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Beyond the Minivan: Family Vehicles for Smaller Clans

Minivan Alternatives

Minivan Alternatives

Minivan Alternatives
Maybe you don’t need a minivan. Here are Consumer Guide’s picks for the smaller family.

The following article, written by Consumer Guide Publisher Tom Appel, first appeared in the Official Show Guide to the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. Thanks to the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, producers of the Auto Show, for allowing us to share the text again here.

For pure passenger and cargo-hauling functionality, it’s hard to beat a minivan. With huge sliding side doors, three rows of seating, and enough cargo space to stow the contents of a small apartment, minivans have rightly earned a spot in the hearts and garages of millions of American families.

Minivan Alternatives

For households with three or more school-age kids, a minivan makes perfect sense.

But for many families, a minivan may be too much vehicle. Minivans are long, tall, and wide, and thus can be a hassle to park in crowded parking lots or small garages. Plus, minivans aren’t the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. Additionally, shoppers looking for the all-weather security of AWD will find that only one of the seven vans currently available offers the option, and then only on trim levels priced at $35,000 and up.

Lets look at five vehicle types that may serve small families just as well as the ubiquitous minivan. Consumer Guide has named the vehicles pictured below as Best Buys in their class.

 

Kia Soul

Kia Soul

Small Wagon

Similar: Honda Fit, Nissan Versa Note

Pros: Easy “no-stoop” access to child seats in rear, hatchback utility

Price: A nicely equipped mid-level “+” (pronounced “plus”) model will run about $21,000

Soul may look quirky, but this family-friendly small wagon packs a lot of utility into a very tidy package. Easy to park and weave through traffic, Soul also boasts a surprisingly compliant “big-car” ride and an impressively quiet cabin. Inside, chair-height seating means there’s plenty of legroom, up front and in back. Plus, tall door openings take the back pain out of reaching child seats.

Skip the standard model with its tiny 1.6-liter engine and modest compliment of equipment. Instead, opt for the likable +, which boasts a spunky 2.0-liter engine and many of the options folks want most. We recommend the $400 Eco package, which brings with it a fuel-saving engine stop/start feature that can help conserve gas in stop-and-go driving.

Why the Kia Soul is a Consumer Guide Best Buy

 

Mazda CX-5

Mazda CX-5

Small Crossover

Similar: Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue

Pros: Cargo/passenger-space flexibility, available AWD

Price: A midlevel Touring model with AWD will run about $27,000

A Consumer Guide favorite for its overall sportiness and surprising fuel efficiency, the CX-5 is an excellent family-car candidate for households with kids under high-school age. Like the Kia Soul, CX-5 offers chair-height seats, which are a boon to families dealing with child seats. Additionally, this compact package offers surprising cargo space when the 2nd-row seats are folded away.

We recommend the midlevel Touring model, which includes a willing 2.5-liter engine and a fair amount of standard equipment. In Consumer Guide testing, CX-5 models with this engine have averaged close to 30 mpg, an impressive figure for the class.

Why the CX-5 is a Consumer Guide Best Buy

 

Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai Santa Fe

Midsize Crossover

Similar: Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander

Pros: More space than a compact crossover, standard 3rd-row seating

Price: A popularly equipped midlevel GLS with AWD will run close to $36,000

With a 2nd-row seat that will accommodate a diminutive center occupant and a two-passenger 3rd-row seat, the Hyundai Santa Fe affords small families the option of occasionally bringing along extended-family members as the need arises.

Note that a smaller Santa Fe Sport is also available. The Sport lacks the larger Santa Fe’s 3rd-row seat, but still boasts more passenger and cargo space than most compact crossovers. Consumer Guide strongly recommends both Santa Fe models.

Why the Santa Fe is a Consumer Guide Best Buy


Dodge Durango

Dodge Durango

Large Crossover

Similar: Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Flex

Pros: Standard 3rd-row seating, enormous cargo area, available AWD

Price: A nicely equipped SXT Plus model with AWD and the standard V6 will run about $37,000.

The Dodge Durango is sized between larger midsize crossovers, such as the Chevrolet Traverse, and large SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe. As such, it offers an intriguing balance of cabin space and hauling utility. Despite its apparent mass, the Durango is still narrower and shorter than the average minivan—and thus easier to park and garage.

Durango’s generous 3rd-row bench will comfortably accommodate smaller adults. The second row will fit three passengers when equipped with the bench seat, though the middle rider will be a bit cramped. While a V8 engine is available, we recommend that shoppers not looking for a tow vehicle stick with the excellent—and efficient—base V6.

Why the Durango is a Consumer Guide Best Buy

 

Chevrolet Impala

Chevrolet Impala

Large Car

Similar: Dodge Charger, Hyundai Genesis

Pros: Generous rear-seat legroom, luxury-level ride and quietness

Price: A popular 2LT example with a few options will run about $32,000

Once overwhelmingly popular, traditional large cars have fallen out of favor with many American shoppers, and that’s a shame. Though big sedans lack the cargo flexibility of crossovers and wagons, they are often easier to get in and out of, consume less fuel, and can be easier to navigate through traffic and tough parking situations.

The 2015 Impala boasts generous amounts of legroom among its family-friendly traits, as well as a large trunk and superlative long-haul ride comfort. Another plus is the available OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi system. It supports the use of multiple mobile devices while the vehicle is in motion and operates as a mobile Internet hot spot when the vehicle is parked.

Why the Impala is a Consumer Guide Best Buy

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