What it’s like to daily drive a minivan!
As many of you know, I daily drive a 2016 Kia Sedona LX+ minivan. This was originally because of my need to haul 3 kids, a dog and our stuff. Now that I have a larger blended family it is seriously helpful in getting kids around and came in handy when I was moving houses. If you missed the story of how I ended up owning a minivan, check it out here!
I love cars and driving. I especially love fun to drive cars that are engaging to drive. Ones that will put a smile on your face even when all you’re doing is driving to grocery store. The Sedona is not that. It’s big, not sporty and often full of loud children and spilled snacks.
I love cleaning and detailing my cars. I find it really peaceful and satisfying, which is a good thing with kids and a minivan. It gets REALLY dirty inside. Who knew that you could put that many fruit snacks in the spaces between the car seats! I did my annual spring clean not too long ago and it can already use another vacuum and cleaning under the seats – the shop vac really comes in handy. I also like to be extremely careful with my vehicles to ensure door dings and paint scratches don’t happen. With the minivan I have accepted that these things are just part of life with kids so, even though the passenger side of the van has many dents and scratches, they don’t bother me.
While it might seem like I’m complaining a lot about having a minivan I actually love it and think it’s great family vehicle. It’s a great mix of practicality, good fuel economy and it has a decent amount of power. Plus it fits everything in it. Not only do I have children and stuff, but I also like to do woodworking and all of my supplies can fit in the back. As many of my friends who are starting to have kids can attest, I love telling people about how great #vanlife is and why they need to have a minivan in their lives.
My van has an 80 litre fuel tank, meaning that I don’t have to stop for fuel as often as other vehicles. The van gets decent fuel economy and I can often get around 600 km on a tank of fuel when driving around the city and closer to 700 km on the highway. The fuel economy and large fuel tank allows for road trip stops to be limited by bathroom breaks rather than fuel stops.
One of the huge advantages is that the seating is extremely flexible. What I mean is that I can easily put the back seats down and, while the Sedona doesn’t have the same “Stow N Go” seats in the Dodge Grand Caravan, the seats fold flat up against the front seats. When all of the seats are put away the back is like a huge cavern and I can fit all sorts of stuff back there. I can fit full sheets of plywood in the back and I can fit a 10′ long 2×4, both of which are really handy when doing reno projects at home and when I want to do woodworking projects in the garage. The middle row is also wide enough that I was able to fit all 3 kids (2 car seats and 1 booster) across, meaning I could reach them easier on road trips and it was more convenient for the kids getting in and out.
The Kia Sedona isn’t the most luxurious minivan on the market or have the best features, but it was also nicer than some other options. I feel like it’s an excellent family hauler, has good features and is fairly luxurious. It has stood up extremely well to the abuse of my kids and all of the spilled snacks they’ve thrown (literally) at it. If you’re in the market for a new family vehicle that can seat up to 8 people, tons of room to haul your stuff and make road trips a breeze, a minivan is for you. I’ve loved mine for the time I’ve had it and I’m sure you will too.
Have you had a minivan? What has your experience been with it? Comment below and let me know!
