We did not mention vans yet. Don`t know what I would have done with three kids without a van. VW Caddy Maxi and the Microbus California. Really good years to remember!
Ah yes. The minivan. I have a long-lasting friendly debate with my brother-in-law on this subject. We both live in suburban sprawlville, your typical 2.4-kid household; neither of us is in the habit of driving through rivers or over mountains. He has had a succession of SUVs, currently he drives a Chevy Equinox. It's a capable enough vehicle, but for the size of the thing is really not very spacious on the inside. Previously he had a Honda Pilot, which is built on the same floorpan as my Odyssey.
There's no doubt that the minivan provides vastly more versatile and useful interior space. In my opinion - and this is absolutely a personal preference) the driving position and dynamics are better in the van, and the fuel economy is better too.
I am now the slightly reluctant owner of two minivans - I'm on my second Honda Odyssey (the first, at only 11 years and 200,000km, was barely run-in but it wasn't economical to adapt the seating for a disabled passenger in a car of that age) and its stablemate is a Mazda5. I bought the 5 to replace a point-and-squirt hatchback I used for commuting: my sole purchasing criterion was that I wanted the smallest vehicle I could find that had a sliding rear passenger door. I'm not a huge fan of the Mazda - it was a run-out model in the Canadian market as (though they're still made) they're no longer imported here - it's a lot more tinny than the Honda, and is noticeably harder on its tyres, too. But it suits my needs extremely well, being big enough to carry a handful of people, a dog and a wheelchair and small enough to park easily in the tight spaces behind my office.
I cannot see a circumstance where I would choose to own an SUV of any kind, but they are absolutely everywhere and there are obviously enough folks who can see the advantages that I plainly cannot, since they sell so well.
Which brings us back to the topic of the post, with Rolls jumping on the bandwagon: I saw a Cullinan on the road here just a couple of days ago (supplied by Rolls Royce Motor Cars of Quebec, the licence plate holder said) and I must say that, approaching it from the back, my first thought was that somebody had imported a new London Taxi before I saw the badge on the boot lid. It is, IMO, an edifice with almost no redeeming design features. In particular, the awful stepped line across the tail lights across the top of the tailgate is absolutely hideous and makes the back end look like a complete afterthought.
