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A 'minivan', 'multi-purpose vehicle' (abbreviated 'MPV'), 'people-carrier', 'people-mover' or 'multi-utility vehicle' (shortened 'MUV') is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use. Minivans are taller than a sedan, hatchback or a station wagon, and are designed for maximum interior room.

Contents

The term

Characteristics

Overview

Seats

Chassis and drivetrain

Doors

Segments

History

Difference between MPV, Minivan and Van

Minivans by market

North America

United Kingdom

Engines

Europe

Asia

Public image

See also

External links

The term

The term "minivan" was coined in North America and the term is derived from the fact that these vehicles were considerably smaller and more streamlined than traditional North American passenger vans, such as the Ford E-Series. In other English-speaking countries, other terms describe this kind of vehicle.
In Europe and India, "multi-purpose vehicle" (MPV) describes the car type in general without any reference to the size. These are described with a word before the acronym: a mini MPV is derived from a supermini, a compact MPV is based on a small family car and a large MPV has about the same size as a large family car. In Asia, "multi-utility vehicle" (MUV) has more or less the same meaning as MPV. "People-carrier" and "people mover" describe both large MPVs and minibuses, but not smaller models.

Characteristics

Overview

Minivans are usually between 1600 and 1800 mm tall (or between 65 and 70 in), which is around 200 mm (8 in) taller than a sedan, hatchback or a station wagon. The engine is mounted very close to the front edge of the car, and its elements are grouped higher than in other car types to minimize front overhang length. The rear overhang may be both short like a hatchback or long like in station wagons, changing the boot vs seat balance – the first option is more common in smaller minivans and the second in large minivans.

Seats

Seats are located higher than in lower cars, in a way that passengers seat more upright and unstretched, leaving more room for the legs. Some people find this seating position uncomfortable and prefer lower automobiles, while the disabled, the elderly or people with little flexibility may benefit from the lack of need to "sit down" when entering the car.
Larger minivans usually feature three seat rows, with two or three seats each: 2-3-2 or 2-3-3 (front to rear) are the most common seating configurations. Smaller minivans tend to have two seat rows, with a traditional 2-3 configuration. There are some exceptions, like the Honda FR-V, Fiat Multipla and Mercedes-Benz R-Class which are six seaters (3-3 in the first two cases and 2-2-2 in the latter).
Many minivans have so-called seating "flexibility", which means that seat benches or individual seats can be relocated, folded, swung and/or removed. This allows more seating capacity or cargo room depending on needs.

Chassis and drivetrain

In contrast to vans, sport utility vehicles and many crossover SUVs, most current minivans are front-wheel drive. The main advantage is better handling than rear-wheel drive vehicles under slippery conditions like rain, snow and ice. This configuration also allows more inner area along the floor, due to the absence of the driveshaft hump. With rear seats removed, the cargo area in large minivans can hold a 4x8 ft sheet of drywall or plywood flat. Four-wheel drive was also introduced to minivans in North America with the Toyota Van Wagon 4WD and the Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro.
Most modern minivans feature unibody architecture, which offers superior crashworthiness and a more comfortable ride than a body-on-frame chassis, and is typically lighter. The Chevrolet Astro / GMC Safari was the last body-on-frame rear-wheel drive minivan but is now discontinued.
In the United States, in order to circumvent safety and emissions regulations, minivans are often classified as light trucks.

Doors

Access to the third row is through the rear side doors; these may open by sliding them or swinging. Early minivans featured one rear side sliding door on the passenger's side, differentiating them from earlier cargo vans which typically had a pair of outward-opening double doors behind the front passenger door. Almost every current minivan features rear doors on both sides; swinging doors are the norm for European and Japanese minivans, while most American models feature sliding doors.

