Large minivans were for many years the perfect cars for large families in all markets around the world including Europe. All manufacturers had vehicles of this type, large cars, with 7 seats in 3 rows of seats and an excellent interior modularity that allowed the available space to be accommodated to specific needs at all times. Today there are hardly any cars of this type left: the Seat Alhambra, the Ford S-Max and Galaxy and the Renault Espace are the only large MPVs left for sale in our market and all four seem to have their days numbered.
Link to the new, km 0 and second-hand offers of the Seat Alhambra in coche.net
Link to new car offers, km 0 and second-hand Ford S-Max in cars.net
Link to the new, km 0 and second-hand offers of the Renault Espace in coche.net
In other world markets, however, this type of car, although clearly on the decline compared to other segments such as large SUVs, continues to be offered to those customers who need a car designed to travel with the family in total comfort and that they do not need to leave the asphalt at all. In North America, Japan and other countries such as Australia, this type of vehicle is still on sale, while in many emerging markets, where relatively compact and cheap 7-seater MPVs are needed, brands meet this demand with models specific.
There is one last market in which minivans of all sizes continue to triumph. This is China where practically all manufacturers include models of this type in their ranges. Today, in this fourth chapter of the cars that do not reach Europe, we will take a look at the large minivans that are sold in the United States, in Japan and in the emerging markets of South America and Asia and we will leave the intricate world of the Chinese automobile for a new series later.
The great North American minivans
Years ago, virtually every major manufacturer with a presence in the North American market had a full-size minivan in their ranges. even Volkswagen came to offer a rebranded version of the Chrysler Voyager to serve customers who needed a car of this type. Today there are hardly any large minivans for sale in the United States and all but one of them come from foreign brands.
The only domestic product still on sale is the Chrysler Pacifica, a replacement for the Voyager, which is only sold under the Chrysler brand since Plymouth no longer exists and Dodge no longer sells the Caravan version. This car, with a 7-seater cabin in the traditional layout in the United States, that is, 2+2+3, or with an interior layout for 8 seats 2+3+3, was launched in 2017 and is offered in two versions, one with a 3.6-liter V6 gasoline engine and another with the same engine combined with an electric drive and a 16-kwh battery that allows a range of about 50 km in electric mode. The hybrid version loses the possibility of having four-wheel drive, something that the gasoline variant does offer, and does not offer the option of the Stow'n'Go seats that allow you to store those of the second and third row under the floor.
One of the great rivals of the Pacifica in North America is the Kia Carnival, a model that is sold globally since it is also offered in markets such as South Korea, China, Russia and some of Southeast Asia. Available in 7- and 8-seater versions, this large minivan with sliding rear doors is 5.15 meters long and has a 3.09 meter wheelbase. For the US market it has a 3.5-litre V6 engine associated with an 8-speed gearbox while, for some markets, it also incorporates a 2.2-litre diesel engine inherited from the Kia Sorento, a car with the which also shares the platform. This car, whose Carnival name is already applied throughout the world (until the previous generation it was called Sedona in some markets) has a clone for the Hyundai brand that is only marketed in China under the Custo name.
Another large minivan on sale in North America is the Honda Odyssey, a car now in its fifth generation, launched in 2018 and recently redesigned. With a wheelbase of exactly 3 meters and a length of 5.16 metres, it also has sliding doors and is offered with a single 280hp 3.6L V6 engine mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox. This car is manufactured in a Honda plant in Alabama and in addition to North America it is also sold in other markets such as the Persian Gulf. When we talk about the big Japanese minivans, the Odyssey name will reappear.
To end the offer of this type of vehicle in the United States, we must talk about the Toyota Sienna, whose fourth generation was presented in 2020 on a platform shared with the Highlander SUV and dimensions similar to those of its rivals with a distance between axles of 3.06 meters for a total length of 5.17 meters. As a good Toyota, this car is only sold with a hybrid engine consisting of a 2.5-liter gasoline engine and two electric motors for a combined power of 245 hp. As a curiosity, this car has 7 USB ports for recharging mobile devices and no less than 18 cup holder holes. It is offered in front-wheel drive or integral versions, always with a CVT-type transmission and is sold in other markets such as Taiwan, Mexico and, for a few months, China, where it is also produced.
