Minivan Battle

Wife's Mazda5 has 160k on it and while it's well maintained I have reliability concerns. My job takes me thousands of miles away so handling a breakdown from halfway around the world isn't easy. Kid 3 is due soon and the 5 a little small for that.

I've narrowed things down to a '12-'15 Dodge Caravan R/T or a '11-'13 Odyssey EX-L or Touring.

I've rented a T&C so I'm familiar with the Dodge, the interior flexibility is great, decent power, ok mpg, but parts of the interior feel cheap and it is less attractive aesthetically than the Odyssey. On the used market the Dodge/T&C are about $5k cheaper but depreciate steeply after years/miles.

The Odyssey allegedly gets a little better mileage but data on fuelly doesn't seem to support the Honda numbers. Most fuelly users report 20.5mpg for both vans, similar to our Mazda5. Can anyone compare the 5 speed auto in the EX-L to the 6 speed auto in the Touring? My Mazda3 had a 4 speed auto that made it a dog compared to the 5 speed released a year later and I'd like to avoid that.

I think my wife would be happier with either one but my main concerns are reliability, utility, and mpg in that order. It needs to be comfortable but I don't think that's an issue in either case. Once I get her in a newer vehicle I can get something fun for myself again

What about a similar year Sedona? Less buy in than the class leaders but the build quality is up there with the Honda and better than the ChryCo.

Having owned an Odyssey for 11 years, I'd recommend them.

Check out www.odyclub.com for some insight on the later models and differences.

I prefer the Chrysler products, as I think the Stow & Go system is fantastic. The Honda is a better driving machine, with a more buttoned-together interior feel, but the Chrysler is hardly bad---and it's more versatile. $5K is also a significant amount, so that's where I'd lean.

Hard to lose though. Modern minivans are amazingly capable machines.

My wife has some Kia aversion related to driving a first generation Sportage for a while. I do like the look of the 2015 Sedona, we live near the Kia design center so we've been seeing the 2015 test mules for a while now. It's a great looking van but you can get the Caravan R/T for $25k new. I'm not sure the new Sedona is a value at $8k more.

The issues I've always heard with minivans are overworked transmissions. I assume these heavier vans benefit from an auxiliary cooler in hot climates?

Does the cylinder deactivation on the Hondas have as many problems as Internet lore would have me believe?

I really like the Mazda5 and wish it had the skyactiv motor. My mom has a CX-9 that I thought about buying but SWMBO wants sliding doors.

What should I avoid for options? I'm navigation and DVD averse because of technology cycles. My phone can do all of that so a Bluetooth connection is sufficient.

If the primary consideration is reliability, why are you even looking past the Honda?

Honda had tranny problems for years, but as of '05 or so they appear to have fixed it. You'll still hear of occasional failures beyond that point, but they're at the same rate as other vehicles.

We have an '07 EX-L, and if we were buying another minivan I'd buy another one just the same. It's never broken. The cylinder-deactivation is completely invisible except for an "ECO" light on the dash, and works just fine.

As for options, an in-dash nav system is significantly more convenient than a phone-based system, but that's a price/convenience tradeoff. About the only thing our is really lacking is a good iPod audio input, but I believe they fixed that on the current gen.

I suppose that's a primary point of the question. Internet lore says the automatic transmissions in the '11-'15 Odyssey have their own set of annoyances, yes it's the Internet so I came here for the real info. Is the Dodge $5k less reliable than the Honda? Obviously we keep vehicles for a long time.

bluesideup wrote: I suppose that's a primary point of the question. Internet lore says the automatic transmissions in the '11-'15 Odyssey have their own set of annoyances, yes it's the Internet so I came here for the real info. Is the Dodge $5k less reliable than the Honda? Obviously we keep vehicles for a long time.

IMHO, yes, the Dodge is $5K less reliable, if only in hassle.

I dunno specifically about the '11+ Odysseys, but the failures up through '05 were so notorious that any time any Odyssey ever has a transmission problem it gets posted about.

Is it $5k less reliable? Probably not. But being that you are thousands of miles away, I thought it was more of a convenience thing then a money thing?

I'm sure you could keep the current van going on $5K for quite a while if it were only about money.

Sorry, but Chrysler products suck in both functionality and in reliability. The Sedona doesn't get the best real world fuel economy.

I agree the Chrysler van is a nice package, but I couldn't buy a Chrysler product on a dare!

I'd go with the ody for reliability and easy access to parts. I have a 99 montana i need to replace before i get stranded and have been looking at every option for the last 3 years. my uncle had a dodge and within the first 50k he had to replace both front wheel bearings (out of warranty). yes the S&G on the dodge is a nice feature but at the same time you are always lugging them around which is the cause of the crap MPG.

i drive dodges for work as our non work horse vehicle and they are always in the shop getting small stuff changed. i think we stock every component for the wiper system from pumps to motors, due to their constant failure.

i've looked at a 2013 ody and i was sold right away, the built in shop vac was a major plus, but finances kept me from driving it home. personally i'd get a new one toss on a trans cooler with tow package, always nice to have, and the navi system.

