It is of great interest to me how these 4000 pound vans can get such excellent gas mileage while the top heavy and equally heavy SUVs struggle to even reach 16 mpg on the highway. The vans are also safer as they don't topple over as easily. Anyway, the 26-gallon fuel tank on the Freestar gave it a potential cruising range of 600 miles on the open road. The rest of the group had smaller tanks, but they all could conceivable give you well over 500 miles of travel before refueling. Realistically, you can expect gas mileage in the 22 to 23 miles per gallon on unleaded. In terms of safety ratings there wasn't a bad one in the bunch.
Don't let a van's appearance fool you, these two ton vehicles can accelerate quite well and can hold there own in highway passing situations even when loaded. The Quest and Sienna were the fastest.
My verdict is for the Toyota Sienna. They were all good, but the turning radius, silent power of the engine; great gas mileage, build quality, and resale were the key considerations in my decision. If we still had young children, bite your tongue, the Chrysler Town and Country would be my choice without question. The Stow and Go seats are magnificent and make attaching a baby seat, hauling diaper bags, and even hiding items a breeze. The Quest's appearance and the interior didn't suit me. The Ford felt and looked old and there was nothing to get me excited about it.
Dad's view: Is a van supposed to be just for hauling or for driving enjoyment or both? That is the decision I had to make. Well, much to my surprise the Sienna was a joy to drive although the handling was soft. Toyota must be downplaying the power because this two-ton people mover is never is at a loss for motivation. The downside was a transmission that was a little too relaxed for my driving style. However, the shift lever is very easy to use and you could fetch your own gears if so inclined. The Nissan was the easiest to manually shift with its high mounted lever. In addition to driving enjoyment, the Sienna sipped regular unleaded so slowly that we thought the gas gauge was broken. Negatives were the soft handling and small seats that may not appeal to everyone. If you are into speed, the Nissan has the strongest engine. The Chrysler was the quietest, and had the best interior features.
All the vans had enough floor space to enable you can carry a full sheet of plywood. The Toyota's third seat is split 60/40 and each side can fold into the floor well. The second row captain's chairs tumble forward. Removing the second row seats in the Sienna is the most difficult of any of the vans though. The Sienna is available in eight passenger configurations, which is a plus for some users.
Ford's Freestar has one of the most novel feature of any van and that is an inside mirror that enables you to see what is happening in the rear seats. It is similar to those used on school busses and it is very useful. It also has the engine with the most torque, but it is not the quietest of powerplants.
The best feature on the Quest, outside of its strong engine, is the wide opening doors. It is so easy to get into the second and third rows of seats that it makes you wonder how long it going to take the competition to copy this feature. As the other vans, the Quest's rear seat folds flat into the floor, but it is takes some muscle to pull it out of the floor into the upright position. Unfortunately, the second row seats are also fairly difficult to remove. Not as bad as the Sienna's, but not as handy as the Chrysler.
Don't let a van's appearance fool you, these two ton vehicles can accelerate quite well and can hold there own in highway passing situations even when loaded. The Quest and Sienna were the fastest.
My verdict is for the Toyota Sienna. They were all good, but the turning radius, silent power of the engine; great gas mileage, build quality, and resale were the key considerations in my decision. If we still had young children, bite your tongue, the Chrysler Town and Country would be my choice without question. The Stow and Go seats are magnificent and make attaching a baby seat, hauling diaper bags, and even hiding items a breeze. The Quest's appearance and the interior didn't suit me. The Ford felt and looked old and there was nothing to get me excited about it.
Dad's view: Is a van supposed to be just for hauling or for driving enjoyment or both? That is the decision I had to make. Well, much to my surprise the Sienna was a joy to drive although the handling was soft. Toyota must be downplaying the power because this two-ton people mover is never is at a loss for motivation. The downside was a transmission that was a little too relaxed for my driving style. However, the shift lever is very easy to use and you could fetch your own gears if so inclined. The Nissan was the easiest to manually shift with its high mounted lever. In addition to driving enjoyment, the Sienna sipped regular unleaded so slowly that we thought the gas gauge was broken. Negatives were the soft handling and small seats that may not appeal to everyone. If you are into speed, the Nissan has the strongest engine. The Chrysler was the quietest, and had the best interior features.
All the vans had enough floor space to enable you can carry a full sheet of plywood. The Toyota's third seat is split 60/40 and each side can fold into the floor well. The second row captain's chairs tumble forward. Removing the second row seats in the Sienna is the most difficult of any of the vans though. The Sienna is available in eight passenger configurations, which is a plus for some users.
Ford's Freestar has one of the most novel feature of any van and that is an inside mirror that enables you to see what is happening in the rear seats. It is similar to those used on school busses and it is very useful. It also has the engine with the most torque, but it is not the quietest of powerplants.
The best feature on the Quest, outside of its strong engine, is the wide opening doors. It is so easy to get into the second and third rows of seats that it makes you wonder how long it going to take the competition to copy this feature. As the other vans, the Quest's rear seat folds flat into the floor, but it is takes some muscle to pull it out of the floor into the upright position. Unfortunately, the second row seats are also fairly difficult to remove. Not as bad as the Sienna's, but not as handy as the Chrysler.