Japanese large minivans
In Japan, the segment of large minivans continues to retain a certain market and there are several brands that offer cars of this type, with an interior configuration similar to that of the United States, that is, with two seats in the first row, another two in the second and a bench seat for 3 seats in the last row. In most cases, you can choose between this configuration and another for 8 seats with another bench seat for 3 in the central row.
If there is a car that defines this segment like no other, this is the Toyota Alphard, a luxury minivan whose first generation dates back to 2002 and of which the third generation, dating from 2015, is currently on sale. it sells in other Asian markets under the Vellfire name and in China as the Crown Vellfire. The engine offering includes a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as a base variant, a 3.5-litre V6 and a hybrid variant with exactly the same characteristics as the North American Sienna. On a wheelbase of 3 meters, this car stays at 4.91 meters in length.
Since 2020, a version of this same model has been sold in the Chinese market under the Lexus brand and with the LM name, which, apart from different aesthetic details such as a large front grille in tune with those of the rest of the brand's models , is characterized by having a more evolved suspension with electronic damping. This car is offered either with 7 seats or with only four under the name Emperor Suite that also exists in the Toyota Alphard under the name of Royal Lounge.
The great historical rival of the Toyota Alphard is the Nissan Elgrand, which preceded it in time since the first generation dates back to 1997. The current generation is, as in the case of its rival, the third, which was launched in the year 2010 and underwent two restylings, the first in 2014 and the second in 2020. Available in front or all-wheel drive versions, it measures exactly the same as its rival (4.91 meters) and has the same wheelbase. The available engines are a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and the inevitable 3.5-liter V6, which is none other than the famous Nissan engine used in many models of the brand, Infiniti and even Renault.
Despite having the same name as its American counterpart, the Japanese Honda Odyssey is a completely different car. The current generation, the fifth, has been on sale since 2013 and has also received two restylings, one in 2017 and the other in 2021. The Japanese Odyssey is slightly smaller than its two domestic rivals. It measures 4.83 meters long and has a 10 cm shorter wheelbase. It is available with a 2-liter hybrid gasoline engine and with another 2.4-liter, always four-cylinder, and is sold in other markets such as Australia or China. In the latter case it is marketed under the name of Elysion and with a different front.
In Japan, the Mitsubishi Delica D:5 is also marketed. It is a minivan derived from a commercial vehicle whose first generation dates back to 1968 and which was marketed in Spain in its third and fourth generations, in the latter case under the name of Space Gear. The fifth generation of this vehicle is currently on sale, launched in 2007 and whose last redesign dates back to 2019. It measures 4.80 meters long, is marketed in versions with front-wheel drive or 4x4 and with four-cylinder gasoline engines. 2 and 2.4 liters Petrol or with a 2.2-liter turbodiesel.
The range of Nissan MPVs in Japan also includes a vehicle whose name will not sound much: the Nissan Serena, whose first generation was manufactured, with great success, in the Barcelona plant and was sold in both commercial and passenger versions. The current Serena is the fifth generation, it was launched in 2016 and is manufactured in both Japan and Malaysia, a country from which it is exported to other markets such as Singapore or Indonesia. It is a 4.65 m long car with 7 seats, front-wheel drive or integral and moved either by a 2-liter gasoline hybrid engine or by an e-Power system with an electric motor and a 1-liter propeller. 2 liters and 3 cylinders of gasoline used as current generator. The Serena has sliding doors and a cabin with the usual Japanese 2+2+3-seater layout. Under one of those strange agreements that are sometimes signed between Japanese brands, the Nissan Serena is also sold in its country of origin as the Suzuki Landy.
To compete with the Serena, Honda has a vehicle with an unpronounceable name: Stepwgn, whose fifth generation, the current one, was launched in 2015 equipped with a new 1.5-liter turbocharged direct injection engine later completed with a 2 liter hybrid. This vehicle, which measures 4.69 meters long, is very similar to the Serena in that it is very tall in proportion to its width, has sliding rear doors and has very vertical sides to make the most of interior roominess.
