Minivans

2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited

What it Is: A traditional front-wheel drive minivan.
Who it's For: Families who appreciate the value of sliding doors.
What's Hot: Available power folding third-row seats, dual DVD screens and satellite TV.
What's Not: Old-looking styling inside and out.
How It Got Its Score: While minivans have advantages in our scoring, the Town & Country Limited's high price knocks it down a few pegs.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.8

2010 Chrysler Town & Country LX

What it Is: A traditional front-wheel drive minivan.
Who it's For: Families who appreciate the value of sliding doors.
What's Hot: A premium nameplate at a relatively low price.
What's Not: Weak engine, with not much of a fuel economy advantage.
How It Got Its Score: The Town & Country LX's low price gives it an advantage.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.1

2010 Chrysler Town & Country Touring

What it Is: A traditional front-wheel drive minivan.
Who it's For: Families who appreciate the value of sliding doors.
What's Hot: Available power folding third-row seats, dual DVD screens and satellite TV.
What's Not: Least fuel efficient Town & Country model.
How It Got Its Score: The Town & Country Touring's lower fuel economy and higher price knock it down from the base model's score.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.9

2010 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

What it Is: A front-wheel drive full-size minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need maximum hauling and three LATCH points.
What's Hot: Sliding doors, lots of interior space and a low price.
What's Not: Many features only available on more expensive SXT model.
How It Got Its Score: While the Grand Caravan falls short in a couple of areas, its low base price gives it an excellent Family Friendliness rating.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.1

2010 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

What it Is: A front-wheel drive full-size minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need maximum hauling and three LATCH points.
What's Hot: Available dual DVD screens and satellite TV.
What's Not: Some premium features of dubious value.
How It Got Its Score: While the Grand Caravan falls short in a couple of areas, it's priced aggressively to give it an excellent Family Friendliness rating.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.1

2010 Honda Odyssey EX-L with Variable Cylinder Management

What it Is: An eight-passenger full-size minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need maximum passenger capacity with four LATCH points.
What's Hot: The Odyssey is the highest-scoring minivan on Family Car Review.
What's Not: We wish we didn't have to pay extra for the fuel-saving VCM.
How It Got Its Score: Thanks to its size, cargo and passenger capacity, safety and fuel economy, the Honda Odyssey EX-L has the same Family Friendliness rating as the less expensive LX.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.2

2010 Honda Odyssey LX

What it Is: An eight-passenger full-size minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need maximum passenger capacity with four LATCH points.
What's Hot: The Odyssey is the highest-scoring minivan on Family Car Review.
What's Not: We wish the fuel-saving VCM was available on LX models.
How It Got Its Score: Thanks to its size, cargo and passenger capacity, safety and relatively low price, the Honda Odyssey LX receives the highest Family Friendliness score of any vehicle on Family Car Review.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.2

2010 Kia Sedona LX

What it Is: A full-size seven-passenger minivan.
What's Hot: Lots of features for a surprisingly low price.
What's Not: Only seats up to seven; no LATCH in third row.
Family Friendly Options: Rear seat entertainment system, navigation, three-zone automatic climate control (EX)
How It Got Its Score: The Kia Sedona is competitive with many full-size minivans, but its Family Friendliness score slips because it only seats seven, and there are no LATCH points in the third row.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.0

2010 Kia Sedona Short Wheelbase

What it Is: A short-wheelbase, full-size seven-passenger minivan.
What's Hot: Shorter wheelbase means it's more maneuverable.
What's Not: Can't get all the options available on long wheelbase models; small cargo area.
Family Friendly Options: Standard USB port.
How It Got Its Score: Normally a full-sized minivan would score better, but the short version of the Kia Sedona has a few strikes, such as a small cargo area, no power sliding doors and only two LATCH points.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.7

2010 Mazda 5 Sport

What it Is: A compact six-passenger minivan.
Who it's For: Families who want the flexibility of a van in a compact-car size.
What's Hot: Six-passenger capability for less than $20,000.
What's Not: We'd expect bigger fuel economy
How It Got Its Score: The Mazda 5 wins points simply because it has sliding doors. Throw in decent fuel economy and safety and you have one high-scoring little van.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.7

2010 Volkswagen Routan S

What it Is: A front-wheel drive full-size seven-passenger minivan.
What's Hot: "Tailgating" position for third row, plentiful cargo room.
What's Not: Must move up to SE to get virtually any optional equipment.
Family Friendly Options: Rear seat entertainment system, navigation, back-up camera (all SE only)
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Volkswagen Routan minivan is based on the Dodge Grand Caravan, but the base S model scores lower because it offers less standard equipment at a slightly higher price.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.9

