When you have your first child, a lot of things change. Though a sedan can easily fit a baby while still doing commute duty, there’s a whole segment of vehicles that have been designed to make your life easier with a family. Here are 10 features you didn’t know you needed because you, like me, have been avoiding minivans since elementary school.
Built-in vacuum
Honda got together with Shop Vac to do what nobody had done before: Offer a built-in vacuum in its most family-friendly vehicle, the Odyssey minivan. After the collective head slap moment, “Why didn’t we think of this?!” Honda rolled the handy feature out on its range-topping Touring Elite model. It sucks, in a good way. We think it’s an idea that will catch on in the segment, especially since Chrysler is introducing the Stow ’n Vac in the all-new 2017 Pacifica minivan.
Hands-free trunk/hatch opener
Kia has the corner on this one: no kicking, no waving, and no button pushing required. The automaker calls it a Smart Power Liftgate, and all you have to do is stand behind the van to activate it. Sure, power doors and liftgates are handy, but reaching your key fob or pushing a button is still more work when you have half a load of groceries on one side and a baby on the other.
Multiple seating configurations
Some, but not all, vehicles have split folding rear seats. The Honda Fit goes so far as having a Magic Seat, which has a few more configurations than we’re used to. Minivans and a few crossovers take this a step further. Need to hide the third-row seats in the floor for more cargo room? Pull a strap, or push a button. Second row too? Chrysler does it best with Stow ’n Go (the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is shown here). What else can go from hauling a sheet of plywood to picking up the kids and a few of their friends in a few minutes?
An app to answer the question: “Are we there yet?”
We’ve got to hand it to the makers of minivans; they’re thinking of everything. The forthcoming Chrysler Pacifica will have as part of its Uconnect Theater (rear seat entertainment system) a “flight tracking app” that displays a notification letting rear passengers know how far they are from the destination programmed into the navigation.
Rear seat entertainment systems
When I was growing up we strapped one of those portable TVs to the folded second-row seat and plugged it into the 12-volt outlet. Things are quite a bit fancier now, and automakers worth their salt that make minivans offer a built-in entertainment system from the factory. Often, there are even dual screens. DVDs are just the beginning, and most can be hooked up to a game console.
Power! (110-volt, 12-volt, etc.)
Nearly every new car comes with at least one 12-volt outlet, but when you can plug the charger or charging cable you already have directly into the car, that’s handy. USB charging ports have proliferated, and the friendliest family vehicles even have a standard-looking 110-volt outlet.
Power open/close rear doors
These are hardly new, but after years of opening and closing your own doors (sedan owners with families, I’m looking at you), there’s a certain measure of bliss you can experience when you can abdicate this one small responsibility. Imagine getting the kiddo strapped in, the stroller packed, the diaper bag loaded. You get into the driver’s seat, close the door, and realize you left the back doors open: You move your arm, press a button, and enjoy a few seconds of respite while the doors close and you do nothing. Trust me, you NEED this.
A trash bag ring integrated into the center console
How many items per trip does the average child require that create some kind of refuse? Juice box, string cheese, or perhaps some Cheerios? The only thing certain is before you know it, there’s a mess. (Oh, just my car? Hmm…) Those wonderful people who make minivans, namely Honda, have integrated a trash bag ring into the center console situated between the front seats. You don’t have to leave it on the floor to be kicked over or hook it over the front armrest; you just flip it up and attach the bag.
Second-row seats that move fore/aft and side to side
Second-row seats that can move forward, backward, and side to side are perhaps one of the most useful things about minivans. In a sedan or most crossovers, the seats don’t move. Some recline, and in some they more forward and back, but that’s hardly going to help when little Timmy is pestering his sister. Honda calls it “wide-mode” second-row seats, but the idea is simple: You can move the seats around for more room as needed. Move them forward to fit a car seat or sideways to separate the older kiddos.
Driver Easy Speak
What if separating the kids doesn’t help? Toyota has Driver Easy Speak for when you would normally raise your voice to make sure the kids in the way back hear you. In the Sienna minivan, all you do is activate the feature via the touchscreen, and a microphone in the front of the car picks up your voice and transmits it back through the speakers. We wonder how loud you can make it…
Easy access seating
Chrysler is rolling out a handy feature on the 2017 Pacifica that’s sure to win a few hearts: easy access to the third row. If you have a car seat installed in the second row, it’s often hard to maneuver around when trying to reach the third row, but not for future Pacifica owners. Push a button and the seats both slide forward. And the seat cushion tilts, giving you ample room to slide past and reach the seats in the third row. This is as easy as pushing a button too, so your younger children can (in theory) get themselves seated without as much adult supervision.
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