And, as there are not two without three, Toyota has, of course, a minivan with the same characteristics, that is, 4.69 meters long, a height close to 1.90 meters, sliding rear doors, cubic proportions and a passenger compartment for 7 seats. This Toyota has two names, Noah for the conventional versions and Voxy for the more luxurious ones, but in reality, and despite their obvious design differences, they are exactly the same car. The current generation, presented this year, is sold with a 2-liter 170 hp petrol engine or with a 140 hp hybrid engine, always with automatic gearbox.
People Movers for emerging markets
In the so-called emerging markets of East Asia, the Middle East, India, Africa and Latin America, a type of relatively compact minivans with 3 rows of seats designed exclusively for the displacement of large families or small crews of workers is marketed. Most Asian brands include vehicles of this type in their ranges in the aforementioned markets.
Suzuki, which is a true specialist in the manufacture of economical cars in non-European markets, has, for example, the Suzuki Ertiga, a 5-door, 7-seater minivan that measures just 4.36 meters in length and is based on the platform of Swift. This car, which is exported to markets such as the Philippines, South Africa or the Gulf countries, has gasoline and diesel engines, the latter exclusively for the Indian market and is marketed under the Proton brand in Indonesia and as Mazda VX-1 in that same market. Precisely also in Indonesia, there is a more luxurious version of this same model under the name of Dreza.
Born in 2001 in the form of a curious urban minivan, the Honda Mobilio was reborn in 2014 as an economical minivan for emerging markets in 2014 in Indonesia. Since then, its scope has increased and it is currently manufactured, in addition to that country, in Thailand and India, from where it is exported to numerous other markets. It has a gasoline engine and a diesel engine in both cases of 1.5 liters with respective powers of 118 and 100 CV. A "campera" variant of this car was marketed under the name of BR-V, but from 2021, the BR-V was replaced by an SUV with the same name.
Mitsubishi entered this market in 2017 with the Xpander, a car halfway between a minivan and a crossover, with hinged rear doors and a 7-seater cabin measuring 4.47 meters long and manufactured in Indonesia. Vietnam and Malaysia. It mounts a single 105 hp 1.5-litre petrol engine, has front-wheel drive and is available with a 5-speed manual gearbox or a CVT-type automatic transmission. Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa are among the markets that also receive this car, as well as its "jacket" variant called Xpander Cross.
Toyota, which is present in all world markets with products adapted to each of them, has different minivan models, including the Toyota Avanza, a car whose first generation was launched in 2003 in the markets of Southeast Asia and which originally developed the Daihatsu brand and was sold as Toyota Avanza and Daihatsu Xenia. The current generation is the third and was launched in the year 2021. It is produced with two petrol engines of 1.3 and 1.5 liters on a global Daihatsu platform and is sold in numerous markets with a length of 4.40 meters , which is slightly increased in the Fast version, more equipped and with a different front design.
Another similar Toyota model is the Innova, which is produced in Indonesia and is derived from the Toyota Hilux and the SW4, a model that is sold, for example, in Argentina. The Innova stands out for its robustness and is sold in countries in the Middle East, Central America, Southeast Asia or India. The current model is the second generation and was introduced in 2015. It is currently manufactured in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam and is fitted with 2 and 2.7 liter gasoline engines and 2.4 and 2.4 liter diesel engines. 2.8 litres. Its length is 4.73 meters.
Smaller in size (4.36 meters) and therefore a rival to models such as the Suzuki Ertiga or the Toyota Avanza, the Chevrolet Spin is produced both in Indonesia and Brazil on the same platform used by the Onix and is offered in 5 and 7 seater versions. Petrol engines are 1.2 and 1.5 liters in Asia and 1.8 liters in South America, where in 2018 it received a noticeable facelift.
About the innumerable minivan models that are sold in the Chinese market and as we said at the beginning, we will do some articles soon, but as an example and so that you can see that even Western brands have had to enter this market, it is worth this last image dedicated to the Volkswagen Viloran, a minivan with sliding doors built on the MQB A2 platform that mounts a 2-liter turbo gasoline engine and is 5.34 meters long.
