from Nissan looks fabulous!!! on the side only
quest630.jpg


because the front and back need more love:
:grumpy: :yuck: :ouch: :indiff:
quest-teaser-image.jpg


the shape of it is stepping right into Ford Flex territory:
2011nissanquest02.jpg


2011nissanquest05.jpg



Boo at Honda for making their latest car so ugly, including the new 2011 Odyssey.
(i feel ashamed posting it photo even, so i wont)


I would rather post and show you the cross between an AstroVan and a Lamborghini...
and what you get is a DRAG "AstroGhini"
02-astro-630.jpg

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01-astro.jpg

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My dad's friend bought a new Odyssey and had to return it because it smelled like weed on the inside. Could it be that Honda workers hotbox on the assembly line?
 
Having three children, I know a little bit about this subject!

This is mine:
5d-11249-Edit.jpg


Yes, it's dirty. It had just driven 600 miles in 2 days with two adults, a 6 year old, 3 year old and an 18 month old. It had six suitcases (approx 75Kg) of clothes and other junk, camera bags, a pushchair, and loads of other stuff that a family needs on a self-catering holiday. I could still use the rear view mirror. It's got leather, power-everything, 4-zone climate control, the largest sliding glass roof section of any car, and (at the time) the most powerful 2L diesel engine. It'll cruise happily at any speed sub 90 mph, and it can be pushed well north of that. While it's not the fastest or the best handling car money can buy, it's more than capable in a daily cut & thrust driving environment. Although to be honest, much of this is more about the drivers than the cars.

Because the 25Kg seats actually come out, rather than being stupid "stow & go" things, they're full-size, with 3 point belts built in, and isofix mountings. And they're comfy, even for a six-foot adult in the back row. I know, because this is where I sit when I'm drunk and the scooter man is driving it home.

My personal record is 2 adults, 2 children, a 4-drawer filing cabinet and 2x 2 drawer filing cabinets.

Oh, and it does 30MPG and was £30k.

My friend has a Q7. It was more than twice the price, adults can't sit in the back of it, and it does 20MPG. Aside from in a straight line (where his 4.2 diesel kills the Espace), it's no faster than the Espace.

I don't know why people are buying SUVs, not people carriers. "Sports Utility Vehicle" automatically shouts "jack of all trades", and so it turns out when you spend any time in them. People carriers do what they claim. They move people in comfort over large distances and with the attendant parephenalia.

And they're a comparative steal.
 
the Quest takes the Cube and hits the "enlarge" button on the copier. I'm split on it. I mean...It's cool that it's an oversize Scion XB and all...
 
^ Yeah, yeah, yeah... :indiff:

espacef2teamcopiesl3.jpg

(Don't go giddy, it's a 'Chop)

:sly:

Well it's enough to give my engine revvin'! 👍



Sadly, the world realistically only need such car:

2011 Odyssey
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I guess now we have pretty much a good idea of what the three main Japanese contenders on U.S. soil will be for 2011.

Sienna:
lead2toyotasiennaxlereview2011.jpg


Odyssey:
lead2odysseyfd2011.jpg


Quest:
quest630.jpg


Seems to me that :
the Quest is the most upscale of the three...
the Sienna is the most sporty of the three...
the Odyssey is the more down to earth (cheaper looking) of the three...





EDIT: this is a Sienna Thread, and yet we haven't got any pic of the subject:

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^ Your Sienna pic didn't work:

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;)

BT-> Even the Entourage was a fail attempt (as a badge-engineered Sedona). Hyundai should one-up the competition with not a minivan, but a mid-size van. Like Astro/Aerostar/Safari size:

Hyundai Starex
hyundai-grand-starex-royale-2.jpg
 
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^ Well, the same guys who did the Crosstour, ZDX, TL, Ridgeline, CR-Z, Accord, and the rest of the Honda/Acura lineup:

HONDA'S DESIGN TEAM

^ They deserve to be fired, seriously. :grumpy:
 
Parts of the new Odyssey actually interest me; the "lightning bolt" is interesting and I see the practical advantages of it, but it's the implementation that bothers me. Specifically the door shut line. That and it's like they wanted the door slides to stand out as much as possible, compared to Toyota minimizing them.

The other huge issue, in profile, is how the contouring makes the tail section of the minivan look like a completely different colour to the doors when the light's reflecting off it. What the heck? Hopefully Autoblog's tester was a pre-pro and that's fixed when they hit dealer lots. Also, I know they're sort of similar anyways, but anybody else getting a lot more general Ford design vibe from the front end than Honda's usual wedge style?

Also, why do designers keep thinking the droopy taillights are a good look? This, the new Mazda5... stop :(.
 
^ Well, the same guys who did the Crosstour, ZDX, TL, Ridgeline, CR-Z, Accord, and the rest of the Honda/Acura lineup:

HONDA'S DESIGN TEAM

^ They deserve to be fired, seriously. :grumpy:
You beat me to it... Honda used to have descent beautiful cars, yet practical and economical, AND had that driver soul to it...

Now it has become a whole lineage of aztek model... seems that all the designer from the aztek converted themselves in Honda team.

I cant find a design at Honda and Acura that i honestly like entirely...

CrossTour :ouch::nervous::indiff::ill: :guilty: :yuck::grumpy::dunce: and :dopey:. practically everything on your list...
ok at best...

