Is a minivan really "uncool"????

Wait! I love those Polks

 

I see a lot of them done similar to this around the way

 

Uncool? Yeah if you are judging by the normal measures of "cool" but they are the most useful and practical family mobile made PERIOD. They are awesome for long trips and no other option out there offers the room, comfort and utility of a minivan! The ex and I had an '04 Odyssey and even though the kids are grown up and out of the house now she's still driving it. The newer Odysseys and Sienna's are even nicer.

 

I guess it really depends on your situation. I disagree wholeheartedly with your sentiment. I go offroading quite often - places a minivan would struggle immensely, and in some cases not be able to make it at all. I do this with the family every once in a while. We have 3 kids, and we are tall people. I have always felt that minivans are awkward as hell to get into, having to get into a sort of crouched walk to do it (I'm 6'8"). My CrewMax has boatloads of room for the family, and I have the truck bed to store our stuff, or go get a load of gravel/mulch/whatever if I need to. I actually think that a large pickup truck with an enormous cab is the most useful and practical family mobile. Better offroad, better in the snow, looks better, don't have to crouch to get into it, I like the way they drive better, and best of all: they aren't a mini-van.

Now, if you have a monster family with like 5 or 6 kids or more, then........

I still wouldn't get a mini-van. They are just goofy. Suburban or full size 4X4 van so you can still get up in the high country with the family offroad.

 

if you want room for 7-8, able to have the kids move front/aft, Able to haul a big load when needed, able to get through snow, play around in the hills or dirt. turn the back into a bed. Get a Sequoia. I'm honestly astonished how much room ours has inside. And it's NOT a mini-van. And has a V8 with power. It'll pass anything on the road except a gas station.

Here is my test on cool/not cool: If I was to pull into the pits in one, would all the racers give me shit for the entire weekend or not.

The practicality card automatically disqualifies any "cool" factor.

I love this thread btw.

 

Exactly.

Here is my test on cool/not cool: It is similar to @Jengel451 , but just a little different:

If I were to pull into ANYWHERE in one, would all of my friends/family/associates laugh when I stepped out.

 

Wonder if a van would be better with a separate door for the 3rd row.....

 

Soccer mom vans are the preferred choice when committing a crime as they are inconspicuous.

That Silver 2006 Toyota minivan with the "Family Stick Figure" bumper sticker isn't transporting anything illegal. I mean look at the dork driving it, a nerdy middle aged-guy with a tucked in shirt and a pocket protector.

 

Why not a 4runner?

 

My wife wanted a TRD Pro Runner... Until she drove one. was a bit smaller than she liked, which she could've dealt with. The first question she asked me was "you CAN put a supercharger on this right? This thing can't get out of it's own way!" when I told her the cost, it was a deal killer.

 

We have a full size Nissan van now and we do miss some of the features that our old Sienna had.

When we had Sienna (two of them, for about 12 years or so), we didn't really think about what some others may consider to be cool or uncool. We got what we liked.

Have you read what some people say about truck drivers? Frankly, I don't care about that either. I like my Tundra and that's enough for me.

 

My wife and I had a 2005 4Runner with a V8 - loved it.
She got a 2016 4Runner and drove it for a couple of years, but never got her head around the V6. It is extremely underpowered. She just ditched it recently for a Volvo XC90.

 

Absolutely and your situation is a perfect example of a non standard situation

You fail into a group that is probably less then 0.1% of the population. At 6'8" you are freakishly tall and well outside the norm (Sorry but it's true ). Most people would considering me a big guy at 6'2"/280lbs and I had no problem with the size of the minvan. That and the percentage of family's that go off-roading together is pretty damn small too. You may actually be in a group of 1 (Family's with 6'8"ers that go 4wheeling together)!

There are always exceptions to every rule and you are obviously one of them in this case but for the average family out there with 2 or more kids, a minivan (especially one with AWD) will serve them 10x better then any SUV or pickup ever could. That and most family's I know have more then 1 vehicle. One minivan and one full size truck with a large enough rear seat is a perfect 1-2 punch that will take care of all the possible situations.

