Autoblog

As the self-appointed family car reviewer for Autoblog, I have some opinions on the topic. If money were no object, my nomination for the ultimate family car would be split between the Mercedes-Benz R-Class and the BMW 5 Series wagon. But the R-Class entry price is $42k, and the Bimmer's is close to $50k -- not exactly family-friendly.

Forbes Magazine, however, is a bit more realistic in its quest for the perfect family car, and considers price a deciding factor, like the majority of families. I agree with its Compact Car pick. The 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit is a good deal for your $16k entry price (though Forbes says $19k). On paper, its 15 cu. ft. of cargo space doesn't sound like much, but in reality, it's bigger than it sounds. The Rabbit also averages about 25 mpg, and these days, that's a big deal.

Still, there are some Forbes picks I just don't agree with. For example, the mag selects the Saab 9-3 Sport Combi as best wagon. Really? I admit I've never driven one, but I'm just wondering where the new Jetta Sportwagen placed. (I just stepped out of reviewing one for a week.) Forbes cites the Saab's maximum 72.3 cu. ft of cargo space as a big factor. But it only bests the VeeDub's by 5.4 cu. ft. And while the VW gives up 110 horses to the Saab's 280, but the VW gets, on average, 24 mpg to the Saab's 18. Oh, and the Saab requires premium fuel. I guess the question is this: Do you want to drag race your wagon or save money? My family will take the cash, please.

Think of what the automotive landscape looked like nigh on 25 years ago. Mentioning "family car" in 1983 would have conjured a station wagon. Some of us dig wagons, while others think we're daft because of the stigma they still carry. There's no denying that a wagon is an excellent way to transport kids and stuff, but those beasts of yesteryear often led to yearnings for an alternative. We all remember getting carsick while sitting in the rear-facing third row torture chamber, cut off from the rest of the family and their future-looking vantage point. The tailgunner position was a great way to test out new hand gestures on following motorists, though.

When the Chrysler minivans were revealed to the world in 1983 as 1984 models, they were a revelation. The Caravan and Voyager were not the first vans based on compact chassis, but they were such a successful combination of the elements that sales took off and imitators sprang up only after Chrysler had firmly established its status as the segment trendsetter. Continued after the jump.

The moral of a certain African tale is: no matter whether you're the lion or the gazelle, when you get up every morning you better be ready to run. That counts for rams, as well. One of Chrysler LLC's most profitable divisions is getting run down in a historically dominant specialty: minivans. The Dodge Caravan (and Grand Caravan), specifically, is in danger of losing its best selling minivan title to the Honda Odyssey.

The Detroit Free Press reports that year-to-date, Dodge has sold 154,824 Caravans, which is a 21.4-percent decline from last year. Part of that has been explained with the arrival of a new model and the elimination of the cheaper, short wheelbase version. Honda meanwhile has sold 158,139 Odysseys so far this year, which is only a 2.3-percent decline from last year. Honda also has a new version of the Odyseey this year, introduced in August, and has outsold Dodge for the past six months -- which means the new model picked up where the old one left its marker.

Follow the jump for more.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

It's better than Lee Iacocca saying something like "fo shizzle." Chrysler has joined up with Nickelodeon to shill their newly revamped minivans. With the addition of Sirius TV to beam content off the birds and into the backseat, it makes perfect sense for the two to team up. I'd rather interact with our child, but some parents just need a break from their little monsters, and video screens in the back seem to shut them up for a while. Cartoon characters have been used to sell cars before; even the Peanuts gang promoted Ford Falcons back in the '60s. Perhaps there will be some kind of Joe Camel effect, and the kids will specifically request that mom and pop take a ride at the Chrysler dealer when it's time for a new Wagon Queen Family Truckster. The new Chrysler minis are cool, with their video systems, flexible swivelly seats and if patriotism appeals to you, they're the last US brand in the game.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

What's $7 when a child's life might be at stake? That's the apparent message from the NHTSA to carmakers that build vehicles with sliding doors -- basically minivans. On Tuesday the NHTSA announced that these types of vehicles will now require a secondary latch to help prevent sliding doors from popping open in an accident and potentially expelling occupants. Nearly half of the 1.4 million vans sold in 2003 would be affected. Statistics on unbelted motorists being ejected from a vehicle are cited as reasons why this move is necessary. According to the Detroit News, 54,000 people are ejected in accidents each year, 15% through doors. That resulted in 20 deaths and 30 serious injuries annually from 1995 through 2003, the period under investigation.

Continues after the jump

[Source: Detroit News]

In recent years, we know very few people with kids who have opted to buy domestic minivans as the primary family hauler. More often than not, we hear the Odyssey and Sienna names put forth, followed by an assortment of SUVs, domestic and otherwise. Some people have undoubtedly abandoned a domestic brand for one of the Japanese big guns. This isn't surprising, since the Odyssey and Sienna do the job very well.

Now comes word in Automotive News that fleet sales are keeping up the illusion that the domestics' position in this segment is merely calamitous and not utterly cataclysmic. Rick Kranz points out that from January through October '06, fleets accounted for 65-percent of Ford Freestar sales, 62-percent of Chevy Uplander sales, and over 40-percent of the DCX vans. And what of the Odyssey? Fleets account for 1 percent of sales. No wonder Ford and GM are all about the crossover nowadays. Their minivans are the stars in a Weekend at Bernies sequel in which they're playing the part of Bernie.

Ford's bailing out and pulling the ripcord labeled "FAIRLANE," while GM prepares its trio of new large crossovers -- the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave -- with hopes for 130,000 in combined sales, according to North American sales veep Mark LaNeve. Chrysler, which as the inventor of the minivan has a lot of prestige on the line, will stay in the fight and unveil its fully redesigned vans at the Detroit show next week.

The overall market for minivans has been shrinking for several years in a row, and many of the automakers point to that as justification for looking to crossovers. We doubt that Honda and Toyota execs are fretting, however, since the (real) people buying minivans are apparently choosing theirs. Chrysler knows what it's doing here, so we hope to see something good next week. The market may be shrinking, but there is still a market for the things. It just takes a high-quality product to compete.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

General Motors and Ford Motor Company minivan sales are being hit hard. The two automakers, in addition to others, are being faced with declining sales (to the tune of 9.6 percent so far this year) in the segment long preferred by soccer moms who didn't hop on the SUV bandwagon. Taking the place of minivans are cars, which are more fuel-efficient, and crossovers, which boast SUV-like styling with the handling and fuel efficiency closer to that of a car than an SUV.

Things aren't so terribly bad for the imports, but GM and Ford are suffering heavily. Down 35.8 percent and 30.3 percent respectively in the minivan segment, GM and Ford are hoping their crossovers can woo former minivan and SUV owners alike.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]