Ian Bogost on the death of the “perfect vehicle”, the minivan. “It is useful because it offers benefits for families, and it is uncool because family life is thought to be imprisoning.” Conversely, SUVs & trucks offer a sense of freedom.
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Discussion 8 comments
Reminds me of this quote from a Dan Neil review in the LA Times:
Minivans are sexy. If nothing else, they are proof positive that you have had successful and productive congress with the opposite sex. Can you say as much for a Corvette? I don’t think so.
https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-hy-neil17may17-story.html
You will pry the steering wheel of my minivan from my cold, dead hands.
I've long said minivans are cool precisely because they're so uncool. Mama don't need no sexy rig to enhance this persona, which is fire, baby. Need me to help you move? I got you. Wanna car camp on a whim? Let's hit it. Got somebody needs kidnapping? I'm on my way. Road trip for eight? I'm gassing up. Bought some lumber at Home Depot? I'm yer girl. Dead body or three needs transporting? Let's ride.
You had me at kidnapping!
Buckling in now, shoot me your addy!!
My GenZ twin sons--and their friends--love our 20 year old Toyota Sienna minivan, AKA "The Bus" which ferried them to the beach, parties, soccer games, etc. Just last year we found a note tucked under the windshield wiper asking if we'd consider selling. He was 17 and wanted a minivan. The minivan lives.
I'd argue what's a more unfortunate loss is the lack of good station wagon options - thankfully Audi is around and Subaru. While they're admittedly not as practical as a minivan they CAN at least be fun to drive.
As an aside - I just bought a pedal assist cargo bike to ferry my kids to school - it's 8 miles each way. The thing that I underestimated in my purchase was how much of a utility vehicle it is - I can run errands all around the city in record time and I get some cardio out of it. I like to call it my mini-minivan.
My family got a Toyota Sienna in 2021 and it has been great so far.
Lots of space, tons of features, good gas mileage... Looking forward to many years hauling a bunch of people and stuff around.
Automakers know this, and Kia did something about it. Check out the Kia Carnival, which reads like an SUV at first glance, but still has tried-and-true minivan DNA.
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