this post was submitted on 15 May 2025
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Yes, technically I own one but it has major issues and we use it only as our version of a truck to go the two miles to the local Home Depot. It loses all power and will stop if you try to drive it up a hill. But I can fit a full sheet of plywood in the back with the middle seats out. We've tried renting minivans, but we've had two problems.
One is that they're never available - they'll take your reservation but when you show up to get it there are none available so they substitute a large SUV like a Chevy Tahoe. A Tahoe has way more space and would cost more to rent, which are benefits, but they're also far less fuel efficient which isn't great.
The other problem is space. A minivan can move six people but modern minivans don't really have space for luggage for six people for nine days in the back. I even own a nice hard sided roof luggage carrier I use with my Subaru Crosstrek, but rentals never have the roof bars you need to mount it up there.
For now, our little cars are decently fuel efficient. I would consider buying another minivan but our youngest is 15 so I think at some point soon we'll need less people-carrying capacity.
A Tahoe has way more bulk in terms of exterior dimensions than a minivan, but I dispute the idea that it has way more interior passenger+cargo space. Even if the width and length are the same (e.g. big enough for a sheet of plywood), the minivan's interior should be taller (because the floor isn't so high above the ground) and the seats should be better at getting out of the way.
I've owned a long wheelbase Ford Aerostar and, more recently, a Kia Sedona, and I've gotta admit I miss the Aerostar. Still, the Sedona definitely isn't small.
I currently own a Kia Sedona but as I explained in another comment I only use it to drive two miles or less on flat ground. It came in two wheelbase lengths, and we have the longer wheelbase so there's a decent amount of space for luggage, but I can't drive it anywhere I would bring luggage.
Most modern minivans are smaller than that Sedona and have significantly less cargo space. If you've never driven or ridden in a Tahoe, they are bigger on the inside, no question. Yeah they're higher off the ground, but they're taller, wider and longer. So if everyone has a small suitcase and a backpack, even if only the suitcases fit in the back, the backpacks can fit in the seating space much more comfortably than in a van.
Also, I've never intentionally rented a Tahoe. I try to rent a minivan, I get a Tahoe. But they are more comfortable for a group of six, and that matters if you're driving 17 hours straight or something like that.
TIL! Mine is apparently the long wheelbase version, so that's nice.
I have been in the inside of a Tahoe, but I admit, it's been a very long time so I guess the new ones may very well be bigger than I expect.
Also, I thought the Kia Sedona was a "modern minivan." Mine's only... uh... 18 years old. Oh.
Well, it's modern compared to my other cars, at least.
Still, I don't understand why a 2025 minivan would be smaller, especially when the trend for every other class of vehicle is to get bigger over time.
I'd guess it's mostly about fuel efficiency which is legitimate. I think the Tahoe falls into a light truck category because it's on a truck frame. Not sure about the newest models, but it was on a truck frame for most of its existence, and those towing ratings are higher than ever.
"Light trucks" or vehicles like large SUVs don't have to meet the same efficiency standards as most cars, minivans and smaller SUVs which often use more of unibody frame. It's bad regulation at work.