The best car depends on what you’re looking for
Rarely do families in the suburbs face parking challenges because of spacious garages and ample street parking. Accommodating a big family vehicle such as an SUV or a minivan is generally easy to do. Regardless of the vehicle you choose, you can simplify your car maintenance and save money by booking with CarAdvise, but which one is better for suburban living?
The answer can be found below based upon our head-to-head comparison.
Practicality
When it comes to suburban life, practicality and functionality are key! Space is one of the main factors of the suburban appeal, so it’s no surprise having a big vehicle is a priority for many. Fortunately, both SUV’s and minivan’s have plenty of it. Most SUVs manufactured today have ample space to comfortably fit 5 passengers and few luxury SUV’s even have 3-row seating to accommodate 7 passengers. Seats in most SUV’s and minivans can also fold down to provide further space for transporting larger items, not only passengers.
However, minivans have significantly more space when compared to SUVs. The average minivan can fit 7 passengers as a standard. One of the largest selling points on a minivan is that most have easy access through sliding doors and a spacious 3-row seat interior. This makes life super easy when a suburban mom or dad has to take the kids to sports practice with lots of equipment, returning home from grocery shopping or has multiple car seats. If there’s more than 2 kids in the home, and especially if the kids are in multiple activities, a minivan is the more practical, functional option.
Winner: Mini Van
Performance
SUVs are the epitome of performance when it comes to larger vehicles. The average SUV comes standard with a V6 engine however, as consumers opt for higher end luxury SUV’s, several come in V8 and even V12! Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Bentley each fall into this category. The greater the engine size, the more horsepower and torque at the drivers fingertips’. Other than road performance, many SUVs are designed to conquer any terrain they drive on. This can certainly come in handy on a snowy day transporting the kids to school or if the SUV got stuck in the mud at soccer.
Minivans, on the other hand, were designed to be driven under less stressful terrains. They usually come standard with a V6 engine and front wheel drive. Very few manufactures offer all wheel drive minivans, it is the exception not the rule.
Winner: SUV
Comfort
Demand for SUVs has nearly tripled the demand for minivans over the past several years. This competition has drastically improved the class and comfort that SUV’s offer.
Minivans tend to be more comfortable on smooth roads but their quality can be jeopardized after hitting just a single pothole or bumpy roads due to their front wheel drive capabilities. Although there are many minivans out there that offer great comfort, the term ‘luxury minivan’ has yet to make it in the mainstream.
Winner: SUV
Design
SUVs are designed to look and feel functional on the outside and tend to have the appearance of a tough exterior. The interiors of some SUVs are very on par with luxury cars. You can find the latest infotainment systems, heated and ventilated seats and many other luxury features as standard options on many new model SUV’s.
Minivans are designed with comfort in mind due to their spacious nature and many really convenient features like: standard TV’s, automatic opening doors and trunks and easy folding seats.
Winner: Tie
Conclusion
The SUV wins based upon performance and comfort, though minivans are not too far behind. The trend of US auto consumers over the past decade has really been favoring the SUV as a more practical replacement for the minivan with 436,587 SUV’s purchased versus 126,145 minivans from March 2017- March 2018.
