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what's the best looking minivan that doesn't suck?

rh71

rh71

No Lifer
I saw a Mazda 5 minivan on the street yesterday and I was amazed at how a minivan can actually be made stylish. Any other contenders? It looks kind of on the small side though. I guess there are limits to having a huge box and still look good.
 
the Honda Odyssey is the best minivan out today, hands down.
http://www.edmunds.com/honda/odyssey/2009/review.html
"Though scheduled for a complete redesign next year, the 2009 Honda Odyssey remains our favorite choice in the minivan segment."

http://usnews.rankingsandrevie...-trucks/Honda_Odyssey/
"The 2009 Honda Odyssey ranks 1 out of 8 Minivans."

http://www.consumersearch.com/minivan-reviews
"The Honda Odyssey wins the most awards and earns the highest scores in reviews, although the Toyota Sienna is a close second. Both are considered reliable, with about the same fuel economy, but testers say the Honda is? more agile and stylish, with better safety and resale value."

and those are just the first few published (non-user) reviews off of google.

 
I would say the Odyssey like LOIUSSS said, I got to drive those almost daily working at the FORD/HONDA dealer body shop, not too bad, they seem fast too and pick up speed rather nicely 😀 when you stomp on the pedal.
 
Sadly, other than the Mazda, we don't get any of the "doesn't suck" styled minivans. The minivans we get all look like a minivan. The MPVs designed for the European market are all so much better looking (any company really). They are smaller though. Japan gets some of them too.

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
the Honda Odyssey is the best minivan out today, hands down.
http://www.edmunds.com/honda/odyssey/2009/review.html
"Though scheduled for a complete redesign next year, the 2009 Honda Odyssey remains our favorite choice in the minivan segment."

http://usnews.rankingsandrevie...-trucks/Honda_Odyssey/
"The 2009 Honda Odyssey ranks 1 out of 8 Minivans."

http://www.consumersearch.com/minivan-reviews
"The Honda Odyssey wins the most awards and earns the highest scores in reviews, although the Toyota Sienna is a close second. Both are considered reliable, with about the same fuel economy, but testers say the Honda is? more agile and stylish, with better safety and resale value."

and those are just the first few published (non-user) reviews off of google.
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There's a shock. I don't think you even paid attention to what he asked. He asked for a minivan that, among other things, doesn't look like just another minivan. The Odyssey blends in with the rest of them.

Sadly, the only ones that aren't "I hate my life" styling, as I said earlier, aren't really sold here other than the Mazda. Look up the Honda Stream, Ford C-Max, Vauxhaul Zafira to get an idea of what we're missing.
 
odyssey hands down, but unfortunately it "looks like the rest"

therse some mazda ones like you said that look cool
 
the Honda Odyssey is the best minivan out today, hands down.
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If by best you mean most overpriced, I agree.

I suppose it's mostly a tossup between it and the sienna. I do think both are more expensive than they should be, though and other options are better for the thrifty buyer.
C4 Picasso
C4 Grand Picasso

Shame you don't get them, though.
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Those are microvans if anything. A real minivan should be able to take a 4X8' sheet of ply inside it.
Sadly, the only ones that aren't "I hate my life" styling, as I said earlier, aren't really sold here other than the Mazda.
Click to expand...
Strangely, the MPV isn't sold here anymore, either. I don't know why, but Mazda has no minivan whatsoever anymore, they just have some SUV sportute thingies that are pricier and get terrible mileage.
 
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: DVad3r
Anyone who wants to buy a minivan should buy a station wagon.
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minivan > station wagon
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Naw 🙂 You can put in just as much stuff into a station wagon as a minivan. Dad's got a 92 Camry wagon, we put everything into it, christmas tree's, 40 inch 110 kg tube TV's in box, furniture, whatever. There is nothing that car cannot take. It handles better than a minivan, and you don't look like a typical family guy. You're reasoning is flawed sir. Also you get better performance.
 
Originally posted by: DVad3r
Anyone who wants to buy a minivan should buy a station wagon.
Click to expand...

I have been in my dad's MPV minivan quite a lot and the ability to actually walk into the 3rd row area is a benefit. You can also stack quite a bit upwards with all seats folded (like 2 mattresses and then whatever on the roof rack). We actually threw a baby dresser/changer fully assembled in-box in that thing once too. Can't do that with a wagon or typical SUV.

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
C4 Grand Picasso
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Wow except for the no-sliding door thing it looks like Mazda copied that design.

