Comparison Test: 2006 Minivans

If there's an ever-changing segment of the automotive industry, it's the family-friendly world of minivans. In the 29 months since our last hard look at the segment, it has completely turned itself over. The Kia Sedona and Honda Odyssey have been overhauled, while the Nissan Quest and Chrysler Town & Country have been given thorough once-overs. To see which is the king of the modern mommy-mobiles, we brought the four together, along with the winner of the 2004 comparison test, the Toyota Sienna.

Each of the five vans packs a V6 engine, an automatic transmission and two power-sliding doors. Since the Sienna is the only one of the five available with all-wheel drive, we asked for one so equipped. The other four vans are front-wheel drive.

As tested, prices ranged from $31,595 for the Kia to $43,523 for the Toyota. Both the Nissan and the Honda showed up with the expensive run-flat-tire option which didn't do their sticker prices any favors. At $38,125, the Chrysler was cheaper than both.

The wringer
Despite their accommodating intent, these vehicles are the products of ruthless competition for loyalty and dollars, each manufacturer vying for dominance by trying to out-convenience, out-versatility, out-feature, and lately, out-coddle one another.

So in addition to our usual test battery of acceleration, handling and braking, we lived with all five minivans for three weeks, filling them with the screaming kids and screaming adults of our daily lives. We crept in L.A. traffic to and from the office, and exercised them on hours-long trips through the mountains. Last, we evaluated their composure in swallowing and hauling a load of cargo and five passengers over a driving route consisting of freeway travel, rough surface streets and urban city roads.

Here's how they finished.

Originator of the breed
To get a flavor of the unique "Stow 'n Go" fold-flat second row seating, a feature introduced in 2005, we tested a long-wheelbase Chrysler Town & Country dressed in the top-tier Limited trim level.

Twin to the Dodge Caravan, the Town & Country is the elder statesman of the pack. With the explosive growth of the segment it created, the Town & Country has seen incremental revisions in an attempt to keep pace with its younger rivals. Despite riding on the same fundamental platform that debuted nearly 10 years ago, the Chrysler has enjoyed tremendous popularity over the years. Stow 'n Go in particular is an ingenious system, allowing a flat floor without the hassle of removing the second-row seats. Doubling as storage, Stow 'n Go can ingest more cargo than any other minivan we tested. A heart transplant wouldn't hurt, as the Town & Country's four-speed automatic transmission and 215-horsepower engine turned in the weakest performance of all.

Ultimately, the Town & Country's ongoing updates and innovative seating aren't enough to hide the fact that it's a relic from a bygone era. It is simply outclassed by the rest.

Livin' in style
/The Quest's nontraditional approach to the world of minivans has historically polarized opinions. For 2007, Nissan revamped the Quest with a new interior and an updated features list.

Screw the minivan stereotype. Nissan wants to change the long-standing notion that minivans are bland appliances for bland people. This approach is obvious from its daring exterior styling, and the Quest's new interior offers a unique blend of ambience and elbow room. Driving enthusiasts in particular will appreciate the Quest's behavior at the helm, strong performance numbers from its 235-hp power plant notwithstanding.

Although the 2007 Quest 3.5 SE we tested is dynamically strong and has a sharp style, it still needs to function as a minivan. A few shortcomings like a one-piece third-row seat, limited cargo capacity and crummy seats were dings it couldn't quite recover from. As such, the better versatility of its stiff competition at the front of our rankings left the Quest fighting for scraps.

Looking down the barrel of four guns
Toyota's Sienna is left to do battle with these upstarts armed with the same basic platform that topped our finishing order in 2004. It was all-new back then, and the second-generation Toyota Sienna enters 2006 with a face-lift and revisions to its standard equipment.

More than just a basic minivan, the 215-hp Sienna excels at mixing practicality and feature content. Long trips bring out the best in the Sienna, providing high levels of comfort in all three rows, a spacious standard cargo area, and a fluid, accommodating ride. The Sienna is the only minivan offered with all-wheel drive, and although it didn't help its scoring in our dry, warm Southern California climate, it offers snowbirds an extra degree of security.

Our Sienna XLE AWD Limited tester has a lot to offer and continues to play a strong role as the do-gooder of the bunch, but its high price kept it out of 1st place. The standard of the segment is an ever-moving target.

New kid, familiar name
Kia's Sedona arrived this year as an all-new model, available in LX or EX trims. For this comparison test we included our long-term EX model, which offers more standard equipment and options than the LX model but is otherwise similar.

Full of surprises, acceleration from the 244-hp 3.8-liter V6 was tops in this crowd, and the Sedona's stopping power was equally reassuring, requiring the shortest length of road. The Sedona doesn't trade practicality for performance either, and its feature content is comprehensive.

What really tipped the scoring scales in the Sedona's favor, though, was its low sticker price. Combined with consistently good, if not chart-topping, evaluation scores, the Sedona was armed with a recipe for a competitive result.

With its stout value, strong performance and impressive warranty, the larger and better-equipped 2006 Sedona pulled out a 2nd-place finish.

The other new kid with an even more familiar name
Honda introduced a fresh Odyssey in 2005, replacing the outgoing model we ranked in 2nd place in our 2004 comparison test. Our test Odyssey was a top-of-the-line Touring with navigation, which is, like the other minivans here, the most deluxe model available.

The price of doing business in the minivan segment is to be all things to all people, and no other minivan came close to the Odyssey in meeting that challenge. Viewed from any perspective, be it ease of use, comfort, performance or utility, the Odyssey was at or near the top of the rankings. Plenty of cargo space, clever touches and the reassurance of 244 hp don't hurt either. Honda nailed it with this one.

The Odyssey has been a strong contender in the past, and based on our experience with a 2005 long-term tester, our expectations were high. The 2006 model delivered. With an interior that would make a Bentley blush and road manners not found in many sedans, the Odyssey claims the top spot.

The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.