[del82]

If it were only about hauling people then isn't a minivan as good or better? But U.S. manufacturers are abandoning minivans even more quickly than sedans-- only Chrysler still makes one, Ford and GM don't.

The chicken tax and the "cool" factor / branding must play a role over and above the raw utility of hauling lots of people, surely?

[notatoad]

Three-row crossovers are just minivans with different styling. The 2018 chevy traverse only has 23mm more ground clearance than the toyota sienna. If you put sliding doors on it instead of standard rear doors, it would be a minivan.

[ghaff]

The current state of minivans is probably as much a fashion thing as anyone else. People not wanting to see themselves as soccer moms.

A lot of whitewater paddling friends actually favor minivans because they find them more convenient for lots of gear and shuttling people than SUV configurations.

[sjg007]

We have a crossover and a wagon. I want to get a minivan or a suburban.

[ip26]

The minivan-shaped hole in the market is being filled by crossovers.

But really it's a longer story than that. Minivans had previously replaced station wagons, and the crossovers of today tend to look like a cross between a minivan and a wagon.

[mtberatwork]

Crossovers seem to me to be the worst of all worlds. They have poor gas mileage and terrible highway aerodynamics like large SUVs and have limited trunk space while lacking "utility" features such as trailer hitch mounts or 4WD as standard.

[ip26]

Yes, but many, many people have no use for factory hitches, 4x4, or 6500lb towing capacities. What they want is interior room for passengers, high roofline, visibility, and elevated vantage point. As minivans became unhip (& expensive), consumers found these things in SUV's, but didn't like the price, gas mileage, handling, or safety. So SUV's evolved towards hatches & wagons with better aero, car-like handling, and monocoque frames, and the crossover was born.

[jmull]

They make different tradeoffs than trucks and truck-like SUVs. You don't prefer those tradeoffs, but plenty of people do.

[dsfyu404ed]

They get better gas milage than any truck or truck based SUV.

Their aero isn't as good as a car but it's better than a truck based SUV.

Fold the seats and you've got a trunk only slightly smaller than a minivan without the 3rd row.

AWD SUVs are readily available and generally the standard. FWD is generally reserved for people who want to go out of their way to be economical about it.

Trailer hitch is solved with $300 and a trip to Uhaul (or for the mechanically inclined: $120, Amazon and a 30% chance of needing a drill). With modern horsepower and brakes you can comfortably tow some stupidly large stuff with crossovers so long as you've got a weight distribution hitch to take some of the weight off the rear axle.

Crossovers do nothing great but they do everything passably well, just like the station wagons of the 1950s-80s they replaced.

[Consultant32452]

There's a broad range that meet lots of different needs. I have a '17 Kia Soul Exclaim. 1.6L turbo 5-door crossover. I can haul 4 adults comfortably and the trunk has more space than I usually use for groceries/gear. It does lack the trailer hitch and 4WD of the Wrangler I traded for it, but $100 fixes the hitch and I don't haul enough or go off-roading to need 4WD. I get 30mpg highway and that little turbo engine can really zip around. It's very fun to drive.

[petre]

4WD w/o a central differential is useless for most people who use their cars on paved roads. AWD on the other hand, especially viscous coupling auto AWD is quite useful. The trailer mount is only useful for a bike carrier or a light semi trailer.

[analog31]

My family got a Toyota minivan in 2003, and I love it. Today, we use it mostly for hauling musicians and their instruments, or for going on longer trips. A couple years ago we rented a giant Ford Expedition SUV, and it seemed like it had remarkably little interior space compared to our van.

I like being elevated from the ground, especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It's comfortable to sit up. But it's big and consumes gas, and we also have a subcompact. So the van mainly lives in the garage and we use our bicycles for getting around when we can.

People have told me that they got a "crossover" or SUV because the minivan carries the soccer-mom stigma. But damn, talk about utility.

[petre]

Soccer moms drive SUVs nowadays.

[analog31]

Indeed, my friend told me she got a Pacifica because she didn't want to look like a soccer mom. She was in fact a soccer mom. And I said to her: "I've got news for you..."

[tracker1]

Everyone I've ever known with a minivan has had any number of issues with the vehicle in terms of reliability. From the side door track/motors to the undersized/cramped engine with any number of design compromises.

I would NEVER recommend a minivan to anyone, ever.

[beatgammit]

What else do you pick if you have >=3 kids? Or if you're a travel guide with up to four passengers?

I have two kids, and we're thinking about a third, so we're looking around at options to replace our sedan. Here's what I've decided:

- SUVs with a third row suck for anyone in the third row, and they get horrible gas mileage - few sedans and SUVs are big enough for two car seats and a booster - minivans are expensive and frequently have annoying mechanical issues

I think I've settled on the Mazda 5 because:

- three kids + cargo (fold down one back seat) is doable - reasonable gas mileage - comfortable for six adults (going out with friends with a babysitter at home)

Unfortunately, they aren't making them anymore. I really have driving SUVs and trucks, but sedans are too small for my family now. Minivans, while completely "uncool", are the best option for people who need to haul people and stuff at the same time.

[souprock]

Just in case your family grows like mine, get this: https://www.chevrolet.com/commercial/express-passenger-van

Store extra rows of seats in your garage until you need them.

[tracker1]

I don't have a problem with SUVs... frankly, my only opposition to mini vans is the fact that I've never seen one without significant issues in 5 years of ownership or less.

[mark-r]

Isn't that just the craziest thing? How can something so useful be so unpopular?