USED CARS - Minivans Reviews

The following report was originally published on ConsumerSearch to cover new cars manufactured and sold in the 2007 model year, and so can offer a good guide as to which cars from past model years are good bets as used vehicles. We are keeping this report on our site as a convenience to our readers who may be shopping for a used car.

Car and Driver magazine often ranks highly in our All Reviews chart with timely, thorough comparative tests and reviews, and although editors compare the Honda Odyssey to the new-for-2007 Hyundai Entourage and redesigned Nissan Quest, editors don't include the Odyssey's main competitor -- the Toyota Sienna -- in the comparison. Fortunately, other reviewers do cover the Toyota Sienna in relation to the Honda Odyssey. We found excellent minivan coverage at Edmunds.com, Consumer Reports, CarCritic.com and Cars.com. A two-minivan head-to-head test at PaddockTalk.com is compelling, based on thorough testing by families rather than professional critics. A review in Canadian Driver magazine examines the Hyundai Entourage from a mom's point of view. We were disappointed that Motor Trend hasn't updated its minivan coverage since 2004, however.

While trucks, SUVs and minivans comprise more than 50 percent of the U.S. market, the minivan's piece of the pie has dwindled a bit, possibly due to the introduction of trendy new station wagons such as the Dodge Magnum and the appearance of crossover SUVs that blur the line between sport utility and family transport. GM has recently responded to the trend, refusing to call its latest models 'minivans.' Rather, GM refers to its Buick Terraza (*est. $26,660 to $30,780) and Chevrolet Uplander (*est. $20,130 to $32,975) as 'crossover sport vans.' However, experts say these vans, which have sportier styling, are still 90 percent minivan and 10 percent small SUV. Also according to editors at SmartMoney magazine in 2006, the Buick Terraza "lacks the sort of Transformer-like features…that have become selling points for the Sienna, Town & Country and Honda Odyssey."

The Uplander and Terraza minivans are recognized as having sporty style lines and a top-notch entertainment system, and early complaints about the lack of side airbags for the second row of seats were addressed for the 2006 model year. Side airbags for front- and second-row seats are a $700 option for the 2007 model year. Without the side airbags, both the Buick Terraza and Chevrolet Uplander are rated "poor" in side and rear impacts in crash testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). When equipped with the optional side airbags, side impact scores improve to "acceptable," but both minivans still score "poor" for rear impacts. By comparison, the Hyundai Entourage (*est. $23,795 to $28,795) and its near twin, the Kia Sedona (*est. $20,495 to $26,195) both receive the Institute's highest rating of "good" for all crash positions. The Chevrolet Uplander and Buick Terraza also take some knocks in other reviews for low long-term reliability, a stiff ride, noisy interior and outdated styling.