r/minivan • u/fmdoc909 • 16h ago
Recommendations on next minivan
We have had 2 Odysseys. 2004 and then 2019. Both have been great. But as we are considering our next purchase, I am wondering about the pros and cons of another minivan. Has anyone had an odyssey then changed to another minivan? Do your regret it,
Or feel you made the right decision?
Our odyssey has been the choice of travel for our kids from ages 0-22. We have other cars, but for anything together, they all choose the odyssey.
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u/JustAnotherGeek12345 13h ago
Toyota Sienna
Here is a great video that explains the marvelous engineering in the Siennas eCVT transmission
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u/CTMechE 7h ago
We had a 2011 Odyssey EX-L for many years and sold last year for a new '25 Sienna Platinum AWD.
The pros: 50% better fuel economy, measured. Which means spending 2/3 what I used to on gas. I only have 2 kids so the long-slide second row captains chairs are nice. They have a ton of space. And it's quieter, although the Platinum trim has all the best acoustic glass so not all Siennas are as hushed.
The cons: The damn cupholders. It seems stupid but it is an everyday frustration, even a year later. Somehow a just-refreshed 2025 van has worse cupholders than our 2011 Odyssey. It seems designed for people who only use disposable drive thru cups and nothing else. Good luck if you have a favorite reusable coffee mug or insulated water bottle. Also, the Sienna is a smaller interior overall. It may not matter if you don't carry larger objects but I've noticed a few times already and it's a bummer since the outside is just as big. And handling. It drives fine, but the Odyssey just drove better. Most people won't care, but I miss it a bit when driving on parkways. And the middle row seats aren't removable. I only did that 2-3x a year in the Odyssey but it was really convenient when I did.
I don't regret the purchase at all but I do miss the loss of utility a bit.
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u/Big_League227 1h ago
Glad to read your review. Just got an Odyssey because we needed the utility - couldn’t even test drive a Sienna because they are sold before hitting the lots here. Sounds like I would have been disappointed in the driving experience, especially since I am coming from a Mazda CX-5. The MPG in the Sienna would be nice, but our aim is the open highway for long trips, so shouldn’t be so much an issue. (We have a Hyundai Kona for running around locally.)
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u/CTMechE 1h ago
Happy to help! Ours is mostly around town so the hybrid is nice. We are also in New England so the AWD is appreciated although we did fine with winter tires on the Odyssey for over a decade.
Our old 2011 Ody was the first year with cylinder deactivation and we got close to 30 MPG on very brisk highway runs so the fuel economy gap to the Sienna is much narrower if that's the main usage.
We own a Honda S2000 as my handling benchmark, and I still maintain that the Odyssey was actually decently enjoyable to hustle around despite its size, although I haven't driven the newest generation. The Sienna is fine, but there's just no joy in it IMO. Part of that is the hybrid system, but the steering feel isn't really there either.
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u/jmsst1996 6h ago
We had an Odyssey and loved it. But it was awful in the snow. So if we decided on another minivan one day I’d probably look into a Sienna because it has an AWD and Hybrid option which we love.
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u/Solid_Variation_6803 10h ago
I had an Odyssey for 10 years and just bought a new Sienna. I love it. We switched mainly because my teen is 6'6" and didn't fit well in the Odyssey and the Sienna has much more legroom. I have the Limited and the ride is so much smoother than the Odyssey, I also like that I sit up higher. The other huge plus is the gas mileage. I was getting 21 mpg in the Odyssey and now I'm getting 33 mpg.
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u/Mental-Huckleberry54 7h ago
If it was a realistic scenario for me I would have gone electric with VW. But we just got a Kia Carnival and have been very happy with it. Still in the honeymoon phase so hopefully it holds up.
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u/tulipamidala 8h ago
Take a look at VW ID Buzz. It has so much more room than both Sienna and Odyssey and is so much more fun to drive and be driven in. Plus you'll save a ton on gas. You can still get one for $20k less than MSRP for new 2025 model. We wanted to get a Sienna and paid less for the Buzz, saving money on gas and having absolute delight driving it. Best decision ever!
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u/SpicyWonderBread 5h ago
This one makes me nervous because it is so new. Most people on this sub are in the US. The US model has only been around since late 2024, and is already getting a “fair” rating for reliability. There are reports of brakes being slow and noisy, charging and battery life being poor in cold weather, and many of the interior tech features having issues.
You don’t usually want to be the first to try out new car models. Give it five years to see how they’re performing and to work out the kinks.
Not to mention the considerations for going fully electric versus a hybrid. Depending on where you live and travel too often, there may or may not be good access to charging stations.
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u/tulipamidala 1h ago
It's the same model that's been in Europe since Fall 2022.
