I need minivan help

JKM416

We've come to the realization that we'll need a minivan.  DH spent hours this weekend trying different configurations of the three car seats in our Pilot, and nothing fits well or makes me feel like everyone is safe.  We test drove a 2011 Sienna (because that's all that was on the lot; we'd prefer to buy used) this weekend and liked it, even though it's not the magical solution to easily getting three kids of various ages in and out of three different car seat styles.  I'm sorry to give up my Pilot, since it would work great for us five years from now  .

DH originally only looked at Siennas because they're the only minivan with all-wheel drive, and his concern is that we'll be stationed somewhere like Boston and he'll be gone on a ship in January, and I won't be able to leave the house with the kids because I can't leave my driveway (obviously I know how to shovel; he's thinking more of icy or unplowed roads).  The last two winters here have made us glad we had the Pilot.  But I did online research, and the general opinion was that (A) minivans handle pretty well in the snow anyway, and (B) quality snow tires are just as good as AWD.  I want an 8-passenger (the AWD Sienna only comes in 7-passenger) because we have visitors often enough that we'd use it, so DH is OK with broadening our search.  However, I know next to nothing about minivans and would appreciate some help:

(1) Do you feel AWD is a worthwhile feature (about $2K more and with slightly poorer gas mileage) or a minivan doesn't really need it?
(2) What features are must-haves for you and what isn't necessary - but might be nice? (I liked the remote sliding doors and rear camera on the Sienna but other than that couldn't really focus on the car itself because of wrangling three car seats and two kids who didn't want to be there)
(3) Do you like/not like the models you've had experience with?

Thanks for any insight.  We'd like to get this squared away well before #3 arrives so I get comfortable driving it before adding a newborn to the mix.

vtkgirl77

We just bought the 2011 Odyssey a few months ago. The only comparison we did was between the 2011 Sienna and Odyssey since those consistently get the best ratings.

We also debated on AWD but we plan to stay in the DC area so we didn't feel like it was a must. Also, I didn't want to give up the 8th seat. We hope to have 3 kids and I figure that there will be times that we will use all 8 seats (like if they each have a friend over to spend the night and we go out or if we car pool with other families for sports etc.).

As far as features, I LOVE the automatic sliding doors, automatic trunk and the back-up camera. I can't even tell you how much easier it makes things to have the automatic doors/trunk and I use that feature all of the time. I almost feel like a back-up camera is a must. The vehicle is so big and I think it would be really hard to back-up without the camera since you can't see out of the back very well. There was an instance where I was backing out of daycare and there was a man and his son standing at the corner waiting to cross the street. I wouldn't have seen them if it weren't for the back-up camera because they were in my blindspot.

As far as comparing the Sienna vs. Odyssey, they are very similar. We choose the Odyssesy for the following reasons:

1. Folding up the seats is much easier on the Odyssey. I could barely get the second row to fold up on the Sienna and I can't see a kid being able to easily do it themselves. The same goes for the 3rd row folding down...I found the Odyssey much easier.

2. I liked the 2nd row on the Odyssey better. The Sienna had a lightweight stowaway seat in the middle. However, when you remove that seat, a plastic piece stays on the floor which you would have to step over if you wanted to sit in the third row. I didn't like having that plastic thing that you would have to step-over. Even in the model the plastic was all scuffed up and dirty.

3. The Odyssey had a dark gray leather option which I wanted whereas the Sienna only had lighter options in the model we were looking at. I like the darker seats because I felt they wouldn't show dirt and wear as easily.

As far as pluses for the Sienna. DH felt that the driver's seat had slightly more leg room (he's very tall). Also, it gets slightly better mileage and DH said the stereo system was better. The Sienna has a back-up camera in a lower-end model as compared to the Honda. Also, the Sienna seemed to be less expensive than the Honda for similar features.

Both are great options and I really don't think you can go wrong with either one.

ETA: I thought of one other positive for the Sienna. The middle row can slide forward and back by 23" (I think) whereas the Honda doesn't do that. So, you can move the second row way back and have lots of leg room or room for the carseats. While I liked that feature, it wasn't a must for us. The car seats fit fine in the Honda. We currently have a Britax and Snugride both rear facing and I think a third carseat could fit easily.

