Top Reasons Why You Should Buy a Minivan Instead of an SUV

When buying a bigger car for your growing family, it might take a lot of work to choose what type of vehicle to get: a minivan or an SUV. Of course, about 90 per cent of families would choose an SUV even though they don’t need the utility for which an SUV is built, but why? 

“Because it’s cooler” is the most likely and common reason why most people would prefer an SUV over a minivan. However, when you have a growing family, you should ask yourself questions like, are SUVs built to serve as family cars? Can they perform that function effectively and efficiently? 

This is why minivans were invented and still exist today. You might only have the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Pacifica, and Kia Sedona to choose from, but they are all practical choices. In case you’re not impressed, here are five reasons buying a minivan is better than an SUV.

1. More Passenger Space & Comfort

Passenger space is arguably the number one reason families choose SUVs; however, they most likely don’t know that minivans are more spacious. In a Car and Driver comparison, they noted that “minivans have low floors and deep cargo wells behind the third row, meaning that even with a full load of passengers, there’s still room in the way back for strollers, groceries, suitcases, or gear.” They’re not wrong.

There is a lot to be said about the overall practicality of any minivan on the market, as they can even double as cargo vans when needed since the seats can be taken out. Try doing that with an SUV.

2. Sliding Rear Doors

This could very well be an oversight among many SUV shoppers as the stigma of owning a minivan can easily be a blindfold. However, sliding rear doors are useful when loading babies, car seats, cargo, and other passengers. All of the minivans today come with power sliding doors that close with the touch of a button.

An SUV, on the other hand, has big heavy doors that can be cumbersome and even dangerous on an incline. Unfortunately, gravity is not your friend when trying to load a child in a car seat with an SUV parked on a hill, but with a minivan, it’s a non-issue.

3. Tow Capabilities

Almost any three-row SUV can tow more than a minivan, but some options remain. The Toyota Sienna does have the option of all-wheel drive, and every minivan on the market can tow 3,500 pounds, which is enough for a small trailer. However, an SUV could be a better option if you’re looking to tow off-road or need more power. Otherwise, don’t count a minivan out if you don’t need to tow much.

4. Fuel Economy

While you can’t expect amazing fuel economy numbers from a minivan, they get the same mileage or better than most SUVs. For example, the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are rated at 19 city/28 highway and 19/26, respectively, while SUVs like the Honda Pilot and Hyundai Palisade are rated at 19/26 and 19/24, respectively. Considering you get more practicality with a minivan and the same or better fuel efficiency, we would say a minivan is better.

5. Practical Features

All the minivans on the market come with the usual driver-assist and safety features, like adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and frontal collision warning. But some of them come with other practical features like the HondaVac in the Honda Odyssey and the second-row, pop-up ottoman seats in the Toyota Sienna. Try finding features like that in an SUV. No, wait, you can’t.

Conclusion

This article does not suggest that Minivans are 100% better than SUVs. What it says instead is that for families growing in numbers, Minivans are a better option than SUVs. Why? Because, Minivans are built specifically to meet the needs of families, while SUVs are not particularly built with that in mind.