If you're looking to impress, forget the bright red Corvette or shiny black Hummer H2. Everyone knows the minivan is the hottest car on the road right now.
After years of taking a (removable) backseat to SUVs and crossovers, the minivan is back. Quirky ad campaigns and driver-focused designs are rekindling interest in the humble mom-mobile, as car buyers stuck in an uncertain economy eschew style and embrace practicality.
It all started with Toyota's "Swagger Wagon" ad campaign, featuring an oh-so-hip mom and dad rapping about their new minivan. The ad became a viral hit and assured young parents that minivan ownership no longer means mom jeans and only going to sporting events where your kid is on the field.
"Due the recession, consumers are trying to make smarter purchases, and the minivan is certainly smart," said Bob Zeinstra, head of advertising and strategic planning for Toyota. "We've heard plenty of stories about how customers have chosen SUVs for the wrong reason (e.g. perceived image) and then ended up not being able to take all their cargo on vacation."
Responsibility is the new cool in this economy, and buying a minivan is the ultimate responsible decision -- sexier than a fixed rate mortgage, paid-off credit cards and a vacation spent at home playing Scrabble with the kids. That's good news for those of us who bear a resemblance to the bald, bespectacled Toyota spokesdad.
While King Crossover still rules, the minivan may happily become the Duke of Suburbia. Losing a few models (the Hyundai Entourage and Nissan Quest) hurt overall minivan sales year to date, so they're up only 3.3 percent compared to an overall market increase of 16.6 percent. But Dave Cutting, an analyst with J.D. Power and Associates says that the new Sienna and a redesigned Honda Odyssey will attract buyers.
"The new models from Toyota and Honda should help [the] midsize van segment moving forward -- along with Chrysler’s model changes this fall for the Town & Country and Caravan," he said.
Already, over at Chrysler -- remember them? -- sales of the current Town and Country jumped 80%, thanks in part to big incentives.
To find out how this newfound fame is sitting with the traditional minivan buyer, we checked in with Lynne Thompson, a self-described soccer mom. Don't laugh -- that's actually on her business card. She calls the Toyota ads "brilliant." The author of a religious devotional book for soccer moms, Thompson has owned numerous vehicles but swears by her minivan.
"I'm big on substance over style," she said. "As a busy mom I need something that works for me. I want to know that I can have the kids eat meals on the go in the vehicle and won't go ballistic when they accidentally spill a drink."
Unlike a Range Rover or GX470, a minivan appeals to the kind of parent you won't see on Real Housewives of Orange County. "This vehicle says, 'I know it's not about me, it's about the kids,' and really it is," said Thompson. Still, owning a minivan doesn't mean you have to give up your identity. Zeinstra says the Sienna's marketing campaign is aimed at moms and dads who "were professionals before they were parents."
Styling aside -- we wouldn't ditch a Maserati GranSport for one -- we've always thought minivans were cooler than SUVs and we've always liked how they combine cavernous cargo space with solid fuel economy and a comfy ride. It feels good knowing that we're among trendsetters.
Photo of the Toyota Sienna minivan: Toyota
