Are you looking to finance a minivan or a van? There are some excellent plans for Dodge financing, BMW financial, and many others. The world needs a big reminder of the overall value a minivan holds for the family. They supply incredible space, versatility, and an affordable price for anyone to drive. Unfortunately, lately minivan sales have taken a downward turn, and this is mainly because of its competition with crossover vehicles. In this time of competition, the minivan has seen discontinuance, remodeled, and redesigned models. This competition has made minivans across the board to constantly improve, especially in its packaging and entertainment features.
Why Buy?
Looking back to the basics, minivans were traditionally bought for their versatility. The minivan offers families the ability to carry any combination of people and goods that their journey needs. The majority of minivans offer an eight-passenger seat ride which competes well against any vehicle out there. However, they have a leg up on the competition in their comfortableness, overall space, and fuel economy. For those in search of a luxe ride, most minivans offer a model with leather seating, reclining seats, tri-zonal climate control, extensive entertainment, and power-operated doors. The minivan’s superior amalgamation of comfort and space make the buying choice easy for any family.
How to Choose a Minivan
When buying any vehicle, considering the number of people that will be traveling with you is key. You should also think about the amount of space you need, any safety concerns you have, fuel efficiency, and especially the cost. As minivan options have become narrow, buyers can give their attention to overall performance rather than the nitty-gritty.
In terms of power, the modern minivan is powered by a V6 engine accounting for up to 300hp, with most having a front-drive. It isn’t news that minivans aren’t exactly fuel-efficient but by landing up to low 20s, they perform better than most of their competition of SUVs. Better yet, Chrysler has recently introduced a plug-in hybrid with its model the Pacifica.
What’s the Price Point?
What you will pay for your minivan is entirely contingent on the features it has to offer. For a base model, minivans are offered as low as $27,000. Once you start adding on features like more captain’s chairs or WIFI, that price can quickly climb upwards to $40,000. This price increase is especially attributed to back-seat entertainment, whether installed in the factory or not.
Let’s Talk About Features
Fuel Economy
Old minivans were far from gas efficient, but newer models come powered by a V6 engine. Most are now automatic and come in different speeds (up to 10) and engine sizes.
As far as fuel efficiency goes, the minivan usually hits about 22mpg, so if not steer clear. Although, minivans have an exception with the Grand Caravan, which has about 17mpg. Advances in the power sector, like start and stop cylinder features, can be thanked for their fuel economy progress. This has especially been seen with Chrysler and their Pacifica Hybrid.
How About The Wheels?
A vehicle with front-wheel drive gives better traction in wet conditions and allows for more space in the interior. Other than the Toyota Sienna, which can be an all-wheel drive, all-new minivans have a front-wheel drive. The drawbacks of a four-wheel drive like the Sienna are the decrease in ride comfort, tire wear, and expensive to replace. Although all-wheel drive has the best tractional control, front-wheel drive does provide some extra grip for a wet drive.
Towing Capacity
If you’re looking to tow over 3000 pounds, a minivan will get the job done. For reference, 3000 pounds is equivalent to a loaded box trailer. This would be too heavy for a regular car but in the range of most SUVs.
Features & Accessibility
The focus of new minivans is their accessibility, there are a variety of features to ease functions for drivers and their passengers. Sliding doors are a great example, they help drivers carrying goods or children by easing the task of opening the vehicle. New models often come with a fob or switch on the interior that remotely opens or closes the vehicle doors and even back hatches. The open concept interior also offers key accessibility features to many families. Some minivans even allow for middle row seats to collapse or move to make loading easier. Regardless, all minivans ease the loading process whether it be for passengers or goods.
Seating
The choice of seating in a minivan has options for either seven or eight passengers. A traditional middle row bench seating is designed for eight people, but it is nowhere near as comfortable as the seven-seater option. In this configuration, the middle row has two captain chairs which allow for movement in the vehicle and the option to separate children if needed. Another option is middle row fold away captain’s chairs. This choice is not as comfortable but it has benefits for storage and is offered by Chrysler and Dodge.
Storage on Storage on Storage
The ability of minivans to store cargo is one of their biggest selling features for many families. The changing seat configurations allow for most of the space after the front row to be used for storage. This is because most seats after the front row are also able to fold or be removed for more room, which can even be done electronically. The split design ultimately allows for one section to be dismantled while the other is still intact. This is the most advantageous design because it allows for a variety of combinations of storage and passengers.
The deep well feature of many minivans is what gives this vehicle the title for storage capacity. This is because, after the third-row, the wells in place can be used to store the seats or additional luggage. Another option has similar wells but behind the front seats. This configuration is offered by Dodge and Chrysler is known as Stow ‘n Go. This option allows for hidden storage while also being great for wet items because of their hard lining.
When comparing models, a good way to do so is to test the designs for yourself. When choosing a minivan, try to remove and configure the seating options to determine which is easiest to maneuver. You should also consider how heavy the seating is because some designs could be too heavy for one family than another. As far as weight loads go, minivans are capable of carrying up to 1,100 pounds which exceeds the average SUV. Minivans also surpass SUVs in their loading ease because of their wide back openings and lower floors.
Safety First
The minivans get their family name mainly because of their extensive safety features. These features include high tech airbag technology, stability control, child-seat attachments, three-point safety belts, and antilock brakes. Another key feature is the head-protection bags, these provide extra protection for people in the front and middle row seats through a side curtain design.
