I don't think there is one single attractive minivan nowadays, since the boxy Dodge redesign came.
Odyssey = Oddity Quest = boxy and bolt-upright Mazda5 = can't wait for Nagare design language to be retired R-Class = bulging eye balls, odd lines, shoulda copied B-class styling Dodge = can't decide if it's boxy or rounded, fails at both Kia = saggy nose look, overdue for a redesign Sienna = the least ugly, that's not saying much
I felt the same way, until I owned one. They offer incredible utility, and that grows on you. That mine is comfortable, quiet, and offers 500-mile range doesn't hurt one bit.
8 people? Pile in, let's go.
4'x8' dry wall? In the rain? Not a problem for the Toyota and Dodge, they fit hatch closed. Quest is too short, and per C&D Honda no longer fits a 48"x96" sheet but the old one could.
I wonder if I'll down size for my next family vehicle, but I dunno, I'm totally spoiled. Maybe not until both kids are off to college, then I can downsize, but I may keep an old beater van as my utility vehicle.
We keep talking about downsizing, but minivans sure are handy, for all the reasons you give.
The road trip itch is biting mightily right now. Canoe; check, mountain bikes; check, camping gear; check. If we just switched to little "kiwi" boats, everything would fit inside, lol.
Haven't spotted the new Quest, and even after driving them for a couple of decades now, I have trouble distinguishing between Caravans, Odysseys and Siennas.
FWIW that's not the production model...not that the production model looks any better.
I used to be a Nissan fan, especially the early 90s Sentra SE-R and 300ZX turbo, but lately Nissans leave me cold. Not a big fan of CVTs, the Sentra looks saggy, the Murano and Rogue have huge blind spots, the Juke appeals only to the blind, and the trucks have aged and are all overdue for updates.
I'll take a G or an M, but the crossovers from Infiniti all seem space inefficient so I'll pass on most of those, too.
Other than that, just the 370Z. I didn't at first. And, actually, I still like the outside of the 350 better, but the interior of the 370, not to mention performance, is an upgrade.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I believe I read that the new Quest is essentially a widened Japanese van, so its probably more Japanese anime. It does have extremely comfortable leather front seats though! Personaly, I still think the new Ody is even uglier. These things should help the Sienna sales volume.
I think there is weird anime style in many Asian cars. These swoopy Hyundais could be in it too. Ever have a Leaf behind you in traffic? Looks like a dorky character from a cartoon.
Anime is a part of their culture, so that shouldn't really come as a surprise.
Polarizing style can be a good thing. Love/hate is better than indifference, because love sells cars, indifference does not.
Good example: Honda Element. When it came out, it added incremental sales for Honda, even though people hated it, and it's still often mentioned as being among the ugliest cars. The CR-V, it's big brother, actually moved to #1 on the sales charts after the Element came out, so they did not cannibalize each other.
Honda sold the CR-V to the conservative buyers, yet the Element brought in new and different buyers for its more quirky design.
It worked like a charm.
Joke's on us, I guess. I don't like the Juke, but it's doing just fine. Rogue is also doing well, so I'm sure Nissan would consider the Juke a hit, whether or not we like it.
Another thing - Gen Y grew up on anime. To them it's not strange, they may even see it as cool.
I don't know if I would call it culture, pop culture maybe. Doesn't translate well into cars IMO. It's not only strange, most of the time it is ungainly on 4 wheels. Lots of lazy styling work there too (ie: make light clusters huge, be different for the sake of being different, etc)
Element was also aimed at hip younger people, but primarily sold to aging boomer hoarders to cart around their dogs and Costco purchases - same people who often love the CRV too.
I think as much as anything, reputation and price sells cars. Most drivers don't love their car or love driving, they love not walking.
Element was also aimed at hip younger people, but primarily sold to aging boomer hoarders to cart around their dogs and Costco purchases
The problem with vehicles targeted at hip young people is that hip young people can't afford them. Mom or Dad buy for them and that's the age that the manufacturer reports. Beyond that is Mom and Dad do buy those cars for themselves.
This morning, a new design SLK in red, I like the nose job. Last night I saw a few 500's gorgeous white Maserati convertible in downtown Boston.
And then there was the old bitty I parked next to and her red CTS coupe. Grandma doing some shopping on Newbury St. apparently. Must've been about 80 or so but boy she sure walked a lot quicker than her age would suggest, lol. Well, really not really laughing because she managed to put a nice sized door ding in the side of my car when she left... :mad: I should have expected it given the scratches and dings on her car that I noticed when I pulled in. So now my 4 year old Scooby has got its first door ding
Ironically my wife loves the previous look and doesn't like the new one all that much...
Just went for lunch and had a gorgeous Aston pass me on the two lane in town. I couldn't keep my eyes on the road! because I was just gawking at it as he drove by. And the sound is just intoxicating...
lol at the guy in the new Camaro that passed me after it... slowed down, sped up, slowed down then floored it. I think he was peeved that I paid no attention to his bright yellow mulletmobile... :shades:
That the small roadster weighs ~400 lbs more than my fintail is kind of disturbing.