ZDX is growing on me... Ridgeline too... yet... i wouldn't say they are examples of good design.

SAD for Honda...


The other huge issue, in profile, is how the contouring makes the tail section of the minivan look like a completely different colour to the doors when the light's reflecting off it. What the heck? Hopefully Autoblog's tester was a pre-pro and that's fixed when they hit dealer lots. Also, I know they're sort of similar anyways, but anybody else getting a lot more general Ford design vibe from the front end than Honda's usual wedge style?

Also, why do designers keep thinking the droopy taillights are a good look? This, the new Mazda5... stop :(.
i agree with you there 👎
On the MK1 TSX front and rear bumpers, since they are non-metallic, the color ended up not exactly the same as the rest of the car, due to the different material (for non black colors, or white).
 
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I was on the internet the other day and this came up, couldn't resist reviving the thread for this:
super_happy_pimp_van.jpg


Isn't that the dude from An-Pan-Man?
 
The biggest fail of a minivan was the VW Routans. They were supposedly built by Chrysler for VW, but was noticeably more expensive than the Dodge Caravan.

My cousin managed to get one to rent when he went on holiday, and lo and behold, electrical problems!

In fairness though, it could have been Chrysler's fault for the electrical problems.
 
^ I don't see anything fail about the Routan, the only thing that I see distasting about this VW, is that VW did a half-butt job of delivering a minivan to the US just to have a cheaper entry fee to a VW minivan. So IMO, its pretty excusable. :indiff:

-> I've seen worse:

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;)
 
Does the Ssangyong Rodius count as a minivan, or is it more of a crossover?
 
AHHHH Doraemon! There we ho, I haven't seen that show in ages, but I have like 100 Doraemon stickers....
O.O?

Children's cartoons + Big Van = CHILD RAPIST?
 
Doraemon? I have not heard of this.

Though I've thought it should be a Digimon. However, it is not.

>>

Get outta my head, Renamon! I know you're actually a guy, anyway...
 
I don't like the new Odyssey in person, it doesn't look good at all from any angle, even in person. It was quite spacious on the inside, and not much of a leap from the older model (which is a good thing). It really looks lard-ass-ian in all proportions, save the front. Maybe an upcoming re-style in two years -- typical for nearly every Honda model, anyhow -- will address the looks.

The old Sienna was a little more plasticy on the inside, but feels a bit sturdier with the new model. Oh, and it actually looks better. A pity I didn't have time for test drives, but we're between the two, with another kid on the way in the next few weeks. Yeah, I tend to the Toyota side, but you knew that already.

In both cases, you're looking at a ~$32,000 minivan these days, with moderate optioning.

I'm actually holding out for the new Quest, but she hates the styling from the few vantage points she can see it on the web. I still want to drive one to know for sure. New job gives me a discount on Nissans, apparently...although I haven't enough change between the cushions to test it out quite yet.

The Mazda 5 will take care of 95-99% of anything we need, to be honest. As long as you don't have to pick up all the kids in a carpool, you'll do fine if none of them have anything to haul in addition...there's about 3-5 cubic feet of space in the cargo area if you use the third seat. But not much more rear-seat leg room compared to her old CR-V, which is the only point of getting a new vehicle (that, and the LATCH system anchors are far easier than messing with belts when swapping seats out on the fly). There's a new Maz 5 out soon, so apparently Mazda's flinging them out with low financing, and the nicer fuel economy doesn't hurt, either (and the fact it's available in stick [good luck finding one]).

And damnit, the VW Sharon actually looks pretty good...but we get a Crouton, for some Piëch-forsaken reason.

Edit: We bought the Mazda 5, three months later.
 
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Quest is interesting looking to say the least. It's like a beautiful girl who looks awkward from certain angle. :lol:

Mazda 5's a very practical, economical option. I've always like its slick looks. 👍
 
-> ...
^What the Hell is that thing?:crazy:
^ Its called the Ssangyong Rodius, an MPV/Minivan that is currently marketed in some parts of Europe, Southeast Asia, and of course in K-Pop land. :)

Does the Ssangyong Rodius count as a minivan, or is it more of a crossover?
^ It's classified more as an MPV (aka. Espace rival) than a Crossover (on which that the job of the Actyon).

The Mazda 5 will take care of 95-99% of anything we need, to be honest. As long as you don't have to pick up all the kids in a carpool, you'll do fine if none of them have anything to haul in addition...there's about 3-5 cubic feet of space in the cargo area if you use the third seat. But not much more rear-seat leg room compared to her old CR-V, which is the only point of getting a new vehicle (that, and the LATCH system anchors are far easier than messing with belts when swapping seats out on the fly). There's a new Maz 5 out soon, so apparently Mazda's flinging them out with low financing, and the nicer fuel economy doesn't hurt, either (and the fact it's available in stick [good luck finding one]).
^ The Mazda 5 is my alternative to these USDM Minivan barges, if only they have a 7-seat option here in the US it would've been perfect.

-> I want my Mazda 5's interior exactly as decribed here:

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^ Yup, thats including the 6-SPEED MANUAL! :D
 
^ AWWWW YYEEEAAAAHHH. Manual Tranny! Woot! Now the daddy's gonna show off to the kids how he can race his Asian MPV! Next thing you see this MPV is the hottest thing on the street! You see them beating Civics, RX7s and everything!
 
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