This is the one that always kills me. To each their own and I realize we all have different tastes but so many people dismiss the minivan based on looks or "perception" and that's just silly IMO.

The thing to pay attention to in threads like this is, 99% of the people who shit on the minivan concept are the same people who will admit they never had one. Most of us who've actually owned them will tell you how great they are once you grow up and get past worrying about how cool they may or may not be.

 

you're missing the entire point of this thread, it's not about if anyone likes it or not, or the usefulness. I don't think anyone would disagree with any of that. the question is, full stop; Is a Mini-Van "Cool" or not. That's it, full stop. No more reading into it than that.

Cool Definition: fashionably attractive or impressive. Not useful, not practical, not how many kids it hauls. "Cool"

Based on the definition itself, nothing more. The answer is "No"

 

Yes, I am freakishly tall. I have a friend that always tells me that they left the door to the zoo unlocked one day and that is how I got out.

We also have more than one vehicle. Always have. Either a combination of a car/SUV, or a truck/SUV. I made a decision long ago that I will never be without a truck again. Our current SUV/X-over is a Volvo XC90 - and that beats the tar out of any mini-van out there, IMO. It is functional, looks great, gets good gas mileage, and having a turbo-charger and super-charger, it will get up and move just fine when you want it to. And it has all the luxury/floofy bells and whistles that the Mrs. likes to boot.

I don't think I will ever grow up in this regard. I am 44, and yes I have "grown up" in a lot of ways, but there are still several beliefs that I held when I was younger that I still hang on to and this is one of them. Minivans are just a plain and simple no for me and luckily also for my wife. Not just no, but no way in effing hell would I ever own one.

 

Funny, my wife is in that exact same bucket. she has a saying that I have contemplated putting onto a bumper sticker for her; "Minivan=Instant Lobotomy" I love her.

 

A keeper for sure. That is awesome.

 

In over 10 years, no one ever laughed in my face for driving a minivan and if they had, not even one little itty bitty fuck would have been given.

 

You have nicer friends than I do then. There are a few in our local group of friends that drive them. The non-minivan crowd always gives them shit for it (I really haven't grown up in a lot of ways, I guess - I dole out plenty of insults to them).

 

If you're happy with it then that's great and if you don't have more then 2 kids and/or your kids never bring any of their friends with them then it might even be do-able but better then a minivan from a functional standpoint...nope, sorry but it's not even close but I guess we all all entitled to our own opinions

But I will say that the concept of a Volvo being any cooler then a minivan is pretty funny?

 

You are probably right there

 

I don’t think the minivan uncool. It’s definitely useful and practical. But do I feel super cool driving up to the valet, or when a group of good looking women see me driving it. No. Unless they are real women who are turned on by family man. Then it’s cool as fuck!

 

We have 3 kids. Our Volvo seats 7, albeit not comfortably for people our size. But, most of the friends that come along aren't our size. And your definition of functional does not match mine. You view functionality as being able to carry people comfortably. I view functionality as being able to perform a lot of different tasks ranging from transporting people, pets, cargo, towing, hauling, offroading, etc. I look at a minivan and actually think it has less functionality than most vehicles. I can't wheel with it, I can't tow much with it, a large speedbump will ruin my day if my kid is driving it and takes it too fast, etc....

And yeah, it does sound funny to say that a Volvo is cooler than anything. But you slap a turbocharger and a supercharger on pretty much anything and it will elevate it's coolness factor. Well, maybe not a minivan.

 

"hey baby - you wanna jump in the back of my mini-van? Don't mind the diapers and throwup on the seat."

 

https://youtu.be/AhDoZzSF1pQ

 

What if she’s a single mom and u pick her up and her kid... then boom car seat already in place let the kid go to sleep and start the rocking in the back lol win win for every1

 

Except your wife. But if you’re single...

 

Man I never pay attention to negative stigmas. I’ll be the first to admit minivans are insanely practical when you have things/people to lug around daily.

For me though, I lug things around that can’t fit or would work in a minivan (ATV, various plywood/rock loads, etc) with doc and I about to start trying for a family, I’d have to say my next vehicle will be a CM and hers would be a suv. Never say never though