" The nice thing I ever said about a minivan on air is ' it ’s your money , do what you want . ' "
That ’s Ben Bowlin , co - host of theCarStuff podcast , send away another fusillade in the Great CarStuff Minivan War . Ben ( self - avowed minivan cynic ) and co - horde Scott Benjamin ( reluctant minivan apologist ) talk about in thispodcast episodenot just the account of the minivan , but their own deepening understanding of how the minivan may or may not be the worst matter that ’s ever materialize to cars . Conclusion ? in all likelihood not !
There ’s more to the minivan account than just the narrative of a harried parent seek to stuff more kids into a vehicle restrain for basketball practice . In fact , the so - called Swagger Wagon was a surprise hit for the auto industry . Did n’t have a go at it that ? What about these three point ?
1. It Was Being Kicked Around as a Design Well Before the ’80s.
Sure , the Chrysler design ( which included the Town & Country , Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager ) first came off the line in 1983 . But even in the 1970s , Lee Iacocca , then - president of the Ford Motor Company , was working with designers on theFord Carousel — a fomite that looked suspiciously like the Chrysler minivans that showed up in 1984 . Perhaps not coincidentally , Iacocca was fire from Ford in 1978 … and became the Chief Executive of Chrysler presently after .
2. It Was Shelved for Some Practical Reasons.
But rent ’s not just find fault short - sighted execs at Ford for miss the point ; they had some real constraints in the seventies to produce a brand - new kind of vehicle . " The 1973 energy crisis and the subsequent ceding back in the mid-’70s made the troupe turn out back , " Ben points out in the podcast . " Ford had to cut back on development of entirely newfangled vehicle , and one of their policy at the meter to cut toll was to say unless a vehicle is replacing an already successful line , we ’re not going to attempt to go out and make a new grocery . "
3. Chrysler Minivans Actually Pioneered a Ton of Features.
We ’re talking the first minivan with a turbocharged petrol locomotive engine , all - wheel drive , an galvanizing option(in the early 1990s , no less ! ) , and seamless passenger side airbags . ( And truly , there area lot morefeatures Chrysler was first to add . ) So your image of the frumpish , useable minivan could n’t be further from the true statement ; they were actually industry leaders , in many ways .
But that also leaves us to inquire where the minivan is headed . " sale have sharply declined as of April of this year , " Ben manoeuver out . " Are people who normally would ’ve buy a minivan 10 to 15 years ago buy crossovers ? Are they go to be buying stocky SUVS ? I believe that ’s the charge things are lead in . But also it ’s not a ding on the minivans . If they ’re mean to be family cars , then it seems like their vehemence on luxuriousness and comforter is pay off . "
So perhaps , armed with information , we may have reached a peaceful détente in our Great Minivan War . Because as Ben himself even admits about the last time he was in a minivan : " You acknowledge what ? On the interior it ’s not that high-risk . "
To solidify your own stance on the minivan ( and find out how to habituate the word " garageable " in a conviction ) , check out thisCarStuff podcastwith Ben and Scott .