I saw the most beat up early Miata I have ever seen the other day - filthy, scraped up, sitting kind of crooked, and of all things, a nicely dressed middle aged woman driving it. Got stuck with her son's beater, I guess.
Yeah, condition is everything, especially on an open car. You leave the top down for too long, the vinyl shrinks and gets brittle. Raise it and a 10+ year old top will tear. The interiors get *trashed* if they're left open all the time or if the top has a hole.
Also, low prices means just about anyone can afford one, and they're not taken care of like expensive, new cars are.
Mine was in good shape. I had replaced the top with a Robbins upgrade. It was clean but not immaculate. Crystal White paint was known for peeling but mine barely had the issue at all even after 13 years in the sun.
If you care for them, an NA Miata will actually appreciate at this age.
Too small for me, I am likely too tall to get comfortable in one.
I knew a petite girl who had a ca. 1999 facelift model - she neglected the hell out of it, it leaked and she didn't care, interior was a mess, etc. It ended up being hit from behind in a traffic jam. Now she drives a Versa (no emoticon for boring)
The Renault that the Versa was based on was a car that competed in a segment above where the Versa was here. In the USA you could get a Versa for $9995 there for a while. And it was roomy.
Thing is, Carlos "le cost cutter" Ghosn stripped it of any and all refinement, and they sold it here as an econobox. It could have been a good car... they just de-contented it to fit one price class below.
I actually like the basic platform more than the Sentra.
Well, a fully loaded Tucson is over $31K. :surprise: Even if you got a nicely loaded one it's likely to top $25K. To the vast majority of people out there, that's a lot of cash and I wouldn't be at all surprised that they'd want to put off the inevitable dings for as long as possible.
Comments
I don't think there is one single attractive minivan nowadays, since the boxy Dodge redesign came.
Odyssey = Oddity
Quest = boxy and bolt-upright
Mazda5 = can't wait for Nagare design language to be retired
R-Class = bulging eye balls, odd lines, shoulda copied B-class styling
Dodge = can't decide if it's boxy or rounded, fails at both
Kia = saggy nose look, overdue for a redesign
Sienna = the least ugly, that's not saying much
Interesting contrast of Italian style vs. American muscle. Odd that they come from the same company, sort of.
I want to test drive a 500C, they look interesting. Where's the Abarth?
I've read rumors about the Abarth, probably a good year out I think I last read.
8 people? Pile in, let's go.
4'x8' dry wall? In the rain? Not a problem for the Toyota and Dodge, they fit hatch closed. Quest is too short, and per C&D Honda no longer fits a 48"x96" sheet but the old one could.
I wonder if I'll down size for my next family vehicle, but I dunno, I'm totally spoiled. Maybe not until both kids are off to college, then I can downsize, but I may keep an old beater van as my utility vehicle.
The road trip itch is biting mightily right now. Canoe; check, mountain bikes; check, camping gear; check. If we just switched to little "kiwi" boats, everything would fit inside, lol.
Haven't spotted the new Quest, and even after driving them for a couple of decades now, I have trouble distinguishing between Caravans, Odysseys and Siennas.
Just saw a Juke today, actually. Doesn't look as bad from behind, but the frontal look is frightening.
Kudos for taking risks, at least.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I used to be a Nissan fan, especially the early 90s Sentra SE-R and 300ZX turbo, but lately Nissans leave me cold. Not a big fan of CVTs, the Sentra looks saggy, the Murano and Rogue have huge blind spots, the Juke appeals only to the blind, and the trucks have aged and are all overdue for updates.
I'll take a G or an M, but the crossovers from Infiniti all seem space inefficient so I'll pass on most of those, too.
Other than that, just the 370Z. I didn't at first. And, actually, I still like the outside of the 350 better, but the interior of the 370, not to mention performance, is an upgrade.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I have seen so many new style BMW X5s this week, it seems like I am at the factory. Well over a dozen of them.
3 nice looking new maseratis.
and the usual assortment of Porsches and at least 1 big "old style" bently sedan.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Polarizing style can be a good thing. Love/hate is better than indifference, because love sells cars, indifference does not.
Good example: Honda Element. When it came out, it added incremental sales for Honda, even though people hated it, and it's still often mentioned as being among the ugliest cars. The CR-V, it's big brother, actually moved to #1 on the sales charts after the Element came out, so they did not cannibalize each other.
Honda sold the CR-V to the conservative buyers, yet the Element brought in new and different buyers for its more quirky design.
It worked like a charm.
Joke's on us, I guess. I don't like the Juke, but it's doing just fine. Rogue is also doing well, so I'm sure Nissan would consider the Juke a hit, whether or not we like it.
Another thing - Gen Y grew up on anime. To them it's not strange, they may even see it as cool.
Had a very strange, white light in the middle/bottom of the bumper. I guess that is the reverse light, but it's set so low. Odd.
