03-01-2017, 05:10 AM
I'll submit that the Toyota Sienna version with AWD is fantastic in snow with all-season tires, and it hauls all manner of family stuff and outdoor gear wonderfully whilst affording the driver and riders great comfort.
It has one flaw: 17mpg, less in city driving. And maybe one other flaw: it is a minivan. But we long ago embraced the minivan form factor. A large number of friends with sexier-looking SUVs cannot drive six adults to a ski resort, six kids to the airport, a snow blower and a lawn mower to the in-law's, or haul plywood from Home Depot. I know this because they had to ask me to do this! And they paid for this service with bourbon!
Luxury cars exist because a large portion of the population chooses to define themselves in large part based on the cars they drive. Same reason people live in houses much larger than their needs. Fine for them, but I define myself by what I do, not what I own, and keeping a lid on car and home costs has allowed me and my family to do pretty much whatever the f else we want.
So our cars include a Big One (the Sienna), a Little One (a Mazda3 hatchback), and a Fun One (Miata), which is a girly car belonging to my wife which I only drive when it's dark out and people can't see how much fun I'm having in it. All purchased used and 2-3 years old, with 15-25k miles, and expected to be driven to about 115k miles before being replaced.
It has one flaw: 17mpg, less in city driving. And maybe one other flaw: it is a minivan. But we long ago embraced the minivan form factor. A large number of friends with sexier-looking SUVs cannot drive six adults to a ski resort, six kids to the airport, a snow blower and a lawn mower to the in-law's, or haul plywood from Home Depot. I know this because they had to ask me to do this! And they paid for this service with bourbon!
Luxury cars exist because a large portion of the population chooses to define themselves in large part based on the cars they drive. Same reason people live in houses much larger than their needs. Fine for them, but I define myself by what I do, not what I own, and keeping a lid on car and home costs has allowed me and my family to do pretty much whatever the f else we want.
So our cars include a Big One (the Sienna), a Little One (a Mazda3 hatchback), and a Fun One (Miata), which is a girly car belonging to my wife which I only drive when it's dark out and people can't see how much fun I'm having in it. All purchased used and 2-3 years old, with 15-25k miles, and expected to be driven to about 115k miles before being replaced.