I'm looking for input from people who have purchased a new or newer minivan in the past year or two. What do you like and dislike about yours? I currently have a 2009 Dodge Caravan that's going in for transmission work today--the issues I've had through the years make me gun-shy about getting another Dodge. I've heard good things about the new Chrysler Pacifica, but this is only the second year it's out, so long-term problems may not have surfaced.
This is a huge purchase, so I want to get it right. 2-3yo Toyotas don't have much cost savings over new, but are worth considering. Really, the only feature I'm looking for are stow-and-go seating.
So, hit me with the good, the bad, and the ugly! Thanks.
We had a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan that we traded last May for a 2017 Toyota Sienna.
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my Stow-and-Go middle-row seats in the Dodge, &, like another poster, my usual configuration was to have one of the middle row seats stowed into the floor, so our older 2 children could get easily in & out of the 3rd row. On vacations, we used the Stow-and-Go space to store cases of bottled water & our beach chairs. The Stow-and-Go seats were also nice because, in order to cart something like a piece of furniture, we didn't first have to go home & take seats out, we could just stow the seats away.
Beyond normal maintenance, we also never had any major troubles w/ our Dodge. We traded it because we had a lot of miles on it, & we were going to need some work on the transmission & engine.
Anyway, we looked at the Chrysler Pacifia - well, *I* looked at it, & DH humored me. I was interested in the Pacifica since it was an all new redesign which was getting lots of attention & high marks from all the car review sites & because it has my beloved Stow-and-Go seats.
We test drove one, & it was fine.
DH's 2 primary concerns w/ the Pacifica were (1) it hasn't been around long enough to rate the longevity & reliability as compared to the Odyssey & the Sienna - it's a new design, & it just hasn't been on the road long enough to see how it compares to the Toyota & Honda when it comes to longevity & reliability- and (2) the door frame on the driver's side was right at his head level, & he had to duck to get in & out - I know anyone has to duck somewhat to get in & out of a vehicle, but the framing of the door was just in a weird place compared to other vehicles, if that makes sense.
I am petite, & the inside of the Pacifica, from the driver's seat, felt too "big" for me. If I remembering correctly, the chassis of the Pacifica is slightly larger than the Honda & the Toyota (& the Dodge), & the front end is wider as well. As much I wanted to like it, I didn't feel as secure in the driver's seat of the Pacifica as I did in the driver's seat of the Odyssey & the Sienna (& the Caravan). Also, I didn't like how the Pacifica has an "on/off" knob on the console which turns the van's engine on & off. I'm sure I would have gotten used to it, but it felt weird to me as it was positioned near the volume knob for the stereo.
Ultimately, though, what made my decision (DH's decision was already made) was that, while the baseline model of the Pacifica was less money than the baseline model of the Odyssey & the Sienna, once I added the feature I really wanted (sun roof), that model Pacifica was more money than the equivalent model Sienna or Odyssey. For whatever reason, you can only get the sun roof on the top line model Pacifica.
I'm not a fan of the Odyssey models prior to the newest 2018 model because the outside has the visible door track which I don't like at all. Additionally, I think the interiors of the Odyssey look "plastic-y" & don't look as nice to me as the interiors of the Sienna & the Quest.
My sister has an Odyssey, & the leather is cheaply made & hasn't held up well at all - the arms of the passenger & driver seats are cracked & peeling away, & it looks awful. In contrast, we have the XLE Sienna, &, if I'm remembering correctly, the leather on our seats is the same leather that is in the Lexus - at least on our driver & passenger seats. (She has also had all kinds of maintenance issues w/ her Odyssey.)
I think there is also more storage room in the back of the Sienna than there is in the back of the Odyssey.
The new 2018 Odyssey has a lot of bells & whistles for younger families - the middle seats slide back & forth & side-to-side, & there is a new entertainment system. However, our kids our older & are past the car seat stage, & they pretty much have their own entertainment devices.
We have the XLE Sienna model which doesn't have the entertainment package that the highest model does, but our XLE did come w/ the "Driver Easy Speak" feature & the Navigation suite had been added as well.
Additionally, at least around here, the customer service at the Toyota dealerships is SO MUCH better than the customer service at the Honda dealerships. I think, even if I HAD liked the Odyssey as well as I liked the Sienna, I would have ended up w/ the Sienna due to the poor level of customer service at our local Honda.
We rented a Quest for vacation, & we liked it as well. However, the interior is smaller (less storage), & the Sienna has higher rated safety & longevity standards.
Aaannnddd back to the Stow-and-Go seats... I do miss them, but not as much as I thought I would. I traded my Stow-and-Go seats for other features which I appreciate more than the Stow-and-Go seats.
So, ultimately we went w/ the Sienna for the following reasons:
* Longevity/Reliability
* Safety features
* Styling - inside & outside
* Sun Roof
* Color - for my whole life, I've had to "settle" when it came to the color of my vehicle, & I got to choose the my Sienna in the prettiest blue!
I LOVE my Sienna, &, just about a year later, we're still very pleased w/ our purchase. I named her Anastasia Blue, & she makes me smile! LOL!