A Kia minivan is about as exciting as… well… actually, it’s not exciting at all. However, that should not mean that it can’t be a great vehicle for the right person/need. I recently drove around for a week in one and learned quite a few things about myself as well as the era of minivans.
First of all, driving a different car every week definitely has its advantages, however, I try very hard to remember that whatever I’m driving has no impact whatsoever on my identity. A hot new BMW does not make me cool. It’s not mine, and I’m only driving it for a week. However, hopping into the minivan everyday for a week ended up being a completely different experience. Part of what made it interesting was that other people seemed to notice and comment on the car far more than normal. “I had no idea you were a minivan type of person” one friend commented when I showed up to a dinner. “Nice minivan” would repeat over and over throughout the week, and even an occasional giggle from my coworkers when I walked out with them at the end of the day. Even driving around town, I found myself thinking differently about certain driving conditions when in the Kia. At one point, I had made a slightly silly move at a 4-way stop, and as I waved at the other driver, apologizing, I thought to myself, “well, they won’t be mad at me, I’m in a minivan, I obviously don’t take myself *that* seriously.” And it’s true. You don’t take yourself seriously when in a minivan.
However, it’s a shame that these have such a bad stigma, because this car handled the day to day job of transportation remarkably well and for not a tremendous amount of money. It got good gas mileage, held 6 passengers very comfortably (2nd row seating has captain’s chairs), was outfitted with cupholders and tiedowns everywhere, it even had stow-and-go 3rd row seats. The sliding doors had fully functional windows which rolled down instead of buckle-jointed pop-out windows. If I was a soccer dad, I’d have been in heaven.
Without a doubt the most innovative feature I found on this car was a small, concave mirror located where most cars have a sunglasses cubby. Above the rear-view mirror sat a small pop-down mirror that gave a bird’s eye view of the backseats. It is the minivan equivalent of the school bus mirror. I loved it, and used it on my friends who were playing tomfoolery in the backseat as we drove to a cyclocross event. It allowed you to see behind you inside the car without sacrificing the rear-view mirror for seeing behind you outside the car.
While this car won’t win you any style points in the neighborhood home-owners association, it’s a pretty solid car for $23,000. Getting in and out of the car was very easy since the seats sit perfectly at the height where you don’t have to climb up or sit down; merely slide straight in and rest. Driving it was sort of a non-event. It didn’t excel nor did it perform poorly. It got me where I needed to go, and did so without really making it an issue. While this is definitely not for the person who needs their car to feed their identity, it’s also not for the person who needs to have an automotive ‘experience.’ However, I don’t think that’s what it was designed for, and i can’t count that against it. If you need to get around town, have a family to haul, and like lots of simple luxuries, this car is a bargain of a choice. 3.5 stars.
