honda's doin something right :-)

 

I have a feeling that the Kia Sedona will shake things up again in the minivan segment once a redesign is released. Hyundai/Kia have been a force of late, and I expect nothing different for this van.

 

C&D recently did a comparo of 4 new mini vans and the final rankings were pretty similar to the comparo in this thread:

!. Odyssey (206)
2. Chrysler T&C (204)
3. Quest (201)
4. Sienna (187)

 

my parents owned both the odyssey and the sienna, and I have to agree, the odyssey is the better minivan

 

You'd buy a Mercedes R-Class? I'd want something reliable if I was buying a vehicle to haul my kids around in every day.

 

I have to agree with the comments in the article about the Sienna's steep price and cheapish interior materials, although it really isn't much more expensive than the others unless you get the AWD.

But, on the other hand, there is no denying its sales appeal as the only American-market true minivan with that AWD option....it helps, of course, in bad-weather areas. It also has a significantly better reliability record, overall, than the Odyssey, which has not been as reliable as most other Honda products.

I remember, several years ago, before I retired, I went shopping with a co-worker of mine for a new minivan for his family. On a special clearance-sale, he took home an end-of-model-year Kia Sedona, still sitting on the lot, with V6, upgraded stereo, and full power-package for (get this).......less than 19K, out-the-door. The minivans in this group averaged about twice that. True, that Sedona didn't have the magic fold-down seats that these new ones do, but, damn, for a minivan with the features it did have, you sure couldn't beat that price. And, unlike some other Sedonas, it turned out to be reliable.

 

Only the discontinued AMG trim

 

Damn i would've thought the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna would have been #1 and #2. But the Sienna is #6?!?. Hmm. I do like my parents Odyssey tho, that thing is amazing for road trips...so much room and very comfortable even with 7 people inside and cargo in the back.

 

Not a surprise Odyssey is the no.1 but if I were buying it I must buy a black Odyssey and de-chrome every trim piece and change to a set of black wheels.

 

I don't want my kids to hate my guts or turn them into peasants. All jokes aside as the prices of these vans hit 45-50k I seriously have to question the value of them. I agree they are better than a SUV for a family but at that price, a whole slew of vehicles comes into mind.

Why did they not test the Ford Flex?

 

No kidding. Close to mid 30s for a minivan is crazy enough, but over 40k???
Even I have my limit on minivans.

That is why I don't care for leather and wood in a minivan.

 

Interesting question. My guess is that, while the Flex's body-style is similiar to that of a minvan, the interior/seating-layout is not. Nor does the Flex have minivan-style sliding-rear-doors. It was designed and marketed more as an SUV than a minivan.

 

Amen to that but then again, ALL cars are priced too high these days.

 

Good info, glad I'm not in market for these rolling breadboxes.

 

Hey vans are awesome vehicles (it just depends on who's doing them). These vehicles (along with station wagons/estates) are perfect choices for people who want more space and utility but do not wish for an SUV.