Review and photos by Brendan McAleer, Greg Wilson, Gerry Frechette and Simon Hill
   2013 Minivan Comparison. Click image to enlarge |
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan
2013 Honda Odyssey
2013 Mazda5
2013 Nissan Quest
2013 Toyota Sienna
Introduction, by Brendan McAleer
The open, winding road; serpentine curves of fresh asphalt looping endlessly onwards, apex to apex in a seamless rhythm of… oh forget it. Take a good look around everybody: this is where fun comes to die.
Well, that’s at least what the average auto enthusiast might tell you. Truth is, minivans are all about a different kind of driving pleasure: comfort, space, and features. The guilty little secret every gearhead is too afraid to mention? Most minivans are actually great companions on any road trip you’d like to name, with plenty of room for the kids, their friends, the dog, their bikes, and a goodly amount of Star Wars Lego.
And, dare we say it, more than one of these seven-and-up-seaters is actually moderately fun to drive. No prizes for guessing that the Mazda5’s lightest on its feet, especially when compared with the four other heavy hitters. But how does it balance zoom against room?
The Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna are most likely in the group to be cross-shopped, competing as they do with similar blends of convenience, sizing, resale and available features. On paper, they’re very similar, but the differences are readily apparent once you’re behind the wheel – or in the back seat.
Nissan’s Japanese-built Quest isn’t going to pip the Honda or the Toyota on its way to setting any sales records, but that’s not the point. This huge, somewhat slab-sided van is intended to be a premium purchase, and in the high-spec trim competes for your buying dollar with such a high level of technology you’d expect to find an Infiniti badge on the front.
Dodge’s Grand Caravan rounds out the group as both the epitome of the segment, and a different take on it. This is your traditional value choice, although our tester comes with an impressive suite of technology. Chrysler can safely lay claim to having invented the minivan segment: with more families moving towards crossover purchases, can Dodge tempt buyers back?
A minivan isn’t just basic A to B transportation. It’s going to be your family’s living room on wheels – so which one is the best?
5th Place: 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan, by Greg Wilson
    2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. Click image to enlarge |
One of these minivans had to come in last, but how could it be Canada’s bestselling minivan? For starters, our tester was not the bargain-priced SE Canada Value Package base model that starts under $20,000, but a very well-optioned Crew Plus trim with an as-tested price of over $46,000 – that eliminated any major price advantage it might have had.
While the well-equipped Crew Plus did get high marks for interior styling and feature content – it included such luxuries as heated steering wheel, rear climate controls, second- and third-row video screens, and premium stereo with navigation – we found the quality of cabin materials underwhelming.
We loved the idea of Chrysler’s exclusive fold-under-the-floor second row Stow ‘N Go bucket seats, but they’re not easy to stow and we found them narrower and less comfortable to sit in than the other vans’ second-row seats. We liked that the power-operated third-row seats fold under the floor with the touch of a button, but they’re so hard and uncomfortable to sit in that we couldn’t wait to get out of them. Babies might be happier though: we were able to install our sample child seat in the second and third row outboard seats without much trouble.
In terms of storage solutions, the Grand Caravan was our favourite: its clever centre storage bin with slide-out rear bin and cupholders, dual gloveboxes, overhead storage bins, and numerous cubby holes and cupholders are perfect for parents with school-age children; and as a weekend moving van, the Grand Caravan’s Stowed ‘N Gone seats provide a flat cargo floor without having to lift the seats out of the van and stow them in the garage. As well, its power-sliding rear doors and power tailgate make it easier to move in and out of the van, particularly when hands are full with parcels, groceries (or babies).
Where the Grand Caravan really lost points with our testers was in the driving experience. Yes, we know minivans are not designed to be fun to drive, but compared to the other vans in this test, the Grand Caravan is the antithesis of fun. Even though it has the most powerful V6 engine, the engine sound is coarse and the six-speed automatic transmission is sometimes indecisive. The ride is comfortable but the chassis feels dated. Brake pedal feel is spongy. Most of all, steering feel is inordinately heavy and dull: the Grand Caravan scored the lowest in our Easy to Drive and Ease of Parking categories even though it has a rearview camera and rear parking sensors.
    2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. Click image to enlarge |
We did like the Grand Caravan’s optional Blind Spot and Cross Path Detection systems, particularly the latter, which proved useful when backing out of a parking space where visibility was limited by the car parked beside us.
But the overall driving experience contributed to the Grand Caravan recording the lowest score under the Emotional Appeal category. Over the day that we drove the Grand Caravan, its onboard fuel economy display showed the highest average fuel consumption of 14.9 L/100 km; a more accurate figure is probably the official EPA rating of 11.8 L/100 km combined, but that’s still more than the EPA ratings for the other vans in this test.
