No kids. This is for carrying cargo on trips and for her dog shows. She wants to carry stuff and crates, so the back seats would most fore be removed or stowed.

She drives 50,000 miles a year more or less. Yes.

I see there are 4 options. She has them in two tiers (as do I)
Given the huge number of miles this thing will get while we oem it, reliability and longevity is consideration 1, and cargo capacity and ease of use of interior space is number2. She likes some accessories and such but we're not impressed by gadgets and tech that adds excessive cost for little relative gain.

Right now we are looking Honda sand Toyota, with Kia and Chrysler being second tier options. We're just less sure of the long term reliability of the latter 2 and she's not a huge fan of stuff she heard about the Kia on safety for some reason.

I personally prefer the tried and true Honda v6 and 10 speed drive train but the Toyota hybrid efficiency intrigued me. The fact that it uses a CVT as part of it is a concern.

Anyone have any experience with recent models with an opinion to offer, and is there a central texas Honda or Toyota dealer with a damn? I absolutely hate having my time wasted by a dealer playing games, and will pay a fair margin for efficient and competent service.

We shuttled two great danes around quite a bit in a a 2011 Sienna. But not in crates.

Not sure how big your pups are but if medium sized or smaller I think you'd be fine with a Toyota. Plus you'll have climate control in a minivan and not sure if that is offered on cargo vans.

Minivans are loud though...its a giant echo chamber behind the drivers seat.

If you decide correctly and want a Sienna I have a Toyota contact with no games and good pricing

aggiepaintrain@gmail.com

Ford transit trail….

Did some research and I am actually pretty impressed with the engineering in Toyota's design. The way they have done It seems generally mechanically simple and reliable. I think the only concern we would have is how fast we might wear out the battery pack considering we very well could drive off the warranty in 3 years, but it is a smaller battery unit compared to an EV so in theory shouldn't cost nearly as much to replace.

Deadpool doesn't like the Odyssey.

I wouldn't worry too much about the battery. Toyota's hybrid batteries tend to last a long, long time. There are a surprising number of 15+ year old Priuses (Priuii?) out there with 300k miles still running on the original battery.

If you start thinking a sprinter type van would work for you, I have one for sale.

Dr. Nefario said:

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I wouldn't worry too much about the battery. Toyota's hybrid batteries tend to last a long, long time. There are a surprising number of 15+ year old Priuses (Priuii?) out there with 300k miles still running on the original battery.

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I bought my sisters 08 Highlander Hybrid for my son to drive. 300k and still original battery.

MouthBQ98 said:

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Did some research and I am actually pretty impressed with the engineering in Toyota's design. The way they have done It seems generally mechanically simple and reliable. I think the only concern we would have is how fast we might wear out the battery pack considering we very well could drive off the warranty in 3 years, but it is a smaller battery unit compared to an EV so in theory shouldn't cost nearly as much to replace.

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In general battery packs are lasting far longer than anyone ever guessed they would.

One thing to note, I don't believe you can fully remove the 2nd row chairs in the Sienna and Carnival. The 2nd row seats can move forward and stow a bit against the front seats, but they're not designed to be removed.

2nd row on the Odyssey can be removed, but doesn't leave a flat load floor due to the magic seat sliding mechanism.

The Pacifica stow and go on the non-hybrid does leave a completely flat load floor with all seats stowed. I believe you can physically remove the 2nd row on the hybrid but you lose the stow and go feature.

Ford Transit with a 3.2L Power Stroke I-5 Diesel

Yep, something we considered. Wife likes the low entry height of minivans for loading and unloading stuff and critters. I can remove the second row seats the hard way if needed. I will likely install a custom plywood floor in the back with some outdoor carpet on it as a level floor to prevent wear and tear and only add seats back in in the rare event she plans to carry passengers.

We looked at the heavier vans but she would start to lean to another full size suv instead.

Doug Collins said:

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One thing to note, I don't believe you can fully remove the 2nd row chairs in the Sienna and Carnival. The 2nd row seats can move forward and stow a bit against the front seats, but they're not designed to be removed.

2nd row on the Odyssey can be removed, but doesn't leave a flat load floor due to the magic seat sliding mechanism.

The Pacifica stow and go on the non-hybrid does leave a completely flat load floor with all seats stowed. I believe you can physically remove the 2nd row on the hybrid but you lose the stow and go feature.

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Kia second row bench is fully and easily removable. Captain/VIP chairs not so. 3rd row is stow and go.

The odyssey does not have rear ceiling ac vents. Common complaint. Doggo may be a bit toasty in the summer. Was a definite no go with the kiddos.

The 25 carnival has substantially improved crash ratings in the test it previously did not do well. And pre-25 there were differences by trim where the prestige was also better (trim specific tests not available for the 25s yet). These things absolutely are the reason I went new rather than used and was the deciding factor when debating between sx and sx prestige. But if you want no bells and whistles you probably won't even consider the sx or prestige.

I haven't looked into it much but apparently recent ratings put the carnival head to head if not slightly edging out Toyota and/or Honda in reliability. And they do have a hybrid now available.

Been through a half dozen minivans between me and the extended family. Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, and Kia.

I'd go sienna hybrid without hesitation due to comfort and reliability. The Chrysler would be second fwiw.

Paintrain will take care of you.

Have a 21 Odyssey with 60k on the clock and it has served us well. Folks have complaints about the ac, but that has not been an issue for us (knock on wood). The V6 pairs nicely with the 10 speed making it surprisingly decent to drive. On road trips we're getting hand calculated 24mpg going 80-85, around town with school duties it's 16-17. The "magic slide" seats in the second row will keep us in an Odyssey should we stick with a minivan when the time comes to replace our 21.

While we are in NC, I have heard good things about Gunn Honda in San Antonio. Got a quote from them in 2020 and they were competitive.

Good luck with the search!

No experience with the 2025 updates/changes, but we have a 2024 Carnival and it has been awesome so far

1agswitchin4lanes said:

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Ford transit trail….

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Ford Transit Connect?

(NM. I just saw that have been discontinued)

This is like your wife saying she's serious about a threesome with her hot single girlfriend, make it happen as quickly as you can or you'll be stuck in a monogamous Tahoe

Nah, she's been talking about it for like 2 years but now she's actually pushing me to gather info and go look. She is getting concerned she is going to drive the Expy into the ground.

Avoid the odyssey. We were long standing Odyssey owners and they have become too heavy for the suspensions they have. Last version we owned (2020) chewed through tires like nobody's business and they couldn't keep it aligned. Honda mechanic confessed they see a ton with that issue.

We switched to the Sienna hybrid (2024) and I'm not a huge fan of it, but it drives well enough even though it is kind of a rattle trap. It seems reliable enough. Never worry about the start/stop function with one either so my wife likes that.

Quote:

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I personally prefer the tried and true Honda v6 and 10 speed drive train but the Toyota hybrid efficiency intrigued me. The fact that it uses a CVT as part of it is a concern.

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It's not the metal band CVT you're thinking of, it's the eCVT transaxle

Yep, I did some research on it, it is pretty cool design.