2010 Volkswagen Routan SEL

What it Is: A front-wheel drive seven-passenger full-size minivan.
What's Hot: Premium model makes picking all options easy.
What's Not: Some premium Dodge and Chrysler features not available.
Family Friendly Options: Rear seat DVD system, navigation, backup camera, Bluetooth.
How It Got Its Score: The Volkswagen Routan is built in the same factory as the Chrysler Town and Country Limited, and scores about the same thanks to similar equipment levels.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.0

2011 Honda Odyssey EX

What it Is: An eight-passenger full-size minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need a minivan that's optimized for carrying several LATCH-equipped booster seats.
What's Hot: Plentiful standard equipment list even on lowest-priced model, including Wide Mode second row seats.
What's Not: Can't get DVD or navigation without leather interior.
Family Friendly Options: Automatic front and rear climate control, USB, Bluetooth, navigation, DVD system
How It Got Its Score: The EX and EX-L are the best-selling Odysseys, covering a wide price and feature range. You can get almost everything available for the Touring and Touring Elite, but with a five-speed automatic.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.7

2011 Honda Odyssey LX

What it Is: A seven-passenger full-size minivan.
Who it's For: Families on a budget who need a minivan, but don't need a lot of luxury trappings.
What's Hot: Low price still gets you a lot of standard safety equipment.
What's Not: Only Odyssey without eight-passenger seating.
Family Friendly Options: Front and rear air conditioning, steering wheel-mounted cruise control, power driver's seat
How It Got Its Score: The base model Odyssey LX lacks the Wide Mode second row of the rest of the line, but it costs less as well. You still get all the safety equipment, although power sliding doors aren't available.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.2

2011 Honda Odyssey Touring

What it Is: An eight-passenger full-size minivan, with all the trimmings.
Who it's For: Families who need the hauling capability of a minivan, plus up to five LATCH points.
What's Hot: Wide Mode second row means three-across boosters.
What's Not: Some features not available, such as active cruise and pushbutton ignition.
Family Friendly Options: DVD entertainment system, backup camera with three views, navigation system, Bluetooth, USB input
How It Got Its Score: The Odyssey scores extremely well thanks to its very good crash test scores, high fuel economy for the class, eight passenger capacity and five LATCH points.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.6

2011 Nissan Quest S

What it Is: A seven-passenger full-size minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need a van, but don't haul large items very often.
What's Hot: Quick and clever seat folding; permanent hidden storage; luxurious interior
What's Not: Cargo capacity notably smaller than other vans.
Family Friendly Options: Rear DVD system, navigation, Bluetooth, one-touch sliding door, blind spot detection
How It Got Its Score: The 2011 Nissan Quest's Family Friendliness score is preliminary, since crash tests aren't yet available. However, assuming it does as well as its predecessor, it should be a high-scoring pick for families.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.6

2011 Toyota Sienna 4-Cylinder 7-Passenger

What it Is: A seven-passenger, five-door minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need sliding doors, maximum passenger and cargo room and no more than three LATCH points.
What's Hot: The only full-size minivan to offer a four-cylinder engine.
What's Not: Four-cylinder available only in base and LE models.
How It Got Its Score: With a solid set of Good ratings across the board, the Sienna's excellent Family Friendliness rating holds as one of the highest we've ever crunched numbers on.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.2

2011 Toyota Sienna LE 4-Cylinder 8-Passenger

What it Is: A seven-passenger, five-door minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need sliding doors, maximum passenger and cargo room and no more than three LATCH points.
What's Hot: The only full-size minivan to offer eight seats and a four-cylinder engine.
What's Not: Many options not available on LE model.
How It Got Its Score: The Sienna scored a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS for its excellent crash test scores. Combined with the Sienna's other strengths you have the most Family Friendly vehicle at Family Car Review.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.5

2011 Toyota Sienna LE V-6 8-passenger

What it Is: An eight-passenger, five-door minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need sliding doors, maximum passenger and cargo room and no more than three LATCH points.
What's Hot: A clever way to store the eight passenger seat without compromising cargo room.
What's Not: 8-passenger seating only available in more expensive models.
How It Got Its Score: The 2011 Toyota Sienna earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick for its excellent crash test scores. Along with its other strong attributes, the Sienna is a very family-friendly minivan.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 9.1

2011 Toyota Sienna LE V-6 All-Wheel Drive

What it Is: A seven-passenger, five-door, all-wheel drive minivan.
Who it's For: Families who need sliding doors, all-wheel drive traction, maximum passenger and cargo room and no more than three LATCH points.
What's Hot: Only minivan with all-wheel drive.
What's Not: All-wheel drive only comes with seven-passenger capacity.
How It Got Its Score: With Good ratings across the board, the Sienna offers up a great score for an all-wheel drive vehicle, although it still lags the rest of the Sienna lineup.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.9