Sliding Doors

[PricklyPete]

The sliding doors on a Minivan are beyond convenient. The allow for very large openings that take up very little space when open which makes loading/unloading in a parking lot very convenient. They are now even motorized for easier access (when your hands are full or if you're just plain lazy).

Sure they were a bit uglier when they were first introduced (with visible rails going down the side of the vehicle), but automakers have done a good job of hiding those rails as of late.

So why are they not more popular? I'm assuming it is because that type of door has always been associated with Minivans. Am I missing something else?

I've noticed that Ford's latest concept for the Explorer that they are going to be showing at the upcoming Detroit Auto show has sliding doors. Sounds great to me...but would it actually catch on?

 

[ElFenix]

just more convergence of the SUV and minvan. is this explorer concept going to be unibody as well?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It's not "cool". Just like wagons, hatchbacks, and pushrods

 

[programmer]

I'm with you PricklyPete. I can't understand why sliding doors aren't on every car, truck, minivan, etc. They are so convenient! Push a button on the remote or a switch on the dash and open either side, and no worries about the door opening out and dinging the door edge and somebody else.

I just wish my car (Odyssey) also had sliding front doors that slide forward

 

[desy]

I love being in a parking lot and releasing the rugrats through the minvan doors!
Hey don't swing that door too! oh never mind. .

 

[rh71]

damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

 

[marvdmartian]

Hey, maybe they could make sliding doors that, instead of sliding back or forth, slide upward & downward! That would make it a big enough cool factor that guys that don't want their rides to look like minivans will be happy with the idea, wouldn't it?

 

[Xyclone]

Heh, in our old minivan i remember my dad parking too close to a short pole (not in view even from the rear seat). I opened the powered sliding door, it rubbed against the pole and scratched the whole thing. Everyone had the :Q look on their face. That said, they were very practical, especially for us kids (back then).

 

[jagec]

I agree, sliding doors are cool, and minivans get too much of a stigma. I mean, people think the H3, of all stupid vehicles, is cooler than a minivan. Thanks, but at least the minivan isn't a horribly weak failed attempt at faking a real Hummer.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: rh71
damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

You mean like a deloren? I thought that it was almost impossible to open the doors on those things while parked between two cars.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Just have everyone Dukes of Hazzard it and call it a day.

 

[vi edit]

I really don't get the stigmas people associate with anything minivan or semi-minivan related.

Honest to God truth - my wife actually broke down in tears when I was considering a Mazda5. Why? Because it was "too much of a minivan". And she wasn't even the one that had to freaking drive it!

The baby is due in Feb/March, and the Highlander lease goes up in May. I think after she tries lugging a 15 pound kid in a car carrier in and out of a conventional sedan/suv she'll find a new love for sliding doors and I'll win the Mazda5 battle.

It just amazes me how much emotion people can pile into something so trivial.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71
damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

You mean like a deloren? I thought that it was almost impossible to open the doors on those things while parked between two cars.

Like Lambo doors ... but again, if it's upside down in an accident and the windows don't work, you're royally fuct. Remember those pictures of the couple burned to death because they couldnt' get out? Nasty.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71
damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

You mean like a deloren? I thought that it was almost impossible to open the doors on those things while parked between two cars.

Like Lambo doors ... but again, if it's upside down in an accident and the windows don't work, you're royally fuct. Remember those pictures of the couple burned to death because they couldnt' get out? Nasty.

Sounds overblown. Don't conventional car doors get jammed shut from accidents all the time?

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I really don't get the stigmas people associate with anything minivan or semi-minivan related.

Honest to God truth - my wife actually broke down in tears when I was considering a Mazda5. Why? Because it was "too much of a minivan". And she wasn't even the one that had to freaking drive it!

The baby is due in Feb/March, and the Highlander lease goes up in May. I think after she tries lugging a 15 pound kid in a car carrier in and out of a conventional sedan/suv she'll find a new love for sliding doors and I'll win the Mazda5 battle.

It just amazes me how much emotion people can pile into something so trivial.

Does the Mazda5 have sliding doors...for some reason I thought the rear doors were normal "swing-out" doors like the original Odyssey...am I wrong?

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
just more convergence of the SUV and minvan. is this explorer concept going to be unibody as well?

Yes...it will be unibody from what I've read.

 

[imported_Shivetya]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71
damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

You mean like a deloren? I thought that it was almost impossible to open the doors on those things while parked between two cars.

took less than twelve inches of space.

basically people would justify their negative view of gull wing doors by putting it into situations a normal door had no chance

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Does the Mazda5 have sliding doors...for some reason I thought the rear doors were normal "swing-out" doors like the original Odyssey...am I wrong?