Element was also aimed at hip younger people, but primarily sold to aging boomer hoarders to cart around their dogs and Costco purchases - same people who often love the CRV too.
I think as much as anything, reputation and price sells cars. Most drivers don't love their car or love driving, they love not walking.
More recently, look at the Fiat 500.
They're sort of tongue-in-cheek cars. Perhaps not your cup of tea, but they find happy buyers.
I know a married couple who have a pair of Elements. They're young, though, with twin babies now.
Young couple with twin Elements - sounds pretty geeky. I will guess IT and HR.
It has MA plates although they aren't on sale here yet.
The problem with vehicles targeted at hip young people is that hip young people can't afford them. Mom or Dad buy for them and that's the age that the manufacturer reports. Beyond that is Mom and Dad do buy those cars for themselves.
And then there was the old bitty I parked next to and her red CTS coupe. Grandma doing some shopping on Newbury St. apparently. Must've been about 80 or so but boy she sure walked a lot quicker than her age would suggest, lol. Well, really not really laughing because she managed to put a nice sized door ding in the side of my car when she left... :mad: I should have expected it given the scratches and dings on her car that I noticed when I pulled in. So now my 4 year old Scooby has got its first door ding
Nope, Elementary School teacher and Food Services.
Do you have a source for that?
I *heard* that a lot, but demographic data I saw showed Scion's median buyer age was actually young.
Median, mind you, I'm sure a bunch of geezers wanted to be hip and couldn't afford a nicer car because they need a hip ... replacement.
Best nose job in the auto industry ever.
They got rid of the the Squidward look:
Per Bloomberg:
Scion's average buyer age is the lowest in the industry, at 39 years old
They even say average, not median. So that accounts for the geezer curve busters.
Just went for lunch and had a gorgeous Aston pass me on the two lane in town. I couldn't keep my eyes on the road! because I was just gawking at it as he drove by. And the sound is just intoxicating...
lol at the guy in the new Camaro that passed me after it... slowed down, sped up, slowed down then floored it. I think he was peeved that I paid no attention to his bright yellow mulletmobile... :shades:
The ladies are wearing bangs again.
Anything with a teacher in it becomes just as dorky :shades:
I want my next roadster to be about half a ton lighter than that.
I swear, in many ways I liked my NA Miata better than the fancy PRHT I have now. It's too ... I dunno.
I saw the most beat up early Miata I have ever seen the other day - filthy, scraped up, sitting kind of crooked, and of all things, a nicely dressed middle aged woman driving it. Got stuck with her son's beater, I guess.
Also, low prices means just about anyone can afford one, and they're not taken care of like expensive, new cars are.
Mine was in good shape. I had replaced the top with a Robbins upgrade. It was clean but not immaculate. Crystal White paint was known for peeling but mine barely had the issue at all even after 13 years in the sun.
If you care for them, an NA Miata will actually appreciate at this age.
I knew a petite girl who had a ca. 1999 facelift model - she neglected the hell out of it, it leaked and she didn't care, interior was a mess, etc. It ended up being hit from behind in a traffic jam. Now she drives a Versa (no emoticon for boring)
I still think a properly tuned powertrain in a Cube could be a hoot. Put the Juke's engine in there, with a 6MT.
Miata's can fit taller folks with simple mods - remove or modify the dead pedal, and modify the gas pedal, and you can gain a couple of inches.
Both of mine have been tweaked.
I also like some room in front of me, beside me, and above me. German sedans are often made with big Bavarians in mind, I always fit fine.
I'd think a Cube would need some suspension work too.
Thing is, Carlos "le cost cutter" Ghosn stripped it of any and all refinement, and they sold it here as an econobox. It could have been a good car... they just de-contented it to fit one price class below.
I actually like the basic platform more than the Sentra.
Speaking of that Hyundai, a friend visiting the area last week got a loaded Santa Fe as a rental.
It was perhaps more a modern day BMW 2002 than the BMW 1 series is today. Boxy and upright, enough power, etc.
Boy did the Sentra fall off my radar. Frumpy redo and twist beams. Yuck.
Santa Fe is Hyundai's oldest product now, and it shows. Overdue for replacement. It got a nice V6 engine, but it's ready for a clean-sheet redo.
Kia just put a DI 4 banger in the Sorento, so the next Santa Fe should get that, and keep the nice V6 as an option.
End of the line for this Santa Fe probably explains fleet dumps. This one had leather and moonroof and all.
I think Nissan is just big enough that, say, mom and dad will get one for their teenager to drive, just because that's what the dealer has in stock.
SF is the last of the old school Hyundai. I think it was designed before they really started to shine.
Still, I saw an Equinox and the auto show for $39k, and loaded Explorers and Durangos in the $48-49k price range.
Scary how prices have crept up!
Santa Fe is certainly no beauty queen, and the one that came before, yuck...shows how far the brand has advanced.
E-class coupe.
Juke.