I could come in here and expound upon you the virtues of the Chrysler minivan, or I could post pictures of awesome vans. So seeing as no one is tricking out Chrysler vans you get Odysseys instead.

This is what SWMBO looks like when things break and I'm out of town.

And this is what she does to my things.

I honestly want to gripe about how everyone complains about Chrysler's reliability because of previous issues especially with transmissions. But, I really feel like it's too much of an uphill fight and people are just going to think what they want.

Well I see a lot of the dodge twins used as fleet vehicles so I figured someone on here had experience driving or maintaining them. The Odyssey van on average is used less for fleet and doesn't see the same abuse. I worry about things like transmissions but also the extras not installed on our Mazda5 like power doors, lift gates, infotainment, etc.. Our Mazda has been very reliable but it's also fairly simple.

I'm currently in trouble because the wife's iPhone 6 is having some kind of ios8 problem. SWMBO is also very pregnant so there is a hormonal factor but if I bought it and it breaks I'm in trouble. The thought of my wife and three kids stranded on the side of the road is also not good, even if we do have AAA.

bluesideup wrote: The Odyssey van on average is used less for fleet

In reply to moparman76_69:

We've had three and I'm looking forward to our fourth.

We're rural so not many taxis but every transportation around here company uses Dodge. Probably not because they break down a lot. Handicapped folks and special needs kids don't like being stranded either.

I think there are a few things that contribute to transmission issues in minivans:

• The transmissions in them were originally designed for cars that were around 500 - 1500 pounds lighter.
• Very few manufacturers include significant transmission coolers from the factory.
• If you give people a 3,000 pound tow rating, there's a good chance they'll use it (but only after stuffing the minivan full of people/gear).
• The driving profile on a minivan is different than your average 4 door sedan used for commuting (i.e. far more stop and go, in-town driving, less highway, etc.)

These are the suggestions I'd give for maximizing transmission life in a minivan.

• Minimize towing
• If you must tow, install an aftermarket transmission cooler, monitor transmission temps while towing, use the appropriate gear (and tow/haul mode), and have some mechanical sympathy on the minivan.
• Change the transmission fluid frequently.

With three kids, don't underestimate the advantage of having an eighth seat. It's nice to be able to put all the kids in the second row if needed, leaving the back seat free to be folded down. When we shopped for a new van recently, only the Odyssey and Sienna made the cut due to lack of an eighth seat in all other vans (and they were at the top of the list anyway). We went with a new Sienna. The latest Odyssey is fugly (the last gen looked great). I also didn't like the way the option packages were laid out. You needed to buy a van loaded with everything to get a six speed. It was easy to get a Toyota with leather and all the other stuff I wanted without nav and DVD (way overpriced, I could buy an I-Pad for every seat and still have $$$ left.)

We love our Pentastar Caravan, and I'd buy it again over an Ody for even money. If you ever travel long distances with young kids, stow n go is the best thing ever invented. The Pentastar makes good power, good fuel economy, and the whole setup is working great so far.

The advantage I see to stow n go other than hauling duties is that you can stow the driver's side captain chair, put two kids in the back row and one kid in the passenger side captain's chair without having to leave a seat in the garage. Easy access and maximum sibling separation.

I'm going to take kid 2 (2.5 y/o girl who doesn't speak enough English to spill the beans) to do some window shopping on Friday.

A Caravan is one of very few new vehicles I could possibly afford that I'd consider going into debt for. We rented one for vacation last year and totally loved it.

You sound pretty set on the Toyota / Honda battle, although I will toss in my $0.02 regarding the Nissan Quest. SWMBO and I van shopped for a few months after a three-year discussion of "Are we minivan people?" The answer was "Yes, and SWMBO will be the one to drive it." I call that a win-win.

Anyway, we looked at all available options with a relatively open mind. The Chrysler products felt okay, definitely good power and quite flexible seating but we didn't like their interior quality. The Odyssey actually felt the worst to us, primarily due to the lack of front legroom (she's 5'-10" and I'm 6'-3".) Reliability and popular opinion be damned. The Sienna was my first choice due to its firmer suspension and infinitely flexible rear seating. However, bride thought it felt too truckish. The last was the Nissan Quest. It seats one less than the others but its interior ergonomics felt the best. As well, in a sea of minivans, it certainly has a different aesthetic.

We ended up with a gently used '13 Quest in SV trim, 26k miles, black exterior w/ tan leather interior. It's 3.5VQ is pretty stout although the CVT takes some getting used to. No sunroof, no DVD player, no navigation, 16" rims and marginal audio system. If we did it again, I'd pony up for the SL trim.

Anyway, all things being equal, personal preference is probably the most important. Competition has forced all the mfr's to hone their offerings to be quite similar. It takes a pretty granular analysis to figure out which will be best for you. Good luck!

Thank you for the insight about the legroom. I'm 6'5" and SWMBO is 5'8". I'm done buying vehicles I don't fit in comfortably. The best vehicles I've ever owned for legroom were my R53 MINI, long hood 911, & B5 Passat.

I'll post back as to what I find in the search with my sidekick on Friday.