Top 10 Features Every Minivan Should HaveBy Edmunds.com EditorsWhen you’ve got a family and an active lifestyle, nothing’s more practical than a minivan. But some vans are more practical than others. To help out with your decision-making process, we’ve put together a list of the 10 features we consider the most important to have in these family-centered vehicles, plus some bonus goodies. We’ve eliminated basics like rear air-conditioning controls and dual sliding doors that are standard fare on most, if not all, modern-day minivans, and concentrated on more recent innovations that you won’t find in every van on the market. The features are arranged in no particular order. We’ve listed the minivans that are available with each feature – either as standard equipment or as a factory option. News source: Edmonds.com Adjustable pedals or telescoping steering wheel: People come in all sizes, and in order to be a sane parent, you’ve got to be able to find a safe, comfortable position behind the wheel. Adjustable pedals are a big help for those of shorter stature, as they allow you to bring the pedals closer without having to move the entire seat forward. A telescoping steering wheel performs much the same function (you’re moving the wheel closer or farther from your body), but even taller adults will find that it allows them to tailor a driving position to their liking. In an ideal world, minivans would include both features, but for now, several models offer one or the other.Minivans with adjustable pedals: Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mercury Monterey, Nissan QuestMinivans with a telescoping steering wheel: Mazda 5, Toyota Sienna In-floor storage: When you need a place to store groceries to keep them from baking in the sun or rolling around the rear cargo area, or extra storage space for children’s toys, you can simply lift the cover on an in-floor storage cubby and place the items inside. This keeps items from being strewn around or lost, frees up precious floor space, and makes for a safer riding environment. If you need a large flat space for carrying cargo, simply open the storage cubbies and fold the second- and third-row seats into them. Simple, easy and effective!Minivans that have it: Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey Conversation mirror: This politely named overhead convex mirror is actually a parental spyglass that allows the driver to see what’s going on in every seating position in the van. Without turning around and looking away from the road, a flustered parent can discover exactly who is instigating border warfare in the third row, or can accurately aim a swat into the second row without swiveling her head.Minivans that have it: Ford Freestar, Kia Sedona, Hyundai Entourage, Mercury Monterey, Toyota Sienna Fold-flat third-row seat: Do you like the idea of having to remove heavy third-row seats and cart them into your garage every time you need some extra cargo space? Neither do we. Fortunately, most, if not all, manufacturers offer a third-row seat that folds neatly into the floor, providing a flat load surface. Many offer a 60/40-split design for their seat, which provides additional flexibility for larger families: Someone can sit on one section of the seat, while the other has been dropped into the floor to accommodate cargo.Minivans with a single-piece fold-flat third-row seat:Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Ford Freestar, Mazda 5, Mazda MPV, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest, Pontiac Montana SV6, Saturn RelayMinivans with a 60/40-split fold-flat third-row seat: Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Toyota Sienna Tire-pressure warning system: Your tires provide the only connection between your minivan and the road. If they’re not properly inflated, your minivan won’t handle as well and your ability to steer around potential accident situations will be reduced. Additionally, underinflated tires are more susceptible to blowouts should they pick up a nail. When you’re taking care of small children, checking the tire pressure may not be the first thing on your mind. However, if your van has a tire-pressure warning system, you’ll be alerted if the tire pressure falls too far below the factory specification.Additionally, some minivans are fitted with run-flat tires, whose stiffer sidewalls allow them to support the vehicle’s weight, even after a tire has lost most or all of its pressure. This comes in handy in remote areas, as a minivan can be driven up to 50 miles (at up to 55 mph) in the event of a blowout. Of note is the Michelin PAX run-flat tire system used on Honda’s Odyssey and Nissan’s Quest. This system requires specially sized wheels and a rubber donut inside the tire, and is often far more hassle if a tire needs replacing, due to added cost and complexity. The Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey offer a lower-cost alternative to run-flats – self-sealing tires. Self-sealing tires have an extra lining coated with a puncture sealant that can permanently seal small punctures from nails and bolts without any human intervention.Minivans with tire-pressure warning systems: Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest, Toyota