Overall, we think the appeal of the Grand Caravan is inversely proportional to its price: for $20,000, the base model is a heck of a deal; for $46,000 you might want to look at some of the other minivans in this comparison test.
Pricing: 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew Plus
Base price (Crew Plus): $30,995
Options: $10,245
Freight: $1,595
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $42,935
4th Place: 2013 Mazda5, by Gerry Frechette
   2013 Mazda5. Click image to enlarge |
When I first saw the list of minivans we would be comparing, and saw that the Mazda5 was on it, I thought to myself, well, this should be interesting. Here is a small people mover, based on a compact car platform, and the only attributes it shared with the full-size vans, beyond the general concept and architecture, was that it had three rows of seats and sliding doors. In that sense, the ‘5 has always been something of a niche vehicle for Mazda, and if you changed the sliding doors to hinged ones, there would be lots of similarly sized competition for it.
The Mazda5 would be competing for attention and good impressions with four full-size minivans that are much larger in every way (space, luxury, engine, weight, price….), and for it to come out on top of such a comparison test, it would have to minimize the downside of its inherent shortcomings, while making a big impression with the benefits of its more diminutive dimensions. It did much of the latter, but not so much of the former.
Let’s deal with the good news first. Of the 27 judged characteristics in the comparison, the Mazda5 won nine of them, second only to the Nissan Quest. Most of them had to do with it being a compact car, essentially, with a dose of Mazda zoom-zoom sportiness thrown in. It was judged to be easiest to drive and park, as well as having the best handling, steering and brakes. Had it not won these categories, it would have been a major upset victory for the big minivan that did.
Interestingly, the Mazda5 scored best in sightlines, or how easy it was for the driver to see out of the vehicle. No doubt, the extremities of the vehicle being a lot closer to said driver’s eyeballs was an advantage, as was the lower beltline of the body. We knew going in that the ‘5 was going to win on observed fuel efficiency, it being much lighter and powered by a four-cylinder engine, and on price, and it surprised nobody that it also won on that most subjective of factors, Emotional Appeal. This little people-mover zips around and is about as much fun to drive as one can expect such a vehicle to be. And that is with the automatic transmission; go with the six-speed manual, and the enthusiast with a family could be quite entertained by this car, with kids in the back.
And then there is the bad news. The Mazda5 scored lowest in the most categories in the test, fully 11 out of the 27. Again, most of them had to do with it being a compact car, up against full-size minivans with large V6 engines. Nearly all the “worsts” were incurred inside the ‘5. In the context of it being a compact car, maybe some of these would have been overlooked as shortcomings, but as a small minivan, it was up against a different benchmark.
Frankly, the interior of the ‘5, even in its GT version with leather and all the convenience items, just didn’t compare with the features, luxury or functionality of the bigger vehicles. Obviously, it was going to be the most difficult for an adult to access the third-row seat, it was going to have the least cabin space and storage, and it wasn’t likely to have the ride comfort or good NVH levels of a vehicle weighing a thousand pounds more. But its small dimensions should have had nothing to do with it having been judged as having the least comfortable front seats (tied with Dodge, and due to lack of under-thigh support, it says here), its audio system being the least melodious, and child seat installation being the most difficult.
    2013 Mazda5. Click image to enlarge |
Having said that, the third-row seats folded flat with no hassle, leaving a useful cargo area for such a small car. Those folding seats, actually sat in, were not a place an adult would want to spend a long trip, being basically flat and hard in both cushion and backrest, and with no more room around them than one would expect.
Is the Mazda5 a poor choice as a minivan? Certainly not. But the prospective owner of one must put it into perspective, one that says that it is, for better or worse, a smaller vehicle than a traditional minivan. If the size is right, then the Mazda5 has a lot of good things going for it, with only a few exceptions not attributable to its compact car origins.
Pricing: 2013 Mazda5 GT
Base price (GT): $24,805
Options: $2,990 (5-speed auto – $1,200, Moonroof – $895, Luxury Package – $895)
A/C tax: $100
Freight: $1,795
Price as tested: $29,690
3rd Place: 2013 Nissan Quest, by Simon Hill
   2013 Nissan Quest. Click image to enlarge |
There are two ways to earn a mid-pack score: one is to be solidly average, and the other is to shine brightly in some categories while bombing in others. If you think the Nissan Quest must be solidly average, then clearly you’re looking at the wrong photos.
