The differences between SUVs and minivans explained

SUVs and minivans are the most frequently chosen cars by large families and owners of a small business. Of course, one of the major reason for it is the large space available in these cars both for passengers and cargo. Yet, there are some major differences between these two popular types of passenger cars which are going beyond their appearance. If you are considering which type of a car will be more suitable for you, here, you will find some comparison of SUVs and minivans.

Note, before we start our exploration of cars that at the moment the design of new models of minivans is experiencing its decline and, when it comes to new models of these cars, the choice on the market is rather modest. For example, in the USA, the major five types of minivans available right now are Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona and Dodge Grand Caravan. The features of these cars will be taken into consideration in the first place during our comparison.

The space for passengers

First of all, let’s look at the comfort for passengers provided by minivans. While many people find SUVs particularly comfortable for passengers, especially, after switching to this car model after using a sedan, only those people who have had a chance to travel by a minivan, know these cars are even more convenient.

Actually, minivans provide their passengers with a particularly large space. For example, the five models mentioned at the beginning of the article, have over 150 cubic feet of space for their passengers and three rows of seats. Even if you get an SUV of a very similar size and also equipped into three rows of seats, they will still have less space. One of the reasons for it is the fact that generally, SUVs have a smaller height which reduces the kneeroom, particularly in the middle row of seats.

The space for cargo

As it has been just mentioned, SUVs are featured by a smaller height than minivans which is usually the result of a special construction of the letter which gives these cars a lower floor and thus, more free space. As a result, not only the passengers feel themselves more comfortable in minivans, but you can also load a way more things into a minivan even if all of its seats are taken by your family. The spacious cargo departments of minivans will let you to hide suitcases, strollers, gear and groceries while the car is loaded with passengers.

Each of the minivans described in this article provides its passengers with a cargo space of at least 31 cubic feet behind the third row of seats. After stowing both the second and the third row of seats, you will get over 80 cubic feet of cargo space in these models of minivans.

Despite the fact, there is a chance of finding a really large SUV which will provide you with a sufficient cargo space, for example, Chevrolet Suburban which has 77 cubic space for storage behind the second row of seats and 40 cubic feet behind the third row, this is really an exception. The majority of SUVs of a middle size have even less than 20 cubic feet of storage behind the last row of seats.

The drive and towing

If you are looking for a brawny car to drive, a minivan might not be the best idea.

First of all, you will hardly find, models of minivans with all-wheel drive. For instance, among the models of minivans observed in this article, only Toyota Sienna can be purchased with all-wheel drive. At the same time, this option is available in almost all modern SUVs. Still, you should pay your attention to the fact that for majority of the models of crossovers, the all-drive option is available only with a premium version of the car model. Still, you can pay extra for virtually any model of SUV and get this convenient option for boosting your driving experience.

Moreover, when it comes to towing, in the majority of cases, SUVs are performing a better job especially when it comes to transporting heavy baggage or towing treks or other objects over unpaved roads. Even such minivans as the Chrysler Pacifica which are generally regarded as tow trailers being able to tow up to 3600 pounds are still not as brawny as SUVs.

Providing you are actually not planning to use your minivan under such conditions, this might be not a serious issue for you.

Our conclusions

Both minivans and crossovers have their own pros and cons. If you have read the entire article, you should have learnt so far that minivans are more spacious cars when it comes to both transporting people and cargo. They are also more comfortable for people travelling in them.

At the same time, crossovers are more powerful and allow you to tow rather heavy objects even in the places which do not have real roads. If this is an essential point for you, you should definitely pay your attention to SUVs in the first place.

Yet, you should also bear in mind that minivans tend to be more fuel-efficient than the majority of crossover models available on the modern market, however, if you are planning to purchase such a large and spacious car, in all likelihood, you are totally aware of a large amount of fuel your vehicle will need.