There is the Latch system on all three seats in the middle row of the Odyssey but I don't think that is the case for the 8 seater Sienna so I would check on that. The other thing to consider with the AWD Sienna is that the middle row only has 2 seats. So, if you have 3 kids, you would *always* have to have one kid in the back. I didn't like that because if there are times where we need to fold the whole back row down (such as if we are going on vacation and have a ton of luggage), the AWD Sienna doesn't give you the option of having all three kids in the middle row. Sorry for the novel but I researched vans for weeks and it took us forever to make a decision so I want to share what we looked at.

Hey Jellisy

We have a 2010 Odyssey and really like it.  I love the automatic doors and trunk closing, back up camera and stow and go rear row.  Totally not a necessity, but I also love the seat warmers.  The captains chairs in the second row are a little cumbersome (and a little heavy) to remove, I've done it a few times, but DH does it the majority of times.  The 8th seat was not a necessity for us, but we've used it many times in the year we've had the car.  I am so glad we do have it.  I personally think it's a bit annoying to place in and out, we leave it in most of the times.  I love how the Sienna had a storage place for it in the trunk.  I wish the Odyssey did as well.

We didn't really consider the Sienna because when we were buying they only had 2011s on the lot and we didn't want to pay a premium for the latest when we bought a year ago May. We did consider the Town and Country which my parents have driven for years without any problems.  The deal we got on the Odyssey made it several thousand dollars cheaper which greatly influenced our decision (They redid the Odyssey a bit for 2011 and were offering great pricing on the 2010s - it was cheaper new than used).  What I loved about the Town and Country was the multiple outlets in the car (great for portable DVD players and charging cell phone and using GPS), stow and go for all rows (this is really awesome) and well, I like buying American.  We test drove all three and I can't say I noticed a difference in how they drove.  All were easy to maneuver and all seemed like really nice cars.   

 

   

Hey Jellisy

FWIW 4 of my cousins with minivans live in Boston and 2 of them have Odysseys, 1 has a Town and Country and the last has a Dodge Caravan.  I've never heard them complain about the lack of AWD. 

vtmezzo

We also got the 2011 Odyssey in January and ditto EVERYTHING vtkendra said...we love it. It's a fantastic car, and I don't know how I lived without the automatic sliding doors. The backup camera is great. We also didn't get AWD because we have the 8th seat. Right now we have a Britax Boulevard and our Graco SafeSeat and there is enough room between them for me to sit comfortably...I could picture a third carseat in there pretty easily, although we are finished having kids. Definitely check out the Odyssey, we've been so pleased with it!

 

Artslvr

We have the 2010 Oddyssey (good grief I don't think I ever spell that correctly) and we love it.  We looked at the Town and Country, Siena, Odyssee (ha ha) and used Caravans.  I can't tell you what a godsend this van has been with three kids.

FWIW my MIL bought the next-level-up-fancier-with-the-navigation-system 2010 Oddeesy used for about the same price as we got the brand new 2010.

We have two Britax seats in the third row - one Boulevard and one Frontier - for the 2 year old and 4 year old.  We have the Graco Snug Ride in the second row.  We pulled out the middle seat and slid the seat with the Snug Ride more towards the middle.  That way I can sit next to (8 month old) DS when he's fussy, needs a bottle, needs me to sit next to him and smile, etc.  Mostly though we keep that seat that an adult can sit in folded down so the girls can climb in the back to the third row.

 

JKM416

Thanks for all the input!  Some of the things mentioned I'd already thought of, but some were very good points I might never have realized.  Price will be a factor, but since I assume I'll be driving it for quite a while, I don't want to skimp on really helpful features just to save a few dollars.  I just started a spreadsheet comparing the Odyssey and Sienna based on this post.  Hopefully I can convince DH that AWD isn't necessary and that we should drive an Odyssey this weekend.  Everyone we know who has one raves about it, but it seems like it's for good reason.