Minivan Review

Sizing up the 2009 minivan crop

We found a wealth of excellent minivan reviews, each with its own particular strength. To find out which minivans are the safest, most fuel-efficient and most reliable, we turn to scientific studies by nonprofits and government agencies (Consumer Reports, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy). We found it easiest to unearth nuts-and-bolts information (prices, specs, etc.) at Edmunds.com. But there's a personal aspect to choosing a minivan, too; CanadianDriver and MotherProof.com get actual families to test minivans. Buyers may find these real-life stories -- a woman's opinion of which minivan makes her feel least like a "soccer mom" (we found different opinions on that one) or a dad's tale of wrestling with enormous removable seats -- the most valuable of all.

The minivan sales landscape is bleak. Since 2000, families have been abandoning their minivans in favor of SUVs and crossovers. Most critics blame the minivan's image; as MotherProof.com's Lori Hindman put it in her March, 2008 Toyota Sienna review, "Nothing says, 'My first name is Mommy and I have breast-milk stains on my shirt' like sliding doors."

It hasn't seemed to matter that "minivans are still the best family haulers, period," according to Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing at Edmunds.com. Minivans are safer, roomier, more fuel-efficient and more kid-friendly than SUVs and crossovers, he says. "If there is any surprise here, it has to be the fact that more families aren't buying minivans."

But with sales in freefall, Ford got out of the minivan business in 2007. GM euthanized its unpopular Chevy Uplander in 2008. Chrysler has closed one of its minivan plants and announced it would idle the other for more than two months, after an expensive redesign couldn't keep its minivan sales from plunging 30 percent in 2008.

While other carmakers quietly axe their minivans, Volkswagen has introduced a new one -- sort of. In a shortcut effort to crack into the North American people-mover market, Volkswagen partnered with Chrysler, which builds the new-for-2009 Volkswagen Routan (*Est. $24,700 to $38,400) on the same platform -- in the same factory, actually -- as the Dodge Grand Caravan (*Est. $22,475 to $28,325).

Unfortunately, the Grand Caravan displays safety and reliability problems in some very credible studies. Testers also complain about its cut-rate interior finish, mediocre gas mileage and clumsy handling. The Volkswagen shares the Dodge's engine, frame and 18 mpg combined fuel economy rating, among other things. Volkswagen says the Routan has a different interior and exterior than the Grand Caravan, plus a German-ized suspension, but the most discerning critics say don't be fooled.

"They've Veedubbed the Dodge, but it's still a Dodge," writes Michael Martineck at The Truth About Cars. He says the Routan's seats are indeed more comfortable than the Grand Caravan's, but the vague drive feel and cheap-feeling controls remain.

"The shifter feels as though the odds of its finding drive or snapping off in your hand are dead even," says Car and Driver's Jared Gall. In spite of its "massaged" body styling and richer interior, he says the Routan is "clearly a Chrysler dressed up in prettier Volkswagen materials."