In Defense of the Minivan

I was way too cool for a minivan and did not need such a frumpy vehicle to cart my two baseball-playing boys around. An SUV was the right thing for me, I was sure. It had the space, the three rows, and the cool factor everyone knows I need.

Until I drove a minivan.

The minivan has a terrible reputation for stealing your cool card and ushering you into middle-age parenting. But why is that?

When we were shopping for a new vehicle, we had a few needs. We obviously needed seating for our four-person family. We also needed space to occasionally accommodate a few more passengers when extended family comes to visit. I wanted a comfortable ride; he wanted lots of cargo space. That sounds like an SUV, right?

We test-drove a few SUVs, and I fell in love a few times, only to have my hopes dashed again and again by the tiny legroom capacity in the third row. In one model’s third row, my head literally touched the rear window when I leaned back in the seat. Knowing that my children or close family members would be seated in these rear seats, I just couldn’t imagine expecting them to sit so uncomfortably and so close to the back end of the vehicle.

My partner finally convinced me to drive one minivan and see what I thought—just one and no commitment. I gave it a look. All the seats were comfortable, and I mean all—from the driver’s seat to the third-row middle seat. And there was legroom for days!

At the time we were shopping, I still had one child who was quite young, and we needed all the things for travel: the stroller, the pack-away bed, diapers, toys, etc. Folding down the third row in a minivan gives you a cavernous storage area that is not open to the elements as it would be in a truck. You also don’t have to complete a clean and jerk lift to get items high enough to load into the back end like in an SUV. Minivans sit a bit lower to the ground, so loading is a breeze.

Inside, there are USB-A and USB-C port options for everyone. The kids never fight over the use of the charging cord. And cupholders, so many cupholders! The kids never have to search for a place to park their drinks while trying to get to the next level of their games. And if you’re fancy, get the trim level that has an entertainment system for the kids in the back seat. Keep them busy for those long rides with plenty of streaming movies with wireless headphone compatibility.

Can we talk about the doors? My very impatient progeny barely wait for me to put the car into park before leaping out of the vehicle. Imagine the cringe-inducing clank of an SUV car door slamming into the neighboring parked car. Let me introduce you to the ease of a sliding minivan door. The doors stay close to the vehicle, and I never have to worry about leaving notes on parked cars with my info so we can trade insurance for damages. I even have the convenience of overhead buttons that I can push to close the doors from my driver’s seat when my children inevitably leave the doors wide open.

Sports parents know that when you take the kids to the ball game, you almost always take the crowd home with you. My kids pile into the car with all their friends for celebratory ice cream with mud-covered cleats. We collect dirt, grass, and all manner of outdoor clutter. With a minivan’s easily configurable seats also comes cleaning made simple! Shifting seats front and back, leaning forward, or even removing them altogether helps you get into all those hard-to-reach spaces and crevices with your trusty vacuum cleaner. When all else fails, take those weatherproof floor liners out and spray them down with the garden hose!

Few things in a parent’s life are easy. We are meant to be social calendar organizers, a shuttle service, equipment managers, and chefs. With our jam-packed schedules and minds whirling out of control with all the lists we need to make to keep on track, take my advice: get the minivan. You’ll never regret it.

At Valley Hi Toyota, we have the best inventory of the only minivan you’ll ever need. The Toyota Sienna features top-of-the-line technology, advanced safety, and all the creature comforts you could imagine. Our finance team has many options for financing or leasing the family vehicle you need. Already driving the best Toyota minivan on the market? Bring it in for maintenance to our state-of-the-art service center for an oil change or tune-up. Contact us today to schedule your visit!