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CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL AUTOSHOW<span></span><br>

2018 Honda Odyssey.

Forget SUVs, minivans are better equipped for camping, road trips – or wherever life's experiences take you

We've all seen the brochures: rock-climber mom, mountain-biker dad, two wiry kids who look like they would straight up murder the competition in any Hunger Games type scenario, and a Bernese mountain dog. Everyone's clad in brightly coloured outdoor gear (except the dog), and they're toasting marshmallows in front of a crossover after a full day spent kite-surfing/snowboarding/BASE-jumping. The message: Our company's cute-ute is the authentic choice, the real deal for the truly adventurous.

Meanwhile, in minivanland, it's Cheerios on the floor, an onboard vacuum cleaner, and a camera system that lets you spy on rear seat passengers for a more targeted yelling experience. If the crossover marketing promises the possibilities of family living, the minivan is aimed at its realities. We know you've had to put your life on hold, manufacturers seem to be saying, so here's the automotive version of pants with an elasticized waistband.

Fiddlesticks. Never mind the pretty pictures trying to sell you on an idea, a minivan is the perfect vehicle for an adventurous family. Whether it's camping, road-tripping or loading up to head into the mountains and shred some powder, a minivan is a far better tool for the adventurous nine times out of 10.

Consider, first, the appropriately named Honda Odyssey. Yes, you can get one with that aforementioned vacuum cleaner on board, but that doesn't mean it sucks. Instead, check out the 929 litres worth of space for camping gear behind the third row. A Pilot has to make do with only a little better than half that amount.

That's more cargo room for your merry crew as you thread the roads between the Scylla of chain restaurants and the Charybdis of food poisoning. Speaking of which, if your adventures include stopping for a roadside feast at some hole-in-the-wall, the cushy ride of a minivan encourages a slower-paced drive, yet has less body roll to make little sailors seasick.

That's not to say your average minivan is slow. Whether hitting the Trans-Canada to go coast-to-coast, or jumping on the U.S. interstates on the way to the rocky wonders of Moab, most minivans have the kind of power you used to get when checking the V-8 option on some big American land yacht.

The market seems to have decided that the time of minivans is passed, and is embracing crossovers in ever greater numbers.

Yet it's a mistake to dismiss these versatile, useful, practical machines without a closer look. A proper explorer's vehicle is all about opening doors to new adventures. What better way than if the doors in question are sliding?


At the show

Toyota Sienna

2018 Toyota Sienna.

Comes with a 296-horsepower V-6 and an eight-speed transmission. Despite a curb weight of around 2,000 kilograms, it can sprint to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds – good enough to outrun Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari in a theoretical drag race, and certainly enough to scoot safely past semi-trailers on mountain passes. The Sienna is available with all-wheel drive, and once equipped with proper tires, snow is no issue.

Chrysler Pacifica

2018 Chrysler Pacific Hybrid.

The sleek Pacifica is the first plug-in hybrid electric van. If you're the type of outdoorsy family keeping a close eye on your overall environmental impact, the Pacifica's ability to pull off the short-range school run on electrons only makes weekend drives out to cottage country relatively guilt-free.

Kia Sedona

2018 Kia Sedona.

The Sedona is a lot of car for less than $30,000. The list of standard features is impressive: third-row seats, V-6 engine, Bluetooth, backup camera and a five-star U.S. NHTSA safety rating. The Sedona comes in seven trims (L, LX, LX+, SX, SX+, SXL, SXL+).


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