As for the Odyssey, the prices of these things are pretty ridiculous. You're in luxury-pricing territory at $37k (NAV+rear entertainment are musts) and after taxes you better be getting a luxury vehicle. But the performance & utility are surely there... too bad it looks like ass.
 
Originally posted by: rh71
Originally posted by: DVad3r
Anyone who wants to buy a minivan should buy a station wagon.
Click to expand...

I have been in my dad's MPV minivan quite a lot and the ability to actually walk into the 3rd row area is a benefit. You can also stack quite a bit upwards with all seats folded (like 2 mattresses and then whatever on the roof rack). We actually threw a baby dresser/changer fully assembled in-box in that thing once too. Can't do that with a wagon or typical SUV.

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
C4 Grand Picasso
Click to expand...

Wow except for the no-sliding door thing it looks like Mazda copied that design... sloping windows, tint placement, and all.
Click to expand...

Wagons have roof racks too. And you can put fully assembled furniture inside them too, we transported a full wardrobe assembled in it with the hatch closed. You can do everything with a good full size wagon that you can do with a van, now the trouble is finding a good wagon 🙂 The new ones they make are small and expensive.

It's just my personal preference, I like low center of gravity cars, unless I'm buying an SUV, I'd never buy a minivan though.

 
They should of just kept making/building on these:

http://www.stationwagon.com/ga...Buick_Roadmaster_3.jpg

That owns any minivan.

The reason for the decline of this car is SUV's. SUV's were blocking everyones view, so they had to come up with a solution. The minivan is the answer, now one idiot wants to sit higher than the next. Soon we will have periscopes in our cars to be able to see ahead.
 
Originally posted by: rh71
I guess there are limits to having a huge box and still look good.
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Yes, there are. It's a utilitarian tool, so you might as well shop for one as such. It's never going to be "cool", and you, like every other minivan owner, are probably going to ditch it as soon as all the kids are out of the house and you don't need it anymore.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
the Honda Odyssey is the best minivan out today, hands down.
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If by best you mean most overpriced, I agree.
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It's all about aggressive shopping and market timing. Mine was nearly $7K below sticker. 😀 Couldn't even find a used one less than three years old for what I finally paid for a new one.
 
Originally posted by: rh71
(NAV+rear entertainment are musts)
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Rear entertainment is definitely a must, I agree. While it can be added in the aftermarket, I like the cleanliness of a factory DVD system, and the aftermarket solutions typically don't save much (speaking about ceiling mounted units here). As for NAV, I like add-on units better. You can transfer a Garmin or Tom-Tom between vehicles easily, and it costs so much less than the factory NAV package.
 
Originally posted by: DVad3r
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: DVad3r
Anyone who wants to buy a minivan should buy a station wagon.
Click to expand...

minivan > station wagon
Click to expand...

Naw 🙂 You can put in just as much stuff into a station wagon as a minivan. Dad's got a 92 Camry wagon, we put everything into it, christmas tree's, 40 inch 110 kg tube TV's in box, furniture, whatever. There is nothing that car cannot take. It handles better than a minivan, and you don't look like a typical family guy. You're reasoning is flawed sir. Also you get better performance.
Click to expand...
Can it take 4X8' sheets of ply? I bet it can't.

Minivan > almost everything else when it comes to transport. Unless you buy a commercial van or dodge sprinter, minivans kick it hard.
It's all about aggressive shopping and market timing. Mine was nearly $7K below sticker. Couldn't even find a used one less than three years old for what I finally paid for a new one.
Click to expand...
Yeah you do have to be careful with them. When we got our MPV it was about 1 year old, had 15k on it with gobs of warranty (factory powertrain up to 100k) and paid under $16k for it. Hondas of similar age were well over 20k at the time.

 
Do the CX-7 and CX-9 count?

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Originally posted by: DVad3r
Naw 🙂 You can put in just as much stuff into a station wagon as a minivan. Dad's got a 92 Camry wagon, we put everything into it, christmas tree's, 40 inch 110 kg tube TV's in box, furniture, whatever. There is nothing that car cannot take. It handles better than a minivan, and you don't look like a typical family guy. You're reasoning is flawed sir. Also you get better performance.
Click to expand...
Can it take 4X8' sheets of ply? I bet it can't.

Minivan > almost everything else when it comes to transport. Unless you buy a commercial van or dodge sprinter, minivans kick it hard.
Click to expand...

Yeah, as much as I love my Volvo wagon, it can't haul 4x8's 🙁
Washer and dryer, yes, 4x8', no.
 
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