Segments

Minivans can be roughly classified in three or four segments: large, compact, mini and sometimes micro. Models of all segments are present in Europe, the Americas and parts of Asia.
Large minivans are those above 4600 mm (180 in) long. Nearly every minivan sold in the United States belongs to this segment, so they are simply called minivans there. The first European MPV also belonged to this segment, and later similar models were named likewise until smaller models appeared; now these models are called "large MPVs". Examples are the Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Ford Galaxy and Eurovan.
Compact MPVs have a length of between 4200 mm and 4600 mm (165-180 in). Such models enjoyed some popularity in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s, for example the Mitsubishi Expo and Nissan Axxess. In 1996, the Renault Scénic was released in Europe and its success made mainstream automakers produce them in large quantities, usually based on small family car platforms and with both two and three-row seats. As of 2007, the only compact minivans available in the United States are the Mazda5 and Kia Rondo.
Mini MPVs are under 4100 mm (160 in) long, and were introduced in the early 2000s. These models are based on supermini platforms and have different styles depending on markets: Japanese models are more boxy while Europeans have the bonnet and windshield almost parallel. Examples of mini MPVs are the Opel Meriva, Renault Modus, Fiat Idea, Toyota bB and Nissan Cube.
Tall city cars and kei cars like the Hyundai Atos, Chevrolet Matiz, Chery QQ and Suzuki Wagon R have also been called mini MPVs or "microvans" because of their increased height over traditional hatchbacks. Others believe they are too similar in design with other small cars, so they should be described as the same kind of cars.
Early minivans models may be smaller than modern models, but still fit into the child subsegment; the first-generation Renault Espace introduced in 1985 would be classified nowadays as a compact MPV, but later generations grew in size and the Espace is now considered a large MPV.

History

Apart from the visionary Stout Scarab (1935), the most important predecessors of minivans are compact vans, which were produced since the 1950s. The Volkswagen Type 2, the second automobile in Volkswagen's range, was released in 1950 and had some features that would be found later in minivans. The Volkswagen Type 2 had a RR layout, two rear side doors opposite to the driver's side and none on the driver's side. Japanese And American compact vans have been produced since the 1960s, nearly all of them with a FMR layout, with the engine mounted behind or under the front seat and a flat, vertical nose. Examples include the Ford Econoline, Chevrolet Van, Suzuki Carry, Toyota Hiace and Subaru Sambar. When Volkswagen introduced a sliding rear door on their van in 1968, it at that point had all the features that would later come to define a minivan (three rows of forward-facing seats, station wagon-style top-hinged tailgate/liftgate, sliding rear door, passenger car underpinnings).
The first use of the term minivan was in North America, when Toyota and Chrysler launched their respective minivan products in late 1983 for the 1984 model year. The Toyota Van and Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager featured very different structure designs: the Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager had a FF layout and a unibody architecture, while the Toyota Van Wagon featured a FMR layout and was built on a body-on-frame chassis. The Chevrolet Astro / GMC Safari and Ford Aerostar were introduced for the 1985 model year with FR layout.
A European minivan design was conceived in the late 1970s by the Rootes Group in partnership with the French automaker Matra (which was also affiliated with Simca, the former French subsidiary of the Chrysler Corporation, sold in 1977 to the PSA Group). The Matra design was originally intended to be sold as a Talbot and be a replacement for the Talbot-Matra Rancho. Early prototypes were designed to use Simca parts, and hence featured a grille reminiscent of the Simca 1307. Matra took their idea to Peugeot, who thought it to be too expensive and risky, so the project was then presented to Renault. The Matra concept eventually became the Renault Espace, which was introduced in 1986. In contrast to the Chrysler's single sliding rear door, the Renault had traditional hinged car doors on both sides. Since no one disputes that the Renault Espace is a minivan, despite its door configuration, this raises the question of whether the 1956 Fiat 600 Multipla (seven years before Volkswagen introduced the sliding rear door that would come to define minivans for many motorists) was actually the first minivan.
However, Chrysler, under whom Matra had originally conceived the Espace, had also been developing the minivan concept themselves based on the Chrysler K platform. They released the boxy Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager earlier than the Espace, in 1983.

Difference between MPV, Minivan and Van

Like some minivans, a van can have eight or nine seats and can therefore be classified as passenger vehicles. Vans usually have a flat front end, and the front passengers set above the engine and front wheels, and not behind them like minivans. Sometimes the front wheels are under the front door in vans, something that doesn't happen in minivans.

