Top Eco Minivans: The Green Family Car

Having a family can often put you at odds with being green when it comes to your car. Sure we’d all love to drive around in a compact hybrid or a fuel efficient micro-car but, our realities of daily living don’t really fit – literally. As a parent I understand the issues that eco-friendly families wrestle with on a regular basis.

If you have one child you probably couldn’t live with a SMART Car or a Tesla, unless it’s just your fun car but, you could get away with a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight. They are actually pretty roomy and have good trunk space for all the child accouterments i.e. stroller, bags, toys, play pen or whatever.  Once you have two kids it seems to become impractical. With two child safety seats in the back and double strollers – you’re filled to capacity.  Not to mention fitting loads of groceries, grandma or another kid for a play date. So, as many parents do, they let go of their youth and their selfish aspirations for a cool car and give in to the dreaded minivan.  Now mind you, minivans have come a long way.  They come with all kinds of bells and whistles and some are actually pretty sporty looking. One of my friends actually put flames on the side. That’s another discussion all together. So, how do families balance practicality with the environment?

Well, I did a little research. I went to greenercars.org and they have rated minivans by their “green-ness”.  But I feel that many times Green organizations seem to overlook the real-world practicalities of the cars they are reviewing so, I decided to go to the gold-standard – Edmunds.com.  So working off these two respectable sites I put together a nice list.

1. Mazda 5 – Without further ado, the number one minivan voted by both sites is the Mazda 5. It has one of the highest emissions standards with the top green score (Low Emissions Vehicle II) – pretty good on the MPG too with best-in-class fuel economy of 21 in the City and 27 on the Highway.  Edmunds calculated it as the “lowest true cost to own” and was Consumers’ Top Rated.  Although it is considerably smaller than a full-size minivan, it can still seat 6 in relative comfort and since it’s built on the Mazda 3 platform, you get that Zoom-Zoom feeling that most minivans lack.  And the price – awesome! You can get the top trim level for less than $23,000. You save green and you are green and it’s got good safety features too.  What more could you ask for? Never mind.
2. Kia Sedona – Okay.  This baby gives you bang for the buck.  It did not even appear on the greenercars.org’s top 3 – which is a shame.  This is all about value, and in these tough economic times, who couldn’t use that? The Sedona has many of the same features of other top brand competitors and its well-equipped base model starts at only $22, 195. Wait! There’s more. You get the unbelievable 10 year/100,000 mile power train warranty – the longest in the industry. Did I just say that? J Furthermore, it has the same high emission standards as the Odyssey (ULEV-2) and matches the Sienna’s MPG (17/23).  All safety and performance features are similar with just a little less space (142 cubic feet). So, as I write this Sienna has lost its #2 spot and I’m moving the Sedona up to its rightful place.
3. Toyota Sienna – Now I’m not sure why but greenercars.org ranks the Sienna #3 for green but, considering that the #2 green rated Transit is not a family van, it’s effectively the 2^nd greenest family minivan. Its emission standards are actually higher than the Mazda 5, being a ULEV-2 (Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle) but, its fuel efficiency is a little lower with 17 in the City and 23 on the Highway but, it’s much bigger than the Mazda 5 with 7 or 8 passenger seating and a cavernous 149 cubic feet of maximum cargo capacity. So this is great for a large family. If you live in cold areas with lots of snow, higher models have an all-wheel drive option. The Sienna has been a long standing classic – it has high safety ratings and is very reliable.  If you have more than two kids, you definitely want to consider this lean mean green machine. But be ready to shell out some green as the base price starts at $1,500 more than the Mazda 5 with top trim level at an MSRP of $24,540.
4. Honda Odyssey – Not exactly sure why the Odyssey didn’t make the grreenercars.org list but it has the same emissions standards as the Sienna with just a smidgen better gas mileage of 17 in the City and 25 on the Highway. Unfortunately the Odyssey lacks some of the refinements and features found in the aforementioned vans but, personally I like the sporty exterior and it comes with high safety marks as well.  Edmunds still considers the Honda a top pick for its minivan selection.  The roominess is comparable to the Sienna but its price is even higher with an MSRP of $26,805. Unless you’re particularly fond of the Odyssey, I’d stick with the Toyota version.
5. Ford Transit Connect – Well, yes, it’s a minivan but it’s far from a family van.  This car is really meant to be a bare-bones commercial hauler and its clunky tall roof Euro-styling is pretty goofy but, it is a great compact work van.  It ranks #2 on greenercars.org a

   

   

   

   

   

   Kia Sedona

   
   

   

   
   
   

   Kia Sedona

   nd its MPG is comparable to the Mazda with 22 in the City and 25 on the highway.  For a compact van it has a lot of room; 135 cubic feet of space behind its front seats, offering 100 fewer cubes than the full-size Ford Econoline, but the same as a Chevy Suburban. So yes, you can get a second row of seats which are probably meant to carry more work crew but, with a little psychedelic imagination you could customize this baby to be the next hippie-rama VW Van. So much for family functionality. MSRP $21,185

So, the results are in.  Frankly, the Mazda 5 is perfect if you only have a couple kids but, with a much larger family I would go for the value-driven Kia Sedona.  I hope this helps out all you green families out there. Stay tuned for my next blog posting, “How to get your kid out of your bed.”