While other minivans can be hard to tell apart, the Quest is unabashedly unique. And although the Quest’s styling didn’t earn much love from our testers, it does provide a certain distinctiveness: with only 94 Quests sold in Canada in first quarter of 2013 you’re unlikely to lose your steed amongst lookalikes in the parking lot as you might with the über-popular Grand Caravan.
While the Quest may be overlooked by buyers, its designers didn’t overlook any interior details, especially in our test van’s LE trim. In this guise the Quest gets perforated leather upholstery, power front seats, navigation system, a DVD entertainment system with 11-inch second-row screen, six-speaker Bose audio system, Around View 360-degree parking monitor, blind spot warning system, and a whole lot more. Our van also had a front and rear moonroof package.
It isn’t just abundant features that make the Quest luxurious, but the quality of the materials, with soft-touch surfaces, chrome accents, rich woodgrain trims and a sweepingly curved dash that would look at home in an Infiniti. So while the Quest received bottom marks for its exterior styling it got top marks inside.
In practical matters the Quest earned its mid-pack scores honestly. Its second and third row seats can’t do fancy tricks like disappearing into the floor, but simply fold forward to provide a flat, somewhat raised cargo space. The disadvantage here is that you lose some cargo capacity due to the space the seats occupy, but the advantages are many: First it means folding the seats is easier than in other minivans. Second it means the hidden under-floor bin behind the third row won’t need clearing out to stow the rearmost seats. Finally, it allows all the rear seats to be genuinely comfortable, though it should be noted that the Quest is only available as a seven-passenger van, with a pair of captain’s chairs in the centre row rather than a bench.
    2013 Nissan Quest. Click image to enlarge |
Proof of the Quest’s comfort came at lunchtime, when the decision as to which van to take was unanimous: the Quest. On the downside, the middle-row captain’s chairs proved a tight fit for our child seat, contributing to a second-lowest score in this category.
On the road the Quest corners adequately but feels decidedly softer and mushier than its rivals, landing it at the bottom for handling (it makes up for this on straight highways where it’s very quiet and refined). Power is from a 260-hp 3.5L V6 that’s hooked up to a sublimely smooth Xtronic CVT automatic and hustles the 2,072-kg Quest from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds. Rated fuel economy is 11.0 / 8.0 L/100 km (city/highway), and our observed economy was 14.2 L/100 km.
Our Quest had power side and rear doors, which are convenient but beeped annoyingly during operation, and it scored badly in terms of sightlines due to its thick A-pillars. Its overall size can make it challenging to drive around town, but its tight turning radius and impressive Around View cameras made parking easier than most.
 2013 Nissan Quest. Click image to enlarge |
Luxury doesn’t come cheap, and the Quest was the most expensive van in our test. It can be had in base S trim with 16-inch steel wheels, cloth seats and a basic four-speaker audio system for $31,748 including destination fees, but our van’s total as-tested price was the highest of the bunch at $51,048 destination in, which is steep for a family hauler, even if it’s a particularly luxurious take on the concept.
Pricing: 2013 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE
Base price (LE): $46,998
Options: $2,300 (Moonroof, tri-coat paint)
Freight: $1,750
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $51,048
2nd Place: 2013 Honda Odyssey, Brendan McAleer
   2013 Honda Odyssey. Click image to enlarge |
Here it is, the runaway winner of our Minivan comparison test. In second place. Wait, what?
It’s a happy accident that the Odyssey was parked smack dab in the middle of our five minivans for our photos. Where each one of its competitors might fit a certain archetype, the Honda is sort of a blend of attributes, an all-rounder. Simon Hill also dubbed it “the handsome one”, and it has to be said that it looks pretty good. Y’know, for a van.
You expect a good minivan to be a jack-of-all-trades – flexibility is key to the segment. Why then the second-place showing? Simple, adjusting for cost. Many of the Odyssey’s advantages over its arch-rival Sienna come as a result of the former’s high-spec Touring trim. Yes, the Honda has a much nicer interior than the mouse-furred Toyota, but there are fourteen thousand reasons why such is the case.
Leaving the price factor out of it, the Odyssey is both my personal choice and recommendation. When my neighbours approached me to get some pointers on replacing their elderly VW with a seven-seater to haul around their offspring and visiting parents, it was the first machine I mentioned – after three hours of trying to talk them into a brown manual diesel Golf wagon, naturally.
The Odyssey scored well on interior quality, fit and finish, overall comfort and ergonomics. It didn’t quite have the gee-whiz factor of the Quest’s gizmos, nor the Sienna’s exemplary second and third row comfort for adult passengers, but was still solidly mid-pack in terms of cargo area and is very kid-friendly. I found a Lego mini-fig underneath the middle row of seats, but sadly our editors would not allow me to award bonus points.
