A Missing Automotive Niche: Performance Minivans

I prefer wagons to sedans, but my growing family is going to need more space soon.

A minivan would be the obvious step up for increased and accessible capacity, but even the best minivans on the market wallow like boats. It’s as if everyone decided that minivans are for soccer moms who are too distracted to pay attention to handling, or contractors used to driving trucks, so dynamic performance never made it on the list of features for this segment.

It doesn’t have to be this way: Active suspensions have been used for years on luxury vehicles from small sports cars to 3-ton SUVs to provide handling that is both comfortable and responsive. I’ve driven higher-end SUVs with air suspensions or magnetorheological dampers that handle like sports cars.

So what’s wrong with large SUVs? They sacrifice interior space I’d like to keep in exchange for ground clearance I don’t need. And they add weight to provide towing capacity I won’t use.

Please make a large vehicle with the space and ergonomics of a minivan but the handling of a sporty car. I know I’m not the only buyer who appreciates performance, needs more interior space, and will never take my vehicles off-road or towing.

2 thoughts on “A Missing Automotive Niche: Performance Minivans

  1. Pingback: EmptorMaven » Blog Archive » What’s behind the American SUV fetish?

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