The 5 has sliders on both sides. They aren't power assisted, but they open and close with a fingers worth of effort.

I just want a cheap, reliable, fun, economic, safe, and comfortable cruiser to haul the kiddo, wife, 80 pound dog, and my kayaks around.

I can get into an '06 MZ5 with 30k on the clock for around $13k.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Does the Mazda5 have sliding doors...for some reason I thought the rear doors were normal "swing-out" doors like the original Odyssey...am I wrong?

The 5 has sliders on both sides. They aren't power assisted, but they open and close with a fingers worth of effort.

I just want a cheap, reliable, fun, economic, safe, and comfortable cruiser to haul the kiddo, wife, 80 pound dog, and my kayaks around.

I can get into an '06 MZ5 with 30k on the clock for around $13k.

I'm not a huge fan of hulking minivans where there is no need...but I really do like the Mazda5...even more now that I realize that it has sliding doors. I'm stuck with the same problem though...the mention of a minivan...even one as cool as the Mazda5...immediately gets her to shudder. She didn't like the wagons either...but I've slowly warmed her up to it. A subie or a Audi 3 are very possible replacement cars for her

 

[exdeath]

Sliding doors not cool? Make one that hinges open in any direction, swivels 360 degrees, flips, turns inside out, and sings, dances, and flashes bright LEDs at you and it will be cool. Works for the cell phone market.

 

[swtethan]

Originally posted by: exdeath
Sliding doors not cool? Make one that hinges open in any direction, swivels 360 degrees, flips, turns inside out, and sings, dances, and flashes bright LEDs at you and it will be cool. Works for the cell phone market.

remember that white honda accord in the middle east?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NeXwmIEV8Rw


lol

 

[exdeath]

I wish I had never clicked on that link. People that think that kind of thing is "cool" must have the the same attention spans as downs syndrome kids that get excited over a giant rubber ball. It's also on par with people who stick LEDs on everything from PCs to the under side of their car and call it "modding".

I can't see how anyone would amuse or entertain themselves by watching a lame ass door swivel for hours. Nothing "pimp" about it. I wonder if the driver of that Accord has downs syndrome to match the car. But it's more original than tired Lambo doors on a Civic, I'll give him that much.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Shivetya

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71
damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

You mean like a deloren? I thought that it was almost impossible to open the doors on those things while parked between two cars.

took less than twelve inches of space.

basically people would justify their negative view of gull wing doors by putting it into situations a normal door had no chance

Huh. I always thought those doors were pretty cool...like a spaceship or something. BTTF of course helped.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71
damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

You mean like a deloren? I thought that it was almost impossible to open the doors on those things while parked between two cars.

Like Lambo doors ... but again, if it's upside down in an accident and the windows don't work, you're royally fuct. Remember those pictures of the couple burned to death because they couldnt' get out? Nasty.

Sounds overblown. Don't conventional car doors get jammed shut from accidents all the time?

I don't know but both doors are completely inoperable if you're on your roof with those doors. What are the chances both (or all 4) doors on a standard car's accident are busted shut?

BTW, did you ever see those pictures? You can just tell the story of the last minute of their lives as the fire went on...

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: rh71
damn door dings... I wish doors would swing upward (if not for that upside-down safety thing). I've been dinged while I was sitting in the car. I hate people who don't give a shit about other people's property.

You mean like a deloren? I thought that it was almost impossible to open the doors on those things while parked between two cars.

Like Lambo doors ... but again, if it's upside down in an accident and the windows don't work, you're royally fuct. Remember those pictures of the couple burned to death because they couldnt' get out? Nasty.

Sounds overblown. Don't conventional car doors get jammed shut from accidents all the time?

I don't know but both doors are completely inoperable if you're on your roof with those doors. What are the chances both doors on a standard car accident are busted shut?

BTW, did you ever see those pictures? You can just tell the story of the last minute of their lives...

Freak accidents can happen with any car. More people have burned in cars with jammed conventional doors than gullwing or lambo doors combined just based on production volume alone. People have been pinned on motorcycles and burn as well.

How about no doors at all? That would be safer on that off 0.0000001% chance someone gets stuck in their car and can't get out in a fire. Lets make it a law right now!

Accidents happen, life happens, etc. It just does, there isn't a cause to point fingers at specific things and find blame. Get out of the plastic bubble and ride in a car with gullwing doors and take a chance!