SiennaMinivans with self-sealing tires: Ford Freestar, Mercury MontereyMinivans with run-flat tires: Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna Reconfigurable second-row seats: Even if you’ve got a van with a fold-flat third-row seat, there are times when you may want to reposition the second-row captain’s chairs to form a bench seat or make way for bulky cargo. Reconfigurable second-row seats are fore/aft-adjustable, so you can decide how to divide up the legroom between the second and third rows. Honda’s Odyssey offers a pop-up center seat for the second row as well as full adjustability, making the second row capable of seating three instead of only two. Toyota’s Sienna also offers fully adjustable second-row seats, but in practice, its seats aren’t as easy to reconfigure into a bench (fortunately, Toyota offers an eight-passenger model for those who truly need a bench in the second row). An interesting system of note is the Stow ‘n Go system for the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. This offers covered spaces in the floor to fold the second- and third-row seats into. When not in use, these cubbies can be used for storage. The downside is that the second-row chairs in the Chrysler minivans are not fore/aft adjustable.Minivans with seats that adjust side to side and fore/aft: Honda Odyssey, Mazda MPV, Toyota SiennaMinivans with seats that adjust fore/aft only: Ford Freestar, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest Reverse-sensing system or rearview camera: Backing out of the driveway or a parking space is no easy feat in a large vehicle, particularly when rear passengers’ heads are obstructing your rearward view. Reverse-sensing systems employ bumper-mounted sensors that use radar to locate objects, pets and people in the way of the vehicle. Audible beeps of varying intensity let the driver know how close he/she is to an object before it’s too late. These sensors also prove their worth when you’re attempting to parallel park in a tight space. Although reverse-sensing systems are quite effective, they’re still no substitute for actually being able to see what’s behind you. Some manufacturers have a solution to this problem: Equip a minivan with a navigation system, and a tiny bumper-mounted camera will project an image of what’s behind you onto the nav screen when the van is in reverse. Though costly, this is a neat feature that quickly becomes hard to live without. You can also find parking sensors (for both the front and rear) and rearview cameras on the aftermarket.Minivans with a reverse-sensing system: Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest, Pontiac Montana SV6, Saturn Relay Minivans with a rearview camera:Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna Side curtain airbags for all three rows: Side curtain airbags protect occupants’ heads in the event of a side-impact collision or rollover. Although they’re fairly common among today’s new passenger cars, full-length coverage (for all three rows of seating) is a recent development among minivans and large-capacity SUVs. If you’re the type of parent who requires maximum peace of mind, you’ll want to make sure you get a minivan with this feature.Minivans that have it: Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mazda 5, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna Traction and stability control: Traction control is a simple feature that allows for more confident low-speed maneuvers on slippery roads or in muddy parking lots at the soccer field. When one of the tires begins to spin and lose traction, the system intervenes by applying the brakes and/or reducing engine power to that wheel and smoothly redirecting it to the wheel(s) that have grip. Stability control goes beyond traction control and helps in higher-speed situations by employing sensors to monitor how closely your vehicle’s path matches your intended path based on steering, throttle and brake inputs. When appropriate, such a system can apply braking forces to individual wheels and/or reduce engine power to prevent dangerous skids. It’s especially useful on slippery roads.Minivans that have traction control: Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mazda MPV, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest, Pontiac Montana SV6, Saturn Relay, Toyota SiennaMinivans that have stability control: Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest, Pontiac Montana SV6, Saturn Relay, Toyota Sienna Side window sunshades: This feature is just starting to creep into minivans after being offered for years in many luxury sedans. These power sunshades open and close at the touch of a button, offering occupants protection from the sun, especially useful for infants and younger children. Without this option, most parents resort to suction cup devices that don’t work as well and look cheap. If your child rides in a car seat in the second row, this is an especially handy feature to have.Minivans that have it: Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna Bonus featuresSo we’ve told you the features we think are essential for every minivan, but what if you have a flexible budget that