Minivans are built with excellent highway performance in mind and often feature engines that are designed to favor fuel efficiency. If you just need a large family vehicle to cover the short trips around town, then the minivan is more than capable of the doing the job. Allied with even more power and ground clearance than a minivan, the SUV is a much better option if you want a vehicle for family practicality during the week, and a bit of fun at the weekends.
Power, torque and towing capacity are important specs to look out for here, and all three are likely to be much more impressive on an SUV. SUVs have become increasingly popular over the last decade as a good middle ground option, offering excellent performance with plenty of practicality. Looking to buy a new vehicle? Check out the full Nissan SUV range here. Truck vs SUV. The choice of the most adventurous — truck or SUV? While both have excellent performance capabilities, the truck is a stronger towing option with lots of cargo space.
The SUV offers more interior space and is generally easier to drive. Why truck? This is the primary selling point of the truck. With vast amounts of torque and big towing capacities, trucks are the vehicles of choice if you need to transport a trailer or, even better, a boat around on a regular basis.
Many trucks also have tow receivers fitted or available, and the larger versions should also have impressive towing figures.
Trucks have a very distinctive look with a long, flat bed behind the two or four-door cabin. Make sure that the bed is fitted with a strong cover however to ensure stored items are out of view when the vehicle is unoccupied. There are so many different models available on the new and used markets, and this excellent supply means that prices are kept very competitive.
Trucks are also built to be dependable, which makes them some of the most reliable vehicles available on the market. Many large SUVs also include third row seating so you can carry up to seven passengers, making them an option for larger families. Trucks are traditionally work vehicles which car manufacturers are increasingly adapting to the needs of families, but they struggle to match a lot of the inherent interior practicality of SUVs.
Easier to drive. SUVs, particularly smaller versions like crossovers, are more likely to feel like driving a conventional sedan or hatchback. This means that the handling in SUVs is usually much more nimble and pleasant. SUVs generally have a smaller body length than trucks too, which makes them easier to navigate around busy city streets.
Parking in trucks can also be a headache owing to the long truck bed which is difficult to judge when reversing and looking through the rear cabin window. Interior cargo. SUVs are a much better option for tough road conditions, while the smaller crossover has the edge on comfort and fuel efficiency.
Why crossover? Crossovers are smaller, lighter and contain less powerful engines than their SUV counterparts. All three characteristics have a positive impact on fuel efficiency, which makes the crossover the best option for good mileage among larger vehicles. Crossovers are constructed by placing an SUV-like body on a unibody platform. This gives you a higher driving position than a sedan or hatchback, while also offering the nimble handling and comfort of those smaller vehicles.
The body of a crossover is also lower to the ground than a SUV, making it easier to get kids in and out. Some models are fitted with third row seating to suit families, but head and legroom will be more limited than what you experience within a SUV. Crossovers are toned down SUVs, offering much of the practicality of their older sibling but with the agility and styling of a smaller car.
CUVs are in high demand at the moment and car manufacturers are doing all they can to make their models stand out from the crowd. SUVs are built on a truck-like frame giving the body increased ground clearance when travelling off-road. The SUV is engineered with challenging road conditions in mind, with many versions offering more powerful V8 engines and stronger suspension systems than a crossover. They are also more likely to feature All-Wheel Drive or Four-Wheel Drive as either a standard or available drivetrain, providing you with the necessary additional traction if you live in regions with particularly harsh winters.
If you're shopping for a car that seats seven or more, chances are fuel economy is not your chief concern. But as fuel is likely to be one of the most significant expenses attached to owning your car, it's worth thinking about anyway. Every minivan for sale in the United States is powered by a V-6, and they all make between 24 mpg and 30 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA the plug-in-hybrid variant of the Chrysler Pacifica is rated at 76 MPGe on the highway before its mile electric range runs out.
Those aren't particularly impressive numbers these days, but they're better than you'll find in the SUVs that offer similar cargo- and passenger-carrying capabilities. Many mid-size or large SUVs are powered by thirsty V-8 engines, especially in their upper trim levels.
GM's Tahoe , Suburban , and Yukon are estimated to earn 23 mpg on the highway with rear-wheel drive and 21 mpg with all-wheel drive.
The Lexus GX earns just 18 mpg on the highway. Even the Ford Flex , which with its low floor and high ceiling is one of the most minivan-ish crossovers on the market, manages only 22 mpg of highway travel in the EPA's tests. You could also look into one of the hybrid SUVs, which deliver better fuel economy than the standard models, but be sure to do the math to check whether their higher price can be offset with fuel savings.
The only hybrid minivan is the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. This point goes to the vans. Minivans have lost almost all of the social cachet they enjoyed in the s, so automakers haven't devoted much time or energy to them in recent years. There are precisely five minivans for sale in the United States today, and only the Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey have seen recent styling and mechanical overhauls.
They are also clear winners for those who actually want to go off-road. Another category where minivans typically outshine SUVs is in the price department.
Upon comparing the least expensive three-row SUV with the least expensive minivan, it might appear to be a tie. However, if you compare decked-out SUVs with decked-out minivans, the minivan will almost always be cheaper, and often by a lot.
This is one category where SUVs are typically the clear winners. If you need to tow something and need plenty of room for your family, then an SUV is usually the better choice. If you also want nimble handling, then a crossover SUV can usually fill this while also providing towing capacity. Minivans usually get the edge in this category as they have huge amounts of cargo space in the rear and are easier to load. The other aspect to consider is that the cargo space in a minivan increases even more when the seats are folded down.
Get help choosing the best type of car for your family—minivan or SUV—and then check out the our top picks in each category. Most little kids need to be lifted into an SUV, but they can climb into a minivan by themselves.
Other moms started their families with an SUV but moved on to a minivan as their tribe expanded. Both minivans and SUVs have a lot of the same creature comforts, but minivans offer a few extra family-centric perks. Minivans give you 25 to 28 miles per gallon mpg on the highway and ish mpg in the city. Some three-row SUVs such as the Volkswagen Atlas are in that ballpark, but others get as little as 22 mpg highway and 15 mpg city.
For many SUV buyers, an eagle-eyed view of the road and plenty of legroom is a big draw.
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