Ford‘s last minivan, the Freestar, left the market in tatters roughly 6 years ago, lagging badly behind the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. For 2011, Ford is back, with a vehicle that couldn’t be more different. The Ford C-Max ditches the Freestar’s antiquated architecture and inefficient V6 for a pair of 4-cylinders, including a 1.6L...
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Although Toyota has been hyping their new Prius MPV for months, Ford‘s announcement of not one, but two hybrid minivans is sure to take the wind out of Toyota’s sails (no pun intended). The C-Max Hybrid and Energi (Ford’s name for the plug-in variant) will be 5-seaters only, and use a lithium-ion battery pack, considered...
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Few people pay attention to minivans, but an interesting sales war is heating up, with what could be Chrysler’s first major sales victory in their post-bailout era. Chrysler‘s Town & Country minivan, which just underwent a pretty substantial refresh, is the leading minivan according to sales data, moving 102,495 units through November. The perennial leader,...
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Talk about a Christmas miracle. A VW Bus that was stolen back in 1974 is finally back with its rightful owner. Michelle Squires had parked her 1964 VW Bus at an upholstery shop in Spokane, WA., back in the 1970s when it was stolen. When the vehicle could not be found, the insurance company eventually...
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If you own a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Caravan, you may want to keep an eye on your mail come February. That’s when Chrysler will begin notifying some 367,000 minivan owners about a recall that involves unwanted airbag deployment. A water leak caused by an improperly applied HVAC hose grommet can cause...
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Mazda‘s diminutive minivan, the Mazda5, is the latest car to fall victim to the recall machine, this time a faulty fuel pump being the culprit. Water that remains in the fuel pump may corrode the electrical connectors for the electrical harness. Should the part fail, the engine may stall and be unable to restart, which...
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It doesn’t take a genius to know that Honda‘s Odyssey is destined to be a brisk seller. As the undisputed king of the minivan segment, the Odyssey is still popular even with an onslaught of new competitors from Chrysler, Dodge, Kia and Toyota. The rest of the lineup isn’t so hot. The Insight is being...
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In the Chinese market, Buick is kind of a big deal. Driven by emperors in pre-Communist times, the brand has carved itself a nice as a premium automaker that’s still accessible to the middle class. Most of their products are carried over from the American market (though built locally), but some, like the GL8 minivan...
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The re-designed Mazda5, the smallest minivan available for sale in North America, will go on sale with a base price of $19,990 starting in January of 2011. The Mazda5 will come in three trim levels, with the base trim being Sport, Touring being the mid-level and Grand Touring acting as a top of the line...
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Even though it’s spawned various stillborn re-incarnations, the VW Microbus may be returning thanks to executives within Volkswagen pushing for a concept that evokes the iconic utility vehicle. Klaus Bischoff, head of design for Volkswagen, stated that the 2001 Microbus concept did not make it to production due to cost factors, but noted there was...
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The Ford Transit Connect XLT has taken off with the commercial vehicle set, and even non-car-loving folks have come to know them for their distinctive shape, calling them “bread vans” or “ice cream trucks”. Ford seems to have finally listened to the internet and produced an honest civilian version of the Transit Connect, and it looks pretty...
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The 2011 Nissan Quest may not be the official holder of the “Swagger Wagon” title, but it looks pretty damn good. On sale in early 2011, the new Quest is a radical departure from the old model, which was as exciting as vegan meatballs. All the usual minivan conveniences are present, like flat-folding seats, power...
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Kia‘s Sedona minivan, an often ignored but solid bargain in the minivan segment, gets a new grille for 2011, along with an upgraded powertrain. The Sedona’s new V6 puts out 271 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque with power being put down through a 6 speed manual transmission. This gives the Sedona a 27 horsepower...
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Chrysler has announced pricing details for their upcoming 200 mid-size car and their Town & Country minivan. Both cars are notable for their upgraded interiors and 3.6L Pentastar V6s, which should make them infinitely more palatable than the vehicles they replace. The 200 will start at $19,995 for the base LX model, with the Touring...
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Ford‘s Windstar minivan is undergoing a massive recall, with over 460,000 1998-2003 Windstars being recalled over a fault rear axle that may corrode and ultimately fail. Ford has informed dealers that rather than fix the problem, they may buy back the vehicles instead. “At our discretion, the remedy we offer may involve repurchasing a customer’s...
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Nissan has released information about a new plug-in sedan set to debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, a vehicle known as the Ellure. No details or photos have been released, but a nice bit of marketing fluff states that “Nissan’s dramatic new-value sedan exploration, the Nissan Ellure, is designed to bring a higher level...
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Most of you are familiar with the Chevrolet Orlando, the minivan touted by Chevrolet as a game-changer that was canned at the last minute for the United States. We were lucky enough to get our first glimpse of the Orlando during its unveiling here in Paris, and it’s actually a bit larger than expected. The...
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Nissan‘s Townpod is a “pure concept”, but we wouldn’t be surprised if something like it ended up debuting from Nissan in the near future. A zero-emissions vehicle designed to meet the needs of young urban buyers (a familiar theme at this year’s show), the Townpod has rear doors that swing like an old Chevrolet Suburban, and the...
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Mitsubishi‘s lineup in the rest of the world is a pretty far cry from the Outlanders, Eclipses and Galants we’re used to in North America. In foreign markets, cars like the i, Colt and Delica can be had instead of the pulse-slowing fare sold here. Mitsubishi apparently planned on bringing their Delica minivan to our...
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BMW will take full advantage of investments in its MINI sub-brand, developing additional models based on those products that will be branded and sold as BMWs. According to a report by Automobile Magazine, the list includes a BMW version of the MINI Clubman and Countryman, as well as both a BMW and a MINI van....
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Chevrolet‘s Orlando micro-van has had its first pictures shown ahead of its debut at the Paris Auto Show. Based on the Cruze platform, the Orlando won’t make it to the United States, but is expected to be a strong seller in world markets, as well as Canada, where the compact minivan market has entries from...
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Chevrolet‘s Orlando compact van was spotted in China nearly uncovered, and looking very similar to the concept that debuted at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. The Orlando doesn’t exactly break new ground in the looks department but its a sharp looking vehicle outside and the interior looks to be carried over from the Cruze compact....
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Volkswagen released the CrossTouran, a pseudo-offroad version of their Touran microvan, for world markets. The CrossTouran joins the CrossPolo and CrossFox in yet another variant for people who want a car just a bit higher off the ground than Volkswagen usually produces. With a raised suspension, special wheels and a new bodykit, the CrossTouran gets...
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Nissan‘s Elgrand luxury van has been on sale in Japan for a number of years, but the latest generation, unveiled yesterday, will finally make it to North America as the newest Nissan Quest. While the two vehicles won’t be identical – sources say that some styling variations will be present both inside and out –...
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