Tell me about your minivan

[mcphee]

companies really need a dirtbag division.

[fatnslow]

[QUOTE=Brownski;6838980]I may end up ordering these. My Sienna is supposed to be ready some time in May. Will have taken ten months by then. Glad I’m not in a hurry[/

You need to have your battery disconnected when you unplug ANY airbag or seatbelt pretensioner system connectors(the yellow connectors) or you'll set the airbag light. You don't want to end up back at the dealer where they want to charge you to clear the code and t want to argue about some warranty void bullshit due to etc, etc,.....

[Meconium]

[riser4]

This ^^

Anyone interested in an '01 Odyssey with 240K miles on it? Might make for an OK "utility minivan."

Nope. I have an '11 Sienna with 112K mi that is just getting broken in. Or mostly just broken. The plastic bits that is.

[Brownski]

[QUOTE=fatnslow;6839419]

I may end up ordering these. My Sienna is supposed to be ready some time in May. Will have taken ten months by then. Glad I’m not in a hurry[/

You need to have your battery disconnected when you unplug ANY airbag or seatbelt pretensioner system connectors(the yellow connectors) or you'll set the airbag light. You don't want to end up back at the dealer where they want to charge you to clear the code and t want to argue about some warranty void bullshit due to etc, etc,.....

Thanks
Believe me, I will definitely research the subject to death before I touch it. This is gonna be the most expensive vehicle I ever bought- don’t want to fuck it up.

[Brownski]

companies really need a dirtbag division.

Yes, absolutely. The Sienna is the best choice I can find but what I really want is a Ford Touneo custom AWD (not sold here) or a modernized Astro van (not likely to come back ever) so I finally gave up waiting

[doebedoe]

companies really need a dirtbag division.

I tried. Met with marketing person of Sienna line after family member who works alongside Toyota Indiana showed them photos of our rig/adventures.

And all you got out of it was shitty woodlands edition.

[gravitylover]

Yeah

That seat situation is a total boner killer for me. Otherwise i was dreaming about a hybrid Sienna.

... dreaming about a minivan... What the fuck have we become

[riser4]

... dreaming about a minivan... What the fuck have we become

I love my Sienna.

[schuss]

Yeah, seriously. Minivans are rad function wise.

[gravitylover]

I love my Sienna.

Yeah but you're weird so it's ok

For function over form minivans win, they also win the soul sucking to drive category.

[riser4]

Yeah but you're weird so it's ok

For function over form minivans win, they also win the soul sucking to drive category.

Honestly, I think it's weird to get pleasure out of driving.

[schuss]

Do you want to carry stuff or have it drive well? The GTI is probably the closest you get to both worlds, other than that you're sacrificing one or the other.

[doebedoe]

Honestly, I think it's weird to get pleasure out of driving.

I dont' get pleasure out of utility driving (e.g. driving to do the daily stuff of life)

But I certainly get pleasure out driving down a dirt road on the way to a weekend of camping, hiking, backpacking. And I get pleasure of driving my old Miata around some twisties on the way to/from a trail run.

[bodywhomper]

What model year did the awd hybrid first come out?

What model year did the second row issue first become a thing?

[toast2266]

What model year did the awd hybrid first come out?

What model year did the second row issue first become a thing?

2021 and 2021.

For whatever it's worth, the 2nd row in the hybrid can push all the way forward (so the 2nd row seats are touching the front seats). So you can make quite a bit of room in the back. But if the goal is to sleep a couple people in there, there's definitely not enough room for that without pulling the seats out.

[Meadow Skipper]

... dreaming about a minivan... What the fuck have we become

Funny how VW split window vans were cooler than shit*, but current mom-mobiles…?

* Except for going uphill…or around curves…or on freeways…or in crosswinds…

[gravitylover]

I was never a VW van fan especially after a long, sloooow, loud trip from Steamboat to Avon. If the Little Feat show hadn't been so incredible I might've been turned off to minivans forever but the day was so good I slept all the way home and appreciated the flat space so it saved itself. Some fun buzzing around the Denver Metro and foothills in an old mid engine, supercharged AWD Sienna showed me that minivans didn't have to be sluggish and handle like a wet noodle.

@Riser how could you not get driving being fun? Laying a vehicle into a corner just right and nailing the line is just as much fun as it is on a bike or skis if the vehicle is set up right.

[Meconium]

old mid engine, supercharged AWD Sienna showed me that minivans didn't have to be sluggish and handle like .

That was a Previa, the last good Toyota van available in the US.

[climberevan]

@Riser how could you not get driving being fun? Laying a vehicle into a corner just right and nailing the line is just as much fun as it is on a bike or skis if the vehicle is set up right.

I've also enjoyed driving on occasion, but mostly in high school in the Triumph Spitfire i rebuilt and restored. Modern cars are either boring or so fast that fun comes with a huge risk. I borrowed a STI Impreza for a bit and it didn't even start to be fun until I was going double the speed limit--that's not sustainable or safe on public roadways.

If i could figure out a reasonable way to make the Vanagon in my back yard electric and AWD, I'd do it. I've always thought the minivan was the best car configuration unless you're only hauling 2 people (then it should be a Smart Car). But the industry sure has gone in the direction of luxury rather than utility.

[skaredshtles]

I've also enjoyed driving on occasion, but mostly in high school in the Triumph Spitfire i rebuilt and restored.

Heh. What year?

Mine was kinda like this, but with way more rust:

[bodywhomper]

Fwiw, our ‘06 sienna did a 2k mile road trip last week getting between 21-25 mpg, w/ a Thule box on the roof, 5 peeps onboard, and snow tires. Where we live, it usually gets 19-21 mpg. The multiple tanks at 25 mpg was surprising.

[gravitylover]

@climberevan The solution is a BRZ or Miata.

[bodywhomper]

Ford transit. Is there an awd minivan-like variation?

[schuss]

@climberevan The solution is a BRZ or Miata.

As a minivan+BRZ owner - hard agree.

RE: Transit - I know someone that uses one as their family vehicle and they said it's absolutely shit at any inclement terrain or weather.