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Comparison Tests
2001 Minivan Comparison Test
Top 14 Features
By Miles Cook
Date Posted 06-07-2001
The modern minivan has literally hundreds of features. Every year, the manufacturers
come up with new ways to make them more convenient, more efficient and generally
better. Our purpose with the features list is to highlight those bits that we
think are the most important to the minivan buyer. It also gives us the chance
to showcase items that are new technologies or updates of current innovations.
For example, who would've ever thought that minivans would have power sliding
doors -- on both sides, no less? Now, they're expected, almost mandatory, on any
new van. The list also gives you the chance to compare and contrast which vans
have certain features and which don't. Let's take a look.
Features List
| |
Chrysler Town & Country Limited |
Ford Windstar Limited |
Honda Odyssey EX |
| Adjustable Pedals |
NA |
S |
NA |
| Adjustable Fore/Aft 2nd-Row Seating |
NA |
S |
S |
| Double Sunvisors |
NA |
S |
NA |
Factory-installed Entertainment System
(including video cassette player) |
O |
O |
NA |
Hideaway Rear Seat
(don't have to remove, 3rd row folds into floor) |
NA |
NA |
S |
| Front and Rear Audio Controls |
NA |
S |
NA |
| Front and Rear Climate Controls |
S |
S |
S |
| Navigation System |
NA |
NA |
O |
| Reverse Sensing System |
NA |
S |
NA |
| Power Sliding Doors |
S |
S |
S |
| In-dash Four- or Six-Disc CD Changer |
O |
S |
NA |
| Side Airbags |
S |
S |
NA |
| Steering Wheel-Mounted Audio Controls |
S |
NA |
S |
| Traction Control |
S |
S |
S |
| |
Mazda MPV ES |
Pontiac Montana |
Toyota Sienna XLE |
| Adjustable Pedals |
NA |
NA |
NA |
| Adjustable Fore/Aft 2nd-Row Seating |
S |
NA |
S |
| Double Sunvisors |
NA |
NA |
NA |
Factory-installed Entertainment System
(including video cassette player) |
O |
O |
O |
Hideaway Rear Seat
(don't have to remove, 3rd row folds into floor) |
S |
O |
NA |
| Front and Rear Audio Controls |
NA |
O |
O |
| Front and Rear Climate Controls |
S |
O |
S |
| Navigation System |
NA |
NA |
NA |
| Reverse Sensing System |
NA |
O |
NA |
| Power Sliding Doors |
NA |
O |
O |
| In-dash Four- or Six-Disc CD Changer |
O |
O |
O |
| Side Airbags |
S |
S |
O |
| Steering Wheel-Mounted Audio Controls |
NA |
O |
S |
| Traction Control |
NA |
O |
O |
S = Standard O = Optional NA = Not available
Adjustable Pedals: Although not technically a safety feature, adjustable
pedals could quickly become so for shorter drivers. They're standard on the Ford
Windstar Limited and not available on any of the other vans.
Adjustable Fore/Aft Second-Row Seating: This feature allows the second-row
chairs to be slid back a few inches, thereby giving occupants added legroom. We
found it surprising that the new Chrysler vans don't have this seemingly important
comfort feature. The Pontiac Montana was the only other van not to have it.
Double Sunvisors: Are we splitting hairs with this often-overlooked feature?
We don't think so. As with several other items, the Windstar is the only van you
can get with this very handy convenience. A low-setting sun blazing in your eyes
can be dangerous and having to flip a visor back-and-forth constantly can be quite
annoying. Certainly hundreds of accidents every year can be attributed to drivers'
being blinded by the sun. Why can't the other five van makers address this issue
like Ford did at least a couple years ago?
Entertainment System: Who wants to watch The Lion King? These systems
include a video cassette player (VCP), and they're a great way to keep children
occupied on long trips (just as long as there are headphones, in case the driver
wants quiet). Entertainment systems are optional on all the vans except the Honda.
It's a dealer-installed option on the Chrysler vans and a factory-installed option
on the other four.
Hideaway Rear Seat: The Honda Odyssey was the first van to popularize this
feature when it was redesigned for the '99 model year, and it eliminates having
to remove a heavy third-row seat. The Mazda MPV and Pontiac Montana also have
it. The fact that this trick feature isn't even optional on the new Chryslers and Dodges
is more puzzling to us than nearly anything else about these vans.
Front and Rear Audio Controls: Controlling volume and source (radio, CD
or cassette) is convenient for second-row passengers. And if those passengers
use headphones, front seat passengers can ride in silence, if desired. This attribute
is not available on the Chrysler, Honda or Mazda vans.
Front and Rear Climate Controls: Controlling ventilation is an important
comfort feature for second-row passengers. It's standard on all the vans except
the Pontiac, where it's optional.
GPS Navigation System: Honda's navigation system is easy to use, and it
will almost always save you if you get lost or can't find a particular address.
It's not available on any of the other vans. It's the only available option on
the Odyssey EX.
Power Sliding Doors: All the vans except the Mazda have this rarely overlooked
feature, which allows you to open the doors when your hands are full with the
push of a button on the key fob. They can also be opened from inside the van without
leaving the driver seat. Some work better than others. For example, the Chrysler
van requires pushing the button on the key fob for the doors to work --
they won't open under power when you unlatch them by hand, and the Odyssey's doors
move too slowly.
Reverse Sensing System: This is an important safety feature that helps
to avoid backing over small children or objects that might be hidden behind the
van. It's also helpful during parallel parking and to keep you from backing over
something you can't see in a driveway. This item is only available on the Windstar
(standard) and Montana (optional).
In-Dash CD Changer: Strangely, while the Odyssey is the only van with an
available navigation system, it's also the only van that doesn't offer this relatively
new feature. Standard on the Windstar, it's optional on the other four. The Town
& Country has a four-disc changer, and the rest have six-disc changers.
Side Airbags: Although the Odyssey got quadruple five-star National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash-test scores without side airbags, it's
still the only van in which you can't get them. They're standard on four of the
others and optional on the Toyota Sienna.
Steering-Wheel-Mounted Audio Controls: While many vehicles these days have
steering wheel-mounted cruise control buttons, our editors considered audio controls
on the wheel to be an important feature, because they allow the driver to operate
the volume and tune the radio or run the CD player without taking his hands off
the wheel. The Windstar and Sienna were the only two in this test that were not
so equipped. Optional on the Pontiac Montana, they're standard on the other three
vans.
Traction Control: Along with side airbags, traction control was the only
other safety feature on this list. It's great insurance in bad weather and allows
engine power to be applied incrementally in other slippery conditions. It's standard
on the Chrysler, Ford and Honda vans, optional on the Pontiac and Toyota and not
available on the Mazda.
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