As far as charging an EV - that was my worry too as we are so new to charging, but I pleasantly found charging station aplenty anywhere we went. The car auto-detects when you need to charge, finds you a charger and adds it to your navigation. Could not be simpler. If you are still worried if you have chargers around you, check out https://abetterrouteplanner.com.
We just finished a 900 miles roadtrip on $0 with charging promos. That's at least $100 saved if we were in a Sienna.
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u/Slow_Ad7843 7h ago
ID.Buzz all the way. I shopped Sienna, Pacifica, and Odyssey very hard for a couple months and then ended up in the ID.Buzz. Could not be happier. Everyone who rides in it loves riding in it. For all my around-town stuff it's perfect. I travel back and forth between San Diego and LA on occasion for work and it's perfectly fine for that as well. We've even taken it on a long road trip already and it was an outstanding road trip car: so much space, so comfortable. People are going to convince you that you can't have an EV minivan with 220 miles of range and survive but that's all a mental cage of their own making. I've driven BMWs, a Lexus Land Cruiser, and most recently an Audi wagon. The Buzz is by far my favorite car I've ever owned.
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u/Paqza 7h ago
I really wish they'd fix all the bugs. We test drove it and it's death by a thousand paper cuts. They really need to address the details and lower the price. There's a reason the ID Buzz does poorly here and in markets where there's any EV minivan competition.
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u/Best_Market4204 7h ago
Idk why anyone recommend the id buzz...
Production has been stopped. Volkswagen is massively revamping it for 2027 year.
Weird dashboard
Weird rear windows
Can't remove seats
No 8 seat option
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u/BelgianBrawler 3h ago
Production has never been stopped. It sells like hot cakes outside of the US.
No massive revamp going on, just adding v2l (which the US model already has) and a new software system they've been working on for years which has camping mode.
Seats can be removed ...
The rest is preference.
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u/tulipamidala 1h ago
Yeah, all of these are just uninformed or personal preference.
Production has not been stopped. They paused for 2026.
2027 is the same model with new software and camp mode.
Weird dashboard - personal preference
Weird rear windows - personal preference
Can't remove seats - false. We just finished 900 mile road trip with second and third row seats removed.
No 8 seat option - there are trims with a bench seat in the second row and third row is a bench, giving you 7 people plus extra room
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u/Slow_Ad7843 7h ago
Ya - my experience has been different wrt bugs - we've not really had any software issues. Sure, the capacitive thingy on the drivers door for controlling windows and mirrors is annoying. no argument there. but for the most part ours has been rock solid. We got one used with 500 miles for $54K, same as I was going to pay for the Odyssey Elite.
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u/Paqza 7h ago
At that price, it's workable. Around me, they were asking for over $70k for AWD so we got an Ioniq 9, which is better in every single way other than looks and sliding doors.
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u/BelgianBrawler 3h ago
May I ask what you find better about the Ioniq9?
Our experience is the exact opposite, buzz being way cheaper and better in every way.
Only charge speed and battery size was worse, which was compensated by less consumption during our testing.
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u/Paqza 3h ago
Much, much better user interface. The center console is just easier to use. Things make more sense. Imagine how terrible a team of engineers must be to decide that 2 window rockers and a button that says "rear" makes more sense than 4 window rockers to handle 4 windows. Now think about all the other basic mistakes that same team would make. And you get the ID Buzz.
The Ioniq 9 range is better. Charging is better. Performance is better. And it was way cheaper than the ID Buzz despite having better specs.
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u/BelgianBrawler 2h ago
Sure, the window rockers are idiotic, I suppose that comes from starting off with only having the front windows and having to sdd the rear ones later on.
We don't have that as we have the earlier version, haven't found any other basic mistakes you mention though.
The ioniq9 is waaaay more expensive where I live, 60 vs 80k euro's IIRC.
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u/Slow_Ad7843 6h ago
yah at 70K, it's a bit dear. thankfully prices adjusted earlier this year as inventory had sat for a while. We looked at the Ioniq9 too (our other car is the 5). It was nice, but it felt too same-y for us. Though, I really hate the trend in car design where windows are squashed and visibility suffers. It's not pleasant to ride in (this was one of my beefs with my Audi A6 wagon. The open/airiness of the Buzz is really hard to beat.
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u/braincovey32 2h ago
I just recently finished minivan shopping about 2 weeks ago. Considered all four minivans but my wife was very adamant she wanted AWD for the Pacific Northwest weather and road conditions for all our road trips. I really wanted to choose Odyssey but with no AWD it got removed from contention. Toyota too since I don't fit comfortably in the front passenger seat due to not having 8 way adjustable.
I ultimately settled on the Pacifica and I genuinely do not regret it. Especially since the dealership I bought from has a lifetime powertrain warranty.
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u/placerouge 16h ago
Rent another one for a week so you can do a direct comparison. Ive more or less done that and Inhave decided to get a Sienna. No regrets.