Minivans offer a full range of comfort and practicality for families. If you’re in need of a larger vehicle with better gas mileage, go ahead and embrace your decision to become a minivan mom or dad. Minivans boast plenty of family-friendly amenities, including comfy “captain’s chairs” for driver, front row passenger, and second row seating, while offering a “separation zone”, or third row of seating to help prevent sibling rivalries from getting out of hand. That being said, not all minivans are created equal, and they’ve changed a lot since the early 2000s.
Here are the top five features to seek out in a new minivan purchase:
1. DVD Video Bluetooth Systems
Gone are the days of the kids annoying you with “I spy, with my little eye….” on your morning commute. Instead, most 2018 minivans come outfitted with a DVD video Bluetooth enabled system, which distracts passengers with on-demand connectivity to your kids’ favorite movies, HDMI access, and a high-quality onboard sound system that’ll keep the passengers entertained on short and long trips.
2. Full Storage Roof Rack
Got paddleboards, skiis, or are you transporting a new mattress home? Luckily, you have a full roof rack on your minivan. You can use your roof rack for transporting sporting equipment (i.e., kayaks, bikes, skis, snowboards) or attach a roof cargo baskets or roof bags for secure, weatherproof storage while freeing up interior space.
3. Siding Power Doors
The minivans of our youth (I’m looking at you mom and dad) offered manual sliding doors that were often too heavy and awkward to kids to open and shut. However, the minivans of 2018 offer automatic power-sliding features—which make the back seat passenger entry and exit much more convenient. The doors automatically slide smoothly open at the simple press of a button. All you need to do is sit back and relax, and you’ll never have to worry about catching little fingers in the doors.
4. Power Folding Seating
While sometimes you require third row seating on long family trips; sometimes you wish it wasn’t there. Voila, fold-away third row seating that offers more cabin and storage space when you need it most! Plus, the automatic power-folding feature, gets rid of third row seating with a simple push of a button.
5. Rear Power Liftgate
You emerge from the grocery store with one too many bags and no extra hands to unlock and lift your van’s back liftgate. Never fear, you sprung for a minivan with a automatic rear power liftgate so you can conveniently press a button to automatically access rear storage when you need it. Use it to boost accessibility when moving furniture, tools, groceries, pets, and just about anything—no extra hands needed!