Minivans by market

North America

General Motors originally countered the Dodge Caravan with their truck-based front-engine, rear drive Chevrolet Astro and GMC Safari. These models had difficulty competing for sales with the Chrysler minivans because of their poor traction, size and less comfortable driving characteristics. Nissan and Mitsubishi also introduced minivans to North America but like the Toyota Van Wagon, they had poor rear wheel drive traction, a bouncy ride (due to the short wheelbase) and one couldn't walk from the front seats to the back without getting out of the vehicle.
1989 brought Japan's first attempt at a North American-style minivan with the Mazda MPV. It was unique as it a had swing-out door with rolldown windows and was the first Japanese minivan with a front-engine. It did not have the utility, traction or cargo room of other minivans.
General Motors introduced the radically styled Chevrolet Lumina APV, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Trans Sport in 1990 to attempt to steal sales from Chrysler. These minivans were the first front-wheel drive minivans to compete with Chrysler. They were made of composite plastic body panels and had steeply raked windshields. Long dashboards, UFO styling and poor quality proved them to be unpopular.
That same year, Toyota introduced the Previa. It was aerodynamic like the General Motors minivans but was actually quite different in design. The Previa had a pancake-shaped, four-cylinder engine located under the floor of the vehicle. This allowed for passengers to pass from the front seats to the back without exiting the vehicle. While being J.D. Powers & Associates most reliable minivan and the first minivan reaching automobile safety standards, the Toyota Previa did not sell as well as the three Chrysler minivans.
Ford and Nissan's attempt at dethroning the three Chrysler minivans came in 1993 with the front wheel drive Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager. These minivans were competitive with car-based chassis' and six-cylinder engines, good handling and attractive styling. Ford-brand introduced a slightly larger front-wheel drive minivan called the Windstar in 1994.
1995 brought Honda to the minivan game with the Odyssey. The Odyssey was based on the Honda Accord giving the van more car-like handling than the Chrysler minivans triplet. It had outward opening doors with rolldown middle windows and the first minivan to have a rear seat fold into the floor.
In 2000, the Honda Odyssey continue to be the best selling minivans in North America. The second best selling minivan is the Toyota Sienna and the third is the Chrysler Town & Country. According to Autodata in 2006, Chrysler, Honda and Toyota together own 72% of the United States minivan market. General Motors and Ford make up 17%, Kia Sedona and Hyundai Entourage sales make up 5%, and the Nissan Quest makes up 3%.

United Kingdom

In 1995, Ford Motor company teamed up with Volkswagen and Seat in a factory in Portugal, to make Ford's Galaxy, VW Sharan and Seat Alhambra. These three cars were facelifted heavily in the year 2000, and recently, Ford has left VW and Seat to make its own Galaxy sharing many parts with the Ford S-Max another MPV.

Engines

During the 1980s, North American minivans were slow and underpowered when compared with sport utility vehicles, but had more fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines. The 1990s brought more six-cylinder engines which improved performance and towing capabilities.
In the 1980s, four-cylinder engines were common for fuel efficiency, but often had higher rates of problems than larger engines. Before the development of 150 hp+ four-cylinder engines, such vehicles could also have poor performance, as manual transmissions were rare in minivans. With the shift towards heavier long-wheelbase models and light towing, V6 engines have become more common; some automakers dropped their four-cylinder engines from their minivan lineup. Some minivans were notorious for having problems with their transaxles, as they are substantially heavier than the sedans their powertrains were originally designed for. The Chevrolet Astro, the last surviving truck-based mid-size van originally marketed as a minvan, was popular for towing applications because of its truck-based frame and up to 4.3-liter V6, with some owners installing their own V8 engines.

