New Sienna

[Vinsanity]

haha the Espace looks like a spiritual successor to the GM anteater vans

[CJ]

The Espace is just funky, and I love it. 

[SVT666]

I like the Mazda5.

The Mazda5 is based on the 3, so it's small and cute, but it's nowhere near as good as a real minivan at hauling a family of 4 and all their shit.

[Vinsanity]

The Mazda5 is based on the 3, so it's small and cute, but it's nowhere near as good as a real minivan at hauling a family of 4 and all their shit.

If my parents can manage 4 kids in a Volvo 760 wagon, I'm sure I'd be able to swing 2 kids in a Mazda 5.

[SVT666]

If my parents can manage 4 kids in a Volvo 760 wagon, I'm sure I'd be able to swing 2 kids in a Mazda 5.

As a parent of two kids and knowing how much stuff goes with us wherever we go, I respectfully disagree.  You can "make do" with it, but given choice, any sane person would pick a regular minivan over a Mazda5.

[Raza]

The Mazda5 is based on the 3, so it's small and cute, but it's nowhere near as good as a real minivan at hauling a family of 4 and all their shit.

My family always did it in a sedan.  Even when we had an SUV, we never used it for long trips.

[CALL_911]

My family always did it in a sedan.  Even when we had an SUV, we never used it for long trips.

Ditto. Except we never had an SUV.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Ditto. Except we never had an SUV.

SUV's are dumb.

[CALL_911]

SUV's are dumb.

The owners are even dumber than the SUVs.

[Eye of the Tiger]

The owners are even dumber than the SUVs.

I agree 

[J86]

My family always did it in a sedan.  Even when we had an SUV, we never used it for long trips.

You guys had an SUV?  What kind?

[Eye of the Tiger]

You guys had an SUV?  What kind?

Rodeo, duh.

[Payman]

Ugh, don't like Toyota's design direction.

[Cookie Monster]

As a parent of two kids and knowing how much stuff goes with us wherever we go, I respectfully disagree.  You can "make do" with it, but given choice, any sane person would pick a regular minivan over a Mazda5.

Damn how much shit do you guys take with you?!

[2o6]

The Rondo and the outgoing Sienna aren't exactly brand new either.

The Odyssey came out in 2003.

[2o6]

We've always used Full-size vans.

The Espace is just funky, and I love it. 

Exactly. It has that french-ness that makes it look very unique.

[CJ]

We always did it with the 740 wagon or Camry.  Though we did it once with the 1988 Grand Am.

[Eye of the Tiger]

We've always used Full-size vans.


Exactly. It has that french-ness that makes it look very unique.

I never realized the Escape was French.

[2o6]

I never realized the Escape was French.

Espace.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Espace.

wat

[2o6]

wat

The Renault Espace has been around since 1984. It was developed with Matra and Chrysler to make the first Minivans; one for Europe (Espace) and one for the US. (Caravan/Voyager)

[Eye of the Tiger]

The Renault Espace has been around since 1984. It was developed with Matra and Chrysler to make the first Minivans; one for Europe (Espace) and one for the US. (Caravan/Voyager)

[ifcar]

The Odyssey came out in 2003.

So one year older than the Sienna? Yep, that definitely accounts for the Toyota fitting in more than twice the space.

[the Teuton]

Why didn't they just go "Uplander" on the JDM Odyssey instead of making the Crosstour? It looks like it would be a much better Venza competitor.

[Tave]

My family always did it in a sedan.  Even when we had an SUV, we never used it for long trips.

I used to walk 5 miles to school every day. Uphill. In the snow. Both ways.

[Onslaught]

My family always did it in a sedan.  Even when we had an SUV, we never used it for long trips.

My family threw me in the back of a truck with a lawn chair and drove to the beach 4 1/2 hours away.
But this was the 70's and people did things different back then.

[Raza]

You guys had an SUV?  What kind?

Mercury Moutaineer.  Way back in 1998.  I think it was a 98 model.  Second car I ever drove.

[Raza]

I used to walk 5 miles to school every day. Uphill. In the snow. Both ways.

Come on, it was definitely not one of those statements.  I think people tend to have too much crap these days to pacify kids.  I get having a TV for long trips, but there are so many times I see TVs on in SUVs and minivans on surface streets.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Come on, it was definitely not one of those statements.  I think people tend to have too much crap these days to pacify kids.  I get having a TV for long trips, but there are so many times I see TVs on in SUVs and minivans on surface streets.

All I needed was some Matchbox cars to play with in the back seat and I was good.

[SVT666]

Come on, it was definitely not one of those statements.  I think people tend to have too much crap these days to pacify kids.  I get having a TV for long trips, but there are so many times I see TVs on in SUVs and minivans on surface streets.

It's not about pacifying.  Our double stroller, which is one of the most compact ones on the market takes up half of the cargo space behind our second in the Freestyle.  You should see the back of our car after we've been to Wal-Mart or the grocery store.  When most of us were kids car seats weren't even invented yet.  Now they're mandatory and they're fucking huge.  I love how people who don't have kids like to tell those of us who do have kids that they know better then us.  Any of you, go ask your parents; If given the choice, would they have preferred a minivan, or would they have rather made do with their compact hatchback or whatever the fuck they had.  When I was a kid, my mother would nurse us while my dad drove.  When I was a kid, I shared a seatbelt with my sister.  When I was a kid, I slept behind the back seat in our Westfalia.  If you do any of those today, you get charged and your kids get taken away.