Chrysler hasn't made the Town and Country for 3 years. Dodge still makes the Grand Caravan.
Minivan Recommendations
- Thread starter DreamyCy
- Start date
Chrysler hasn't made the Town and Country for 3 years. Dodge still makes the Grand Caravan.
Didn't put the GC beyond 80 (MIL's van). Haven't pushed the Sienna much more than 90 sustained with 100 in spurts in Western Nebraska. Only issue I ever had was a little hydroplaning on the Kansas turnpike as we were were headed down to San Antonio. Otherwise, it has handled anything I've thrown at it.
Again, lacking features since it hasn't been updated in nearly a decade, but it's a solid choice.
I've hustled the GC a bit but haven't driven a Sienna for comparison. but my parents old 05' GC with the 3.8L and 4 speed did fine and their current 16' with the 3.6L and a 6speed does a lot better and is more fun to drive then the last one, the Pentastars torque hits above 5k is what I've noticed with both my parents van and the 2 work trucks I drive regularly. Hustled what I think was either a 2010 or a 2011 rental with the 4.0L at the time out in the mountains in California and it surprised me a bit of what it could do.
I have driven a Toyota Sienna for almost 14 years now. Kept the first one for 10yrs, then bought another. We have never had any issues handling in the snow in Iowa and we have been on some pretty scary conditions with them (think the death trap that is I-90 across Southern MN in the winter). The automatic doors did crap out on our first one, and now there has been a door recall on our newer one which is supposedly fixed by the dealership replacing and putting in a bigger fuse. But the sliding doors are definitely the best feature ever.
We bought a 2017 Pacifica in July 2018. It's great and we'd buy it again. The price is right when compared to Toyota and Honda.
I've been to Hy-Vee. Looking cool in that crowd isn't a high bar to clear.
I just wish we didn't put new tires on our Rav. That thing would be gone and replaced with a minivan.
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Had two Honda O vans and 4 transmissions- We got a fully loaded Sedona with 6 CD changer, moonroof, sunroof, heated leather seats and a DVD player at a third of the cost of Honda or Toyota. Drove the hell out of it across the country without any issues. Unfortunately a deer put an end to our travels in it. No one hurt thank good- Still miss that van 2 years later-
Wife and I bought a 2014 Chrysler T&C in 2015 and haven't had any problems with it since. Had 10k miles on it when we bought it, have 85k on it now. Thinking about trading in for a Pacifica before we hit 100k miles.
Anyone considering buying any vehicle with the Stow & G0 type seating should be forced to sit on one of those seats for an hour. They have very little padding and on a road trip your backside will be aching about the time you clear city limits.
That hasn't been my experience at all. I'm not going to say I've spent time in a lot of sto and go seats, but the ones I have sat in were fine. My Pacifica has really comfortable seats. Way better than most back seats, but I did get the premium leather seats so maybe that makes difference.
The Pacifica must be much improved then. The Town & Country and Grand Caravan seats were a real pain in the arse. The 3rd row seats in many SUVs are just as bad.
Haven’t purchased one yet but right now we are settled on a higher miles 14/15 Odyssey. Really like the new odysseys but don’t feel like paying $40k. You can get 2014 touring elites for around $17k-$18k120k miles with good maintenance records. Plan is to either do that or get an EX-L for a little cheaper with around 70k miles. Either way we will sell it in 3 or 4 years and then get a used 19/20 odyssey for the long term.
The Pacifica wasn't bad but the seats just aren’t as comfortable as an Odyssey or Sienna.
The Pacifica wasn't bad but the seats just aren’t as comfortable as an Odyssey or Sienna.
I checked out a ton of mid size SUVs and with the exception of the traverse I dont think any of the 3rd rows were appropriate for anything but children.
6'5" here and I sit in the 3rd row seats of my parents Grand Caravan a lot since its easier for me to get in or out of them when the whole family goes places. Never found them to be uncomfortable at all, or the second row seats either. It was the same on the 05 GC they had before too.
We are considering the Oddessey and Pacifica Hybrid.
Pacifica Hybrid
Pro
Gas mileage/plug in
Con
Can't add a hitch for bikes
Possible reliability concerns
Might need to have one second row seat out for easier access to third row.
Oddessey
Pro
Reliability
2nd row can slide side to side
Con
Always haven't liked Hondas and wife's old Accord was horrible.
Mileage
Pacifica Hybrid
Pro
Gas mileage/plug in
Con
Can't add a hitch for bikes
Possible reliability concerns
Might need to have one second row seat out for easier access to third row.
Oddessey
Pro
Reliability
2nd row can slide side to side
Con
Always haven't liked Hondas and wife's old Accord was horrible.
Mileage
I'm putting a class 3 hitch on our Odyssey this week. Does anyone have recommendations on how much rise I'll need for the ball mount to have a level trailer coupler so that the trailer doesn't sway as bad?? I envision pulling u-haul trailers, metal utility trailers and maybe a small fishing boat down the road.
I believe the receiver mount height will be around 13 inches
I believe the receiver mount height will be around 13 inches
