[Michael_S]

Re: GM to re-enter the minivan market

From the article, the new minivan is supposed to be the size of a Mazda 5.

If you don't intend to use the third row very often, that's great. I'm sure it will be much cheaper, sportier, and more efficient than an Odyssey.

But if you do intend to use the third row very often, to me it's unacceptable. The rear seats in the Mazda 5 are right up against the back window. If you get rear ended by a pickup, the kids in the back will be hurt over and above the whiplash everyone else suffers.

 

[Michael_S]

Re: GM to re-enter the minivan market

Only someone in the US would think of that.

They have these in Europe, and yes they have a fair share of large trucks (like delivery trucks). People get rear ended, and they survive.

Sometimes your worries of things not being safe enough are overblown.

You're definitely right to an extent.

But there are three notable differences between my situation and the typical European family.
1. While they do have big trucks just like the US, the average family vehicle is much smaller. My risk of getting rear ended by something the size of a Tahoe is probably 3 to 5 times higher than for a driver in Europe.
2. Because of the stupid*ahem* brilliant decision we made to follow the American Dream and buy a house in the suburbs, we do an incredible amount of driving. More time on the road just increases our risks of being in a crash compared to someone in the US or Europe that drives half as much. (We're seriously considering a move to cut way back on commute times, but of course it's a very bad time to try to sell our home.)
3. We're considering a fourth child. A Mazda5 can carry a family of six, but not a family of six, a baby carriage, a diaper bag, luggage, or groceries.

 

[Michael_S]

Glad they didn't build a Lambda minivan, because Lambda's are just too big to be people haulers. Chrysler downsized, yet maximized their minivan's,

http://autos.yahoo.com/chrysler_town_and_country_lx-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/chevrolet_uplander_ls_extended_wheelbase_1ls-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/honda_odyssey_lx-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/hyundai_entourage_gls-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/toyota_sienna_ce_fwd_with_7_passenger_seating-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/nissan_quest_3.5-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/saturn_outlook_xe_fwd-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/gmc_acadia_sle_1_fwd-specs/?p=ext
http://autos.yahoo.com/buick_enclave_cx_fwd-specs/?p=ext

The 2008 Town and Country is wider than every other minivan, the Outlook, and the Acadia. Only the Enclave is wider, by 0.1 inch.

The 2008 Town and Country is longer than every other minivan except the Quest and extended wheelbase Uplander (but it's much wider than the Uplander), and the Town and Country is also longer than the Outlook, Acadia, and Enclave.

Chrysler didn't downsize at all, they used clever styling to disguise the fact that they made the new minivans bigger than the old ones.