Finding The Best Minivan | Episode 2 | How Much Stuff Can They Haul? 

Ditto

I wholeheartedly agree. I think the Sienna would be my second choice.

@@doherpa Sienna is nice for sure with the hybrid powertrain. I just hate the fixed central console for the 2nd row seat, it screws up the ability to carry 4x8 sheets. Carnival would be nice, but the PHEV powertrain of the Pacifica just wins for me. It has immediate torque, and no transmission chasing for the right gear, it just goes when you need it. I do wish they added a camping mode so you could sleep with the A/C on (running on the battery). It shuts off after 30 minutes.

@@yessitsme6884 Sienna 2nd row seats are removable in the rate situation you need to fit 4x8 sheets of plywood. There's posts online how to do it.

@@James-il3tq I'm talking about the center console in the back, on the new 2021 model.

15:48 I'm surprised he missed that

@@fcex558 nah. Used to be a big Toyota fan - especially in the 90s. But current gen Toyota/Lexus are kinda flimsy and cheap. Can’t deny their reliability, but they’re not the value they used to be. I never thought I would be a Chrysler owner but I love my Pacifica.

Pacifica hybrid owner here too, same thoughts before on reliability but so far so good .

Not by being married to another man

@@James-il3tq That's unnecessarily bigoted. Alex's personal life has zero bearing on his effectiveness as an automotive reviewer. And beyond that, he's still a fellow person, and clearly a quality one at that.

Most manufactures have this "issue" covered with programmable opening height on their tailgates

Well said, Kia would be making a huge mistake if they don't make a normal hybrid or plug-in hybrid version for the Carnival given the high gas prices and push for electrification nowadays. And AWD option would be very nice too!

True, and it'll probably still undercut the others. 47k fully loaded where others are crossing the 50k threshold.

the odyssey also happens to have good driving dynamics (which franky a lot of people seem to care about)

@@ShaiyanHossain As a proud owner of an Odyssey, I must say that it has a good driving dynamics for a minivan, but a boat is a boat. It's not a "driver's car" by any stretch of the imagination. It just rides better than a Sienna. I drove around a Pacifica a couple of years ago as a rental, and that one seemed fine as well. I haven't driven a Carnival before.

The Carnival would rule if Kia: 1. Got rid of the SX Prestige trim and just kept the SX as top. The non-removable seats are a deal breaker for most minivan shoppers; 2. Added a hybrid option, or at least something more full efficient; 3. Give the SX all the perks of the current SX-P (sunroofs, digi cluster etc). Especially when the Telluride SX already has all those things.

I bet we’ll be seeing that in the next couple of years.

He also missed the hook on the passenger side.

A few missed opportunities there. He also didn’t consider any of the vehicles door compartments.

I missed the 2nd row stow n go cubby in my prior Pacifica. I now have the hybrid version and there’s no storage for random stuff I used to have, eg spare clothing for the kids and other random stuff. And the 2nd row captain seats are such a pain to remove in comparison.

The 2022 Sienna Woodlands gets you to 7” at least. Shocked the Odyssey is at just 4.5”.

@@Sev5454 good start. Removable second row next?

@@fcex558 some people buy minivans outside of just people moving. Weekend hauling things inside, like DIY and furniture.

@@fcex558 My Dodge Grand Caravan does it.

I was looking for this also, we currently have a Dodge Grand Caravan which does carry a 4x8 sheet.

@@alquerque8412 that’s awesome! Really would like that feature as a compromise not to have a pickup. I just don’t trust Chrysler which is hard since they are the easiest to find.

This is something I always thought too. Your car doesn’t define you! Your personality and lifestyle defines you. If you think driving a super practical and functional minivan is uncool, you’re probably an uncool, self conscious person to begin with.

@@knaka5033 exactly

Most manufactures have this "issue" covered with programmable opening height on their tailgates. Also, some of these vans come with a kick sensor for when your hands are full.

it simply should not have a servo rear door , which would make one less thing that could break.

Often the top trims don't have that. They put controls for all the toys (pa system, starlink, moon roof, garage opener, etc) instead of a glasses case.

