I have nothing against the minivan, other than the fact that mini they are not, but I have to admit that reading Mr. Collins piece on the palisade makes me realize that the anti-suv movement is starting to look more like old ways dying hard than it is a thing of facts.
I mean, the palisade AWD gets better mileage than an AWD sienna and costs about the same too, plus it allows you better towing and more road choices.
Sure you wont get as much pure volume but most 7 seat vehicles in this class are purchased for small kid or occasional use and the extra space isn’t really a benefit.
So, the “drinks fuel, handles like a pig” mentality of the crossover really isn’t that big of a complaint when you stack it up against its direct competitors - I mean, does anyone think minivans are fuel efficient or even good handling vehicles?
I still maintain minivans are the better utility vehicles as they have lower load floors, more interior volume and higher payloads. Im not saying the minivan is dumb and crossovers are great. I AM saying that the gap has closed and the market’s appetite for crossovers ought not to be a mystery anymore - They offer a lot for the money and don’t ask nearly as much as they used to...to the point where they are on parity with anything in their capability range and, well, anything in their weight range really. When this Kia (in any configuration)
Gets better mileage than this one (in any configuration)
Maybe we just step back a little and go “huh, yeah...it might not be for me but I get it.”