Cars with sliding doors are perfect for families because minivans offer the highest levels of both practicality and usability as far as family needs are concerned. Cars such as these can serve you for decades because they are usually more packed with useful features than most sedans and SUVs are.
As such, be sure to consider a minivan if you want to maximize the family-hauling potential while also enjoying a plush ride. Minivans might not be the most desirable cars on the market for people who tend to spend most of their driving time alone, yet if you want the best for your family, the minivan is a step in the right direction.
Probably one of the most highly acclaimed minivans in history is the 2016 Honda Odyssey because it’s packed with numerous family-friendly features at a fairly attainable price. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is also a great choice to consider and so is the 2018 Toyota Sienna.
The 2017 Kia Sedona is a very popular newcomer to the minivan segment and the 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan is a popular resident of the minivan segment. No matter which one of these you go for you are likely going to be satisfied, especially when you consider what you get for the money.
2016 Honda Odyssey – $20-$22k
The Honda Odyssey is arguably the benchmark automobile as far as cars with sliding doors are concerned even though it carries a slight premium when compared to its competitors. Where the Odyssey tends to best all of its rivals is the safety department and the overall comfort and quality of the cabin. Furthermore, the Odyssey also benefits from a comfortable ride.
The Odyssey is also known to offer lots of useful interior features that boost both practicality and ease of use. The interior is made sturdily enough to last for a long time yet it’s packed with soft-to-touch surfaces which are beneficial if you tend to haul your kids around.
2017 Chrysler Pacifica – $24-$26k
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is also a well-known resident of the family minivan segment because it offers great family-friendly features, potent engines, and lots of comfort for a rather tempting price. The Pacifica also offers superior handling when compared to the Odyssey which makes the Pacifica a bit more fun to drive.
However, the comfort levels between the Odyssey and the Pacifica are nowhere near similar because the Odyssey tends to best most minivans out there as far as comfort is concerned.
2016 Toyota Sienna – $24-$26k
Arguably the most fearsome competitor to the Odyssey, the 2016 Toyota Sienna trades punches with the 2016 Odyssey for being the best used minivan you can buy these days. The interior quality of the 2016 Sienna is a step above the Odyssey while the Odyssey does offer a slightly more pleasant driving experience.
However, the Sienna is available with AWD which makes it a better choice for all-season driving. It also offers huge cargo capacity and comfortable seats for all the passengers.
2019 Kia Sedona – $28-$30k
The Kia Sedona is somewhat of a newcomer to the minivan segment but that does not mean that it falls short when compared to most minivans out there. Kia has packed the Sedona with an abundance of useful features that should keep you and your family entertained for longer journeys.
It also offers one of the best reliability results out of all cars on this list even though the handling and cargo space are nowhere near the Sienna or the Odyssey. Either way, comfort is also decent and easily on par with all the other minivans on this list.
2018 Dodge Grand Caravan – $20-$25k
The Dodge Grand Caravan is one of the most popular US-made minivan options in the US even though it falls short when compared to all the other minivans on this list. However, the prices associated with used Grand Caravan models are superior which means that you can get a relatively new one at a fairly good price.
It does not offer nearly as many useful features as all the rest of the minivans on this list while the safety ratings are also nothing to brag about. Either way, it’s a decent all-around minivan at $25k but it’s a superior minivan at around $20k.
FAQ Section
Are minivans better family cars than SUVs?
Minivans are indeed better family cars because they are made with family use in mind and that’s not the case with most SUVs out there. Even though an SUV does offer many family-friendly features such as safety, practicality, and visibility, they fall short when it comes to safety and overall practicality.
However, SUVs do offer more choice because there are a lot more SUVs out there when compared to minivans. Most consumer-grade brands tend to offer 6-10 different types of SUVs while some consumer-grade brands don’t even offer competitive minivans anymore.
What makes a great family car?
A great family car needs to be spacious, safe, and comfortable both for inner-city drivers and especially for longer journeys. As such, most minivans are tuned towards coasting which means that they are efficient and quiet at higher speeds.
They need to offer superior space and lots of family-friendly features such as lots of cubby spaces, phone chargers, easy to reach ISOFIX mounting points, and potentially even rear-seat infotainment screens. The newest minivans out there even offer specific family-friendly features such as a vacuum or a rear camera so you can always see what your kids are doing.
What makes a car safe?
In order for a modern-day car to be safe, it needs to offer lots of clever engineering solutions mixed with all sorts of software safety solutions. Effective crumple zones are designed to deflect impact forces away from the passenger compartment while ABS is designed not to lock your brakes during braking which ensures your car’s traction while aggressively braking.
Furthermore, ADAS or advanced driver assistance systems such as lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, and collision prevention systems are also beneficial for superior safety. Finally, the most important aspect of car safety is an experienced and designated driver.