If you tow a lot then get a full size suv but if you don’t tow get a minivan

@@joskjj3625 Yea, that factor is largely where our decision-making process came down to. (FK) There are some minivans that don’t even have a tow rating while others, as decent in some cases they may be, tow only 3,500 lbs. Which is certainly better than nothing but you also have to factor in how much cushion you want to have. (i.e. towing 2.5k lbs. pop-up camper - added weight included - giving yourself a thousand lbs. cushion to help in scenarios of elevation climbing. Whereas if you buy even a mid-size SUV, some can tow upwards of 5-6k lbs. and full-size SUV’s often build up from those numbers. So if you’re torn between the two and design/body shape and even fuel eco isn’t a big deal to you when comparing the two segments then, really, the only other factor is towing. Because, while minivans are more accommodating at interior capacity if you know you’re going to tow a decent chunk - you’d just have to make-do with the smaller third rows that SUV’s are typically known for. (Although some aren’t really all that bad) I know there are many other factors that feed into the choosing/buying process. Believe me. I started almost 3 years ago because I knew it would be a big purchase and wanted to give it the research that it deserves - Test driven multiple vehicles, created spreadsheets, looked at reliability ratings, past recalls, potential issues, in-person experiences from friends and family - when’s a good time of the month to buy a vehicle (if going to a dealership), how do you go about the buying process both with a loan or cash. The process can be crazy if you want to go that far. But my wife and I bought a car when we first got married and we’re totally new to the situation and hit quite a few blows when buying the car and I didn’t do as much research. Now luckily, in that situation I chose a Camry and have had ZERO issues with the actual vehicle. But I wish I would have taken more time to look into the whole process. Now that we have kids there are many other items that come into play and if we would have rushed the process we would have ended up buying an SUV that, in all likelihood, would have been to small for us. For the record, I’m not saying that the research process should take 3 years. But when you use the word torn, that immediately brought up so many thought patterns that my wife and I have gone through. We looked at Minivans, SUV’s, Trucks, and even considered whether or not we could just stick with a sedan. And I’ll just say that are range is between $20-35k and when we are spending that much I don’t want to leave a stone unturned - because later on down the road - even if we did come across some problem with the vehicle of our choice - at least I’ll know that I made every effort to be aware of what might happen. And aside from the back-and-forth convos that I’ve had with my wife the process, thus far, hasn’t actually been that bad especially since I’m a person that likes detail, spreadsheets, pros/cons. But this is just one persons experience and opinion. Each persons experience will vary on some level - big or very very small.

@@chezzyperson3339 Never said I was buying new.

@@josiahstearns9615 I’d get a 2014+ Highlander AWD in your budget. I think the tow rating is 5000 lbs. Even if you go over the tow rating, the V6 powertrain in Toyotas can take the abuse. You can’t say that about any other brand. With Honda, I would worry about the transmission.

@@garrettw99 Yea, I’ve heard complaints about their transmission. We’ve definitely had the Highlander as one of the SUV’s on our list.

35 miles, just enough to drive it to your local Chrysler service department for repair.

2021 hybrid owner here. 2k miles and it’s been towed to the dealership twice in a week now. Used 0 miles gas or electric to get there on the tow!

@@ncsu13 Haha, not surprising. All the major car magazines that have had long-term Pacificas have had major issues. I personally own a 2017 Pacifica Limited with 33K miles and it is the second worst vehicle I have ever owned. Just endless problems with the stupid thing: electrical gremlins, rattles, both sliding door mechanisms having to be replaced twice now, rough shifting transmission after multiple reflashes, awful UConnect infotainment that doesn't respond half the time, etc... the list goes on. The Hybrid version seems to be the worst of the Pacifica family, though, just awful reliability.

@@ncsu13 bummer. What happened to get it towed?

@@wtfx5757 the dealer is saying “computer issues,” but they really don’t know. Luckily it’s only happed so far when I’m in my driveway but the car simply won’t start. You put your foot on the break, hit the start button, the car says “run” on the button but every single warning light in the dash then comes on and the car won’t move. No matter what gear you select all you can do is roll like you’re in neutral. The dealer performed a software update last week and says it was fixed. I show up and the tech goes to bring me my car and it won’t start for him. They performed the update again, I had the car home for a few days and it does it again, so now it’s back in the shop.

Because you have a choice of better Monospace that I’m jealous of , here in Canada. All because the U.S. market dictates the few smart choices we have here.

@@martinmartin5904 but canadians also love their gigantic trucks and suv’s that they using for bringing children to school or get grocery’s righht? Cars that were made for heavy duty....