It seems patently absurd to talk about handling and general steering feel in the vehicular equivalent of Mom Jeans, but the Odyssey actually does well. The 248-hp six-cylinder isn’t as strong-feeling as either the surprisingly quick Grand Caravan or the Sienna’s tire-smoking V6, but is certainly up to the task of hauling cargo around, and returned decent fuel economy. Transmission shifts from the six-speed auto are nearly as smooth as the Quest’s CVT – it should be noted that the transmission has historically been an Achilles’ heel for the otherwise bulletproof Honda.
Other negatives? Aside from the spendy nature of Odysseys in general – none of the Japanese manufacturers do a solid “cheap” van like Dodge can – the non-folding middle row of seats were a problem. Attempting to convert the van to maximum cargo mode involved removing the seats (a hassle), and upon re-installing them a latch didn’t quite click: the seat subsequently flopped forward hard under heavy braking.
    2013 Honda Odyssey. Click image to enlarge |
Overall though, the Odyssey felt like an excellent choice, and if you don’t want to sell one of your kids off for medical experimentation to afford the $48,830 pricetag, then a used one is a great buy. It’s the one I’d pick for my family if someone forced me to buy a minivan. Which nobody is doing. And thank goodness for that.
Pricing: 2013 Honda Odyssey Touring
Base Price (Touring): $47,190
Options: none
Freight: $1640
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $48,930
1st place: 2013 Toyota Sienna, by Greg Wilson
   2013 Toyota Sienna. Click image to enlarge |
When we first added up the raw scores, the Odyssey was in first place, followed closely by the surprisingly likable Quest, and then the Sienna. But after adjusting for our price factor, the Sienna took first just ahead of the Odyssey, relegating the pricey Quest to third.
Odyssey and Quest enthusiasts may feel cheated, but value for money is a key purchasing factor for young families (the majority buyers of minivans) and we think our weighting for price is appropriate in this class. With an as-tested price of $34,640 after Freight and PDI, the 2013 Sienna LE V6 is some $14,000 cheaper than the Odyssey Touring model and over $16,000 less than the Quest SE. You could buy another car with the difference! Would a pricier Sienna have pulled out the win? Or a more economical Odyssey still endear itself to our judges? Would you like to see a rematch with equally priced Sienna and Odyssey? Let us know in the comments.
True, the Sienna LE V6 isn’t as well equipped as the Odyssey Touring and Quest SE, but its standard equipment list included most things minivan buyers are looking for: a powerful V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, removable second-row captain’s chairs with a removable centre seat (bringing total seating capacity to eight); power sliding rear doors with remote key-fob activation; front and rear climate controls; wireless Bluetooth phone and audio streaming; satellite radio; rearview camera; remote keyless entry, power locks and power windows, and seven airbags.
Despite rather pedestrian dash plastics and plain interior styling, the Sienna impressed us with its roomy cabin, low step-in height and extra wide rear sliding doors. The standard cloth front captain’s chairs are comfy and well positioned and the second row captain’s chairs offer particularly generous legroom, although some reviewers didn’t like the inclined angle of the seat cushions. As well as being removable, the second-row chairs slide fore and aft and feature a folding ‘clamshell’ design that allows easy access to the third row. The third row seats proved to be the most comfortable of all the minivan seats we tested. As well, the Sienna proved the easiest van in which to install our child seat in the second and third rows.
   2013 Toyota Sienna. Click image to enlarge |
Cargo space behind the split third row seats is spacious and the rear seats tumble easily under the floor. The rear hatch opening is huge yet the liftgate is surprisingly light.
Behind the wheel, the Sienna LE V6 impressed us with its easy-to-drive manner, solid handling, comfortable ride, easy steering, and surprising maneuverability – especially for such a big, imposing vehicle. Its powerful 266-hp V6 engine has no trouble moving the Sienna out of harm’s way – although some testers thought the initial throttle tip-in was too sensitive. Its six-speed automatic transmission delivers seamless shifts.
Our observed fuel economy of 13.6 L/100 km was mid-pack for the day, but a more accurate estimate is the EPA combined rating of 11.2 L/100 km.
Though it’s not the most luxurious, quietest, or finely crafted minivan in our test, the Sienna LE V6 holds the middle ground in most respects without any major faults that could turn off potential buyers. The clincher is its relatively affordable price, $34,640 destination in, a very good price for a V6-powered, eight-passenger Toyota minivan.
Pricing: 2013 Toyota Sienna LE V6
Base Price (LE V6): $32,905
Options: none
Freight: $1,635
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $34,640