enables you to create the ultimate minivan? Well, here are some features that we don’t consider necessities but are nonetheless enjoyable additions to a family vehicle.115-volt power outlet: Don’t let the voltage rating throw you off – we’re talking about a standard two-prong household outlet. That means you can plug in the PlayStation 3 or the portable camp stove without using an adapter (the kind you’d need for the usual 12-volt power points). It doesn’t get any more convenient than this.Minivans that have it: Buick Terraza, Saturn RelayPower-down rear side windows:Even with all the room to spread out, life in the back of a minivan can become uncomfortably warm at times. In the past, sliding side doors mandated fixed glass in the second row, leaving the “ventable” third-row windows as the only source of fresh air. Some manufacturers, however, have broken free of this limitation. They offer power-down side windows in the second row of their minivans, allowing passengers to enjoy a fresh breeze.Minivans that have it: Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mazda MPV, Toyota SiennaPower rear liftgate:What at first sounds like an extravagance turns out to be very convenient, especially when you approach the van with groceries in one arm and a child in the other. Simply press a button on the remote or yank on the exterior handle, and a power-operated liftgate will open under its own strength. Stow the groceries in the cargo bay, hit the button again, and go about your business. Like we said, very convenient.Minivans that have it: Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna Rear DVD entertainment system: Although there’s plenty to be said for spending quality time together during a road trip, those hours can get mighty long, even for the closest of families. Having the option to pop in a cartoon for the kids or a movie for everyone to enjoy (except the driver, of course) can make long-distance adventures much more relaxing. And since these systems come with wireless headphones, the kids can watch the movie while the adults listen to the radio.Minivans that have it:Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Mazda 5, Mazda MPV, Mercury Monterey, Nissan Quest, Pontiac Montana SV6, Saturn Relay, Toyota SiennaCenter folding storage tray: This simple feature is nothing more than a tray with cupholders that fits between the front captain’s chairs, but the parents on the Edmunds.com staff love it. Why? Simply put, it can easily accommodate the spoils of a trip through the drive-thru, or provide the perfect resting place for a bag or a purse. In the event that you need to get to the rear seats to comfort a baby or break up a territorial dispute, simply fold down the tray and walk through to the back. Some manufacturers try to increase storage capacity by offering a larger, removable center console unit in this space, but these typically require two hands and some elbow grease to remove, so you’ll find yourself having to climb over them when you’re in a hurry – and that isn’t very convenient.Minivans that have it:Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Toyota SiennaNavigation system: Writing down directions or printing them off the Internet seems simple enough, but when you have a lot to carry or are in a rush, those directions can easily become misplaced. Also, written or printed directions can distract you from your driving by forcing you to check the paper and then look for the corresponding street signs. A navigation system helps avoid undue stress caused by complicated or misplaced directions. It also keeps you focused on your driving by telling you where and when to turn.Minivans that have it:Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Mazda 5, Nissan Quest, Saturn Relay, Toyota SiennaDVD changer: Most vehicles today offer the option of an in-dash, six-CD changer to cut down on the frequency with which the driver has to change a CD. Now, the option of a dual six-CD/DVD changer is being offered in some minivans. This allows parents to load DVDs into the changer and not worry about switching discs while driving, and risk hearing, “Are we there yet?” from the children in the backseat.Minivans that have it:Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Hyundai Entourage, Kia SedonaOnboard hard drive: Like cassettes and CDs when they first appeared, MP3s are emerging as the favored music format of today. GM was thinking of this when it introduced the option of a 40-gigabyte removable hard drive for its line of minivans, called the PhatNoise system. With this feature, you can store thousands of music MP3 files and several dozen movie files to the hard drive, and have them all accessible and searchable from inside your minivan. This feature eliminates the need to constantly switch CDs or DVDs, allowing you to concentrate on driving and keeping things hassle-free for the entire family at the same time. Worth noting is the addition of auxiliary inputs to the stereo in many new minivans. This feature allows an external hard drive, such as an MP3 player, to be connected to the stereo, allowing for much the same hassle-free use as an onboard hard drive.Minivans with onboard hard drives:Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Pontiac Montana SV6, Saturn RelayMinivans with auxiliary inputs:Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Nissan Quest, Saturn Relay, Toyota Sienna