Europe

Apart from the Chrysler Minivans, the Renault did not have any direct rival during the 1980s. Other mainstream automakers began to develop multi-purpose vehicles designed with European tastes in mind. PSA Peugeot Citroën and the Fiat Group founded a joint-venture, Sevel, and released in 1994 the eurovan under the nameplates Citroën Evasion, Peugoet 806, Fiat Ulysse and Lancia Zeta. Ford and the Volkswagen Group did a similar move and codeveloped a model which resulted in the Ford Galaxy, Volkswagen Sharan and SEAT Alhambra, which were made available in 1995. They featured an almost ideantical designed, with different front and rear ends and dashboards. While the VW/Ford model was relatively large, with a length of 4635 mm, the Espace and the eurovan were around 200 mm shorter and would be cosidered today as compact MPVs. All of them were available as seven-seaters and the seats could be folded and removed. These models would be later called "large MPVs".
The trend towards compact MPVs began in 1996 with the launch of the Renault Scénic and Vauxhall/Opel Zafira. Compact MPVs were cars with tall bodies but based on the chassis and engines of a small family car (in the case of the Scénic, the Renault Mégane). The runaway success of the Scénic saw the car spawn a multitude of similar vehicles, like the General Motors Zafira, the Citroën Xsara Picasso, the Volkswagen Touran, the Ford Focus C-Max, the SEAT Altea/Toledo and the Nissan Almera Tino. By the mid-2000s, virtually all mainstream automakers in Europe had a compact MPV in their range.
Also in the mid-2000s, automakers began to use MPV-style designs on supermini-based chassis. Examples of mini MPVs them are the Opel Meriva, based on the Corsa, the Renault Modus, derived from the Clio, and the Fiat Idea, derived from the Punto platform.

Asia

In the ASEAN nations, China and India, multi-utility vehicles tend to be smaller than North American minivans and European MPVs. Compact MUVs are more popular than models of other sizes.
They also differ in that they need to cope with uneven terrain as opposed to paved highways. Models from local manufacturers are usually based off Japanese designs from Suzuki, Daihatsu and Toyota.
MUVs vary widely in configuration: whilst some MUVs might be replicas of European MPVs (such as the European Ford Fusion) or American-style minivans (like the Toyota Innova), in some cases MUVs are similar to SUVs (such as the Chevrolet Tavera).
Other examples of MUVs are the Maruti Versa, Isuzu Panther, Toyota Avanza, Hindustan Pushpak, Toyota Qualis and Toyota Innova.

Public image

The target market for minivans are families living in urban areas. This minivan was a cross between the station wagon and full-size vans. In North America, came at a time when families wanted smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles without the negative stigma of the station wagon.
Minivans have a reputation for poor maneuverability and performance in comparison with other types of vehicles. However, they are also the vehicle of choice for large suburban families in the United States, where they are frequently associated with "soccer moms". Perhaps because of these associations, minivans are often seen as dowdy or boring — an ironic repetition of the stigma against station wagons that originally drove the popularity of minivans among Americans.
In a History Channel program of the history of minivans, a Chrysler designer said the minivan was so popular with mothers because of the ease in which a mother could hit her misbehaving children in the middle seats while driving.
Many buyers prefer the rugged, go-anywhere image of sport utility vehicles or the sporty, upscale image of European station wagons like the BMW 3 Series or the Volvo V70 provide.
Some crossover SUVs and minivans are becoming closer together in design and styling. The Pontiac Aztek and Buick Rendezvous sport utility vehicles even shared the same platform as GMs front-wheel drive minivans. The Chrysler Pacifica and Chevrolet Equinox can be described as sporty-looking four-wheel drive minivans or as crossover SUVs not designed for offroading; the Mercedes-Benz R-Class has a mininvan shape with rounder edges, and features four-wheel drive. The Ford Edge, Ford Freestyle, Chevrolet HHR and Chrysler Pacifica give a sight of the future of these vehicles in North America, while the SEAT Altea, Fiat Croma and Ford S-MAX do the same for the European MPVs.

See also

★ List of current minivans

★ Chrysler Minivans

★ Car body styles

★ Mini MPV

★ Compact MPV

★ Crossover SUV

★ Leisure activity vehicle

★ Station wagon

External links

★ MPV Owners Club

★ Russian Minivan Owners Club

★ Choosing minivan in Russia

★ About.com Minivans Site