2021 Chrysler Pacifica Limited S, which features a new, sportier look with black wheels and body moldings.
(CNN) - You might
not think minivans are in fashion.
It wouldn't be that surprising.
In the past they have been considered so unattractive that they almost became extinct.
But now, minivans are back, and in fact, they are becoming quite popular.
In fact, there has been so much demand that minivans sold, on average, 8% above the asking price last month, according to a recent report from Cox Automotive. Meanwhile, the cars, trucks, and SUVs were sold at the asking price, which is quite surprising. Car buyers can generally negotiate significant discounts on most vehicles, but with new car production hampered by a shortage of computer chips, that's not the case now, especially with minivans.
People seem to finally realize the essential practicality of the minivan.
Minivans provide even more of the useful capabilities of SUVs (cargo and passenger space) without the largely unused off-road capabilities.
(Toyota and Chrysler minivans are available with four-wheel drive, but they're not really designed for off-road driving.)
2021 Chrysler Pacifica Limited S, which features a new, sportier look with black wheels and body moldings.
"For families, there are still few vehicle options better than a minivan," said Matt Degen, editor of Kelley Blue Book.
"They are just easier."
Large sliding doors and high seats make it easy to install baby seats.
The large cargo compartments have plenty of room to store strollers, playpens or sports equipment without having to figure out how to fit it all together.
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Currently, there are only four car companies offering minivans in the United States.
Three of them, Toyota, Chrysler and Kia, have recently redesigned their vans to be more attractive than ever.
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Chrysler recently updated its truck, the Pacifica, giving it a new front face and a nicer interior.
Chrysler also introduced a less expensive minivan, the Voyager, to appeal to commercial customers and those who just want a basic pickup with no fancy pretensions.
Toyota introduced a completely redesigned Sienna last year with styling inspired by the Toyota Supra sports car.
(Yes, really. The Supra.) Next, Kia introduced the Carnival, a new name on a completely redesigned SUV-shaped minivan, to replace the Sedona.
The Honda Odyssey also received some technology and design updates for the 2021 model year.
Designers in California came up with the Kia Carnival look.
Chrysler is the leader in the American minivan market and, as a company, invented the modern minivan in the 1980s. Someone at Chrysler - now part of Stellantis - had the idea for a small front-wheel drive truck that could fit inside a suburban garage, according to the book
"Mopar Minivans
" by David Zatz.
When they came out in 1984, the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager were instant hits.
The more ostentatious Chrysler Town & Country came later.
Other automakers tried to compete, initially with more familiar versions of rear-wheel drive work trucks and then later with their own front-wheel drive minivans.
However, that was before the off-road SUV craze.
Once SUVs began to take over the American auto market, most car companies ditched their minivans.
But this departure from a "dying" minivan market segment helps explain why the ones that remained are so good, said Ezra Dyer, editor of
Car and Driver
and a minivan owner.
The Kia Carnival is available with reclining seats in the rear.
"It's the same with sedans, as crossover SUVs have consumed the world," he said.
"So what's left in those segments, whether it's sedan or minivan, are the best players."
Dyer owns a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid electric minivan, the only hybrid electric van currently on the market.
He likes that it lets him drive 50 miles on electricity, according to EPA estimates, before the V6 gasoline engine has to run.
"I can go to work and never have to buy gas," he said.
"That's a huge, huge advantage of the Pacifica Hybrid."
Because it carries its large battery pack under the ground, the Pacifica Hybrid doesn't have one of Chrysler's most famous features.
It lacks the so-called Stow-n-Go seats available on other versions of the Pacifica.
These are rear seats that fold under the floor leaving a flat space to carry large items.
(The hybrid's rear seats are removable, however.)
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The popularity of these folding seats points to one of the key competitive points in the minivan market, the smart devices and features.
Minivans are not typically sold based on how fast they are or how well they corner, although with their lower ride height they can be more enjoyable to drive than some SUVs.
The Honda Odyssey is praised by critics for its relatively good driving dynamics.
In general, minivans are all about practicality, which is why the built-in vacuum introduced on the Odyssey in 2013 was, for most buyers, probably a more important issue than its relatively agile ride.
Other minivans now also offer built-in vacuums.
Beyond the ingenious conveniences, technology has become the new battlefield among minivans.
The rear-seat passenger screens offer all kinds of entertainment, from
streaming
to interactive games.
"I can go in the back and play checkers against my son in the other seat on our screens right in front of us or play Roadtrip Bingo or Hangman, things like that," said Pacifica owner Dyer.
The Odyssey offers CabinWatch, an interior camera that allows the driver to see through the rear-facing car seats, and CabinTalk, a system that allows the driver to speak to rear seat occupants through the truck's speakers or headphones.
Toyota Sienna designers said they were influenced by the rear of the Toyota Supra sports car and the front of a Japanese bullet train.
The seats are another great competitive point.
Second-row minivan seats can rival those in the Business Class section of an airplane.
The so-called VIP Lounge seats of the Kia Carnival recline back and the footrests rise from below.
Toyota Sienna second-row seats can slide back more than half a meter for more legroom.
The Honda Odyssey comes with seats that can be moved sideways to separate them from each other.
"If you have kids who hit each other, you can separate them," said Jimmy Jenkins, Honda's director of product planning.
These trucks are worth putting all this technology and design effort into, automakers say, because they attract customers they might not otherwise attract.
For Stellantis, the Pacifica hybrid is attracting customers who had been driving Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles and even Tesla, said Mary Ann Capo, Pacifica's chief marketing officer.
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"They tend to be younger, richer, just premium buyers that we didn't attract before," he said.
Honda claims Odyssey buyers stick with the brand even after they trade in the minivan after their kids leave home.
"I guarantee 100% that it keeps them in the Honda brand almost for life," said Jenkins.
If minivans can attract and retain customers at the same time that they can carry strollers, then they may have a future.
