Is Our Kia Carnival Hybrid Too Much Car for a Small Family?

• I spent two weeks ferrying my one-kid family around in a minivan.
• I don't need the size and space of a minivan ...
• Or do I?

• Getting kids in and out. Small cars and big trucks both create challenges for kids getting in and out on their own, but minivans are perfect. The low step-in height seems to line up just right with most curbs, and there's plenty of space to just hop right in. Between his excitement and the easy access, these doors take a full minute off kid-load-in time. 
• Adjustability. I really love that minivans let me scooch my kid up closer to me. I like being able to hand him stuff or take things from him. I like being able to talk to him without shouting. In the Carnival, I can pull him right up behind the front passenger seat, and both he and my wife are comfortable. 
• The trunk. I never folded the third-row seats down because I actually really like the pit-shaped trunk. I packed it tight with RC cars and a weekend's worth of gear and threw a few extra things on the floor in the second row. It's a great setup for a chaotic packer because everything stays where you put it instead of rolling around.

• Range. I've driven more than 400 miles on a tank in our Honda Civic Hybrid, but our Carnival Hybrid cruised past 500 miles. That meant I did a week's worth of school runs, drove all the way out to the desert for a weekend trip, drove to a few trailheads and restaurants, and then drove all the way home without filling up once. Knowing you can put off a stop for gas is just delightful.
• Comfort. I love having some space to fidget and stretch. A minivan like the Carnival gives me space to stretch and fidget as much as I want. You don't realize how much difference that can make for your comfort until you've got it.
• Stereo. Outside of luxury brands, small cars don't tend to get beyond "mediocre" when it comes to stereo quality. Our Carnival has, for some reason, an absolutely bangin' system. It's crisp with deep bass that fills the van's passenger compartment. The whole thing improves commuting immeasurably (for me, at least). 

Disadvantages

• Traction. If I were going to buy a minivan, I'd want all-wheel drive. With all the power going to the front, the wheels break traction really easily. When I'm pulling out of a parking lot or making a tight right turn in Los Angeles, there's often oncoming traffic and I'd like to get up to speed quickly. But in a front-wheel-drive car, accelerating from a stop while turning is likely to get you a squealing tire instead of a burst of speed. I found myself squealing all over town. If minivans are all about keeping a low profile, then sounding like a sad Fast & Furious wannabe trying to peel out of the Trader Joe's parking lot is just embarrassing. 
• Maneuverability. Say a bus just stopped in front of you and there's a gap in the lane to your left, but it's closing fast. You want to slip over and keep moving, but your minivan is big and top-heavy, and no matter how good companies get at making minivans drive better, they'll just never feel as nimble as a smaller car. Which means I'm stuck sitting behind the bus while 15 cars make the light. 
• Width. Yes, minivan doors give you great access to the cabin without requiring much extra space, but they're on a vehicle that's significantly wider than a small car. Around what should be some illegally small  Los Angeles parking lots, that's the difference between having more than a foot and a half of wiggle room to having half that. And the doors still take up space when they're open.

By my count, I've got a lot more advantages than disadvantages. There's a part of my brain that absolutely rebels against the idea that a minivan might not be too much car for a single-child family. But here's the thing: With the hybrid Carnival, I averaged about 29 mpg over my 500-mile tank. That's better than my wife's CR-V and better than my Mazda 6. 

OK, sure, in our Civic Hybrid I saw 45 mpg, but the last Honda Odyssey we owned only averaged 16.6 mpg over its life with our staff. When I drive a big truck and it's just me, all alone, on my way home from the school drop-off, I occasionally look at the trip computer and am racked with guilt — I'm using how much gas? How wasteful. But once I'm into the high 20s, it starts to feel like a wash, especially given all that extra space. 

So, is a minivan too much car for me? When I compare it to my family CR-V, I don't think it is. Against our long-term Civic Hybrid, which is more efficient, easy to park and way more fun to drive, it's a tougher call. Despite all the advantages of a smaller car, I'd still be tempted to take the van.