SUV vs. minivan

 

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We're considering a bigger vehicle because our current car wouldn't be able to fit another child (not that we're considering another child immediately…). For any long-distance travel, we'll always bring the two dogs - which we will clip-in for safety - so we'll need an additional seat or two. I told my husband that I didn't want a minivan because they're not "cool". But that answer isn't satisfying him, so I guess I've got to do my research.

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So, here's my wishlist in order of importance:

• Cost
• Available 3rd row seating
• Fuel-efficient in its class
• Reasonable cargo space with 3rd row seating in-use
• Overhead vents so that a rear-facing child can get some AC/heat
• Optional DVD system
• Power-sliding doors (do SUVs have auto-closing doors??)

I went to auto section of MSN.com. I narrowed my search to SUVs and vans, fuel economy 15+, and 6-9+ passengers. Here's a quick comparison of the results (grouped by vans and SUVs, and then listed by highest city mpg):

Make/Model	MSRP	City mpg	Highway mpg
Vans
Mazda5	$19,345 - $24,025	21	28
Honda Odyssey	$28,075 - $43,525	18-19	27-28
VW Routan	$26,930 - $43,240	17	25
Toyota Sienna	$25,060 - $40,570	16-19	22-24
SUVs
Toyota Highlander Hybrid	$38,140 - $43,795	28	28
Mitsubishi Outlander	$21,995 - $27,795	19-23	25-28
Toyota RAV4	$22,475 - $28,785	19-22	26-28
Toyota 4Runner	$30,305 - $40,435	17	22-23
Mazda CX9	$29,135 - $34,535	16-17	22-24
Honda Pilot	$28,320 - $40,670	16-17	22-23
Acura MDX	$42,930 - $54,455	16	21
Subaru Tribeca	$30,495 - $35,795	16	21
Volvo XC90	$38,200 - $48,000	14-16	21-22

Seems like the least-efficient vans are the VW Routan and Toyota Sienna. The obvious gas-guzzling SUV is the Volvo XC90 (so sad since I've always wanted a Volvo). If I had to purchase on gas-efficiency alone, it'd be the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. But I'm not buying on gas-efficiency alone, so let's get on with the details.

To "score" each make/model, I priced each car with the trim that fulfilled as much as my wishlist as possible.

I then weighted each criteria from 1-4:

Cost/MSRP	4
Passenger no.	4
Fuel-efficiency	3.5
Cargo behind 3rd row	3.5
Cargo behind 2nd row	2
AC control	2
DVD system	2
Power-sliding/Power tailgate	1

After some geeky normalizations and utilization of min/max functions, the winners with the top scores are (*drumroll, please!*):

Van: Honda Odyssey (25.76 pts out of possible 28.19 pts for "perfect" van)

SUV: Mazda CX9 (24.01 pts out of possible 25.97 pts for "perfect" SUV)

I was kinda hoping that the winning SUV would be the Highlander Hybrid, but it lost because of its price ($47,225 after options!). A close second in the minivan category was the Sienna with 25.60 pts. The runner-up in the SUV category was the Pilot (yay to my SIL and her husband who have this car) with 23.86 pts.

Now, if you compare the Odyssey to the CX9, the Odyssey obviously wins because of much lower cost and larger cargo space.

Front exterior: Top Odyssey, Bottom CX9

Back exterior: Top Odyssey, Bottom CX9

Interior: Top Odyssey (8 passengers), Bottom CX9 (7 passengers)

Cargo area: Top Odyssey, Bottom CX9

Do you have other suggestions? 

Are there inaccuracies in my research? 

Please chime in!