Following the trend of human control giving way to automation, BMW has developed an automated parking system that lets its vehicles park themselves. With a push of a button, your Bimmer will slot itself into the garage while you watch from outside. The Mercedes S-Class and some Lexus models also have parking assistance systems, but the driver must remain in the vehicle in order to use them. According to Wired News, BMW plans to make remote control parking available within 3 years.ADVERTISEMENT To set up the system, you’ll install a reflective lens against the wall at the head of the parking space. A cam mounted on your BMW’s front windshield will measure the distance and angle of the car relative to the lens. The car uses information from the sensors to calculate an entry trajectory, then navigates the vehicle into its parking spot.This advanced parking assistance system builds on existing BMW technology such as park distance control , which uses ultrasonic sensors to help you judge the distance from your car to other cars and to unseen objects when you’re parking. Parking assistance will use the same sensors to brake and steer around objects in the car’s trajectory. News source: Extreme Tech

If you drive an American-brand car, you probably (and quite reasonably) assume it was built here in the USA — just as an import car would (you’d think) have been manufactured in a different country.But don’t always judge a book by its cover … or in this case, by the name on the fender.Your “import” car could have been built right here in the United States — and by American workers. And that “domestic” model your neighbor just bought might very well have been assembled outside the USA — by non-American workers.Or to make matters even more confusing, it might have been built in both places. News source: AOL Autos Maybe the body was built here, but the engine or transmission came from outside the United States. The car itself could even be a kind of hybrid — although not the gas-electric kind. Perhaps it shares its mechanical underthings (chassis, suspension bits, etc.) with an import-brand car. Or maybe it’s an import in name only — a domestic-built model re-sold by another automaker under its own brand name.To give you a better understanding of where some of the more popular cars on U.S. roads are built, here are some interesting things to consider:- The best-selling passenger car in the United States is a Japanese-brand car, the Toyota Camry. But the “imported” Camry is actually built in America — at Toyota’s plant in Kentucky.- Ford’s best-selling F-Series pickup, meanwhile, is built at a plant in Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico, as well as in other plants throughout North America.- GM’s popular Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon SUVs are also assembled south of the border — at GM’s Toluca, Mexico, plant.- German automaker BMW has a large assembly plant in Spartanburg, S.C., where the 3 Series sport sedan, Z4 roadster and X5 sport-ute are built — by American, not German, workers.- Honda has six facilities in Ohio — including plants in Anna, East Liberty and Marysville. The Accord, Civic and Element SUV sold here are built stateside — not somewhere in the Pacific Rim.Does It Matter?Now that you have digested all of that, let’s take a look at some of the partnerships that have helped change the definition of what a domestic or import car really is.- GM has bought engines from Japanese automakers — and GM has sold its highly regarded hydra-matic transmissions to car companies all over the world; ditto its Harrison AC systems.- For a number of years, GM was partnered with Toyota — and models like the Toyota Corolla and Geo/Chevy Prizm where essentially the same car. Just as the Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe are today.Were those cars imports — or domestics? Let’s take a look at some others:- Ford is partnered with Mazda; both the Ranger pickup and Escape SUV have sheet metal cousins in the Mazda B-Series pickup and Tribute SUV.- Ford uses technology acquired/licensed from Toyota in its hybrid vehicles, making its hybrid Escape SUV a true hybrid — of parts, that is. And then you have the Volvo S80 and Ford Five Hundred, which share their DNA (and many parts).- Even the popular Chrysler 300 isn’t what you might think. It shares its underlying platform (but not its engines) with the Mercedes E-Class sedan … bet you didn’t know that one.At this point I’m sure you get the picture … a car isn’t always what it says it is.Whether vehicles from the Big Three are assembled partially or completely in Mexico, Michigan or someplace in between doesn’t make them any less “American.” But the flip side of that coin is that import-brand cars assembled entirely (or nearly so) in the United States, by American workers, are arguably just as “domestic.”So that begs the question, if an American car is made outside the country and an import car is made here, should you consider both of them American?