Mad about minivans

Sliced bread they may not exactly be, which is supposedly the greatest thing man has thought of. But for families with more than two kids, a dog–and being relatively affluent Pinoys–a tsuper and a couple of yaya, minivans come pretty close to being the greatest thing. The fact that these vehicles actually bear resemblance to a loaf of bread mounted on a set of wheels (the greatest invention, it must be said) only adds to the minivan’s appeal.

It’s not difficult to see what a minivan’s attraction is. Sizewise it’s perfect, particularly for the aforementioned folks. It offers infinitely more space than a sedan but isn’t, duh, as large as full-size vans–which are simply cumbersome to drive, let alone park, around town. Sport-utes attract an entirely different set of buyers, and the full-size sport-utes are more suited to folks with fatter wallets, if not bigger egos. The hugely popular AUVs, on the other hand, has a more plebian appeal.

Minivans, meanwhile, are about as bland and unassuming as a loaf of bread. But throw in some CD or VCD player cheese, add a dash of peppery engines, a pinch of creative seating configurations, and things become more exciting. Let’s take a look at a couple on the local menu.

Nissan Serena Q-RV Limited

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and also skin deep. There’s probably no better argument for these sappy quips than the Serena Q-RV Limited minivan, one of Nissan Motors Philippines’ latest offerings. But then again, a beautiful minivan maybe oxymoronic.

That is not to say the Q-RV is not attractive. The vehicle’s tall stance doesn’t seem ungainly, and its minivan two-box styling isn’t bad either. With rakish sharp lines, at least it really looks like two boxes that are fused together, unlike most minivans today that are nothing more than two jellybeans left under the noonday heat.

There’s a bit – well, more than just a bit – of quirkiness about the Q-RV though. The humongous headlamp assembly, for instance, is hard to miss. Besides its disproportionate size, it’s also oddly shaped. The rearmost side windows look strange too, as if its designer was running late for a hot date and had to turn in his work pronto. Good thing dark tinted windows and an equally dark paint job can disguise this piece of work. The front quarter windows are peculiar as well, but in a better way. And well, all said, quirky is good. At least the Q-RV can’t be accused of being ho-hum boring.

Because boring it definitely is not, particularly in terms of performance. The Q-RV is powered by Nissan’s silky 145 horsepower, two-liter, 16 valve, four pot engine. Torque, rated at 183 Nm, is more than ample to haul this family cruiser around, and can match or even surpass the performance of sedans in traffic light drag races or expressway speed runs. That’s providing you spin the engine to 4800 rpm, because that’s the torque band’s sweetest spot.

There’s nothing exceptional in the Q-RV’s handling, save for the fact that it does keep its wheels planted when the body starts to lean on corners–which is expected from a tall vehicle anyway. But if it’s any help, there are all the safety features like ABS, EBD and driver side airbag to keep one’s mind more secure.

But if we’re not missing apexes, we’re missing the point here. The Q-RV exists for hauling kin and help around, with all manner of luggage in tow. For such a purpose, Nissan has creatively crammed into the Q-RV seats good for 10 people. Two in front, three each on the middle and third rows, and two more can occupy the side-facing rearmost seats. But nobody would envy the couple seating there.

However, Nissan made sure all occupants will keep their cool, as its reputed airconditioning system has vents all around the cabin. To entertain rowdy kids or wow the other guests, a six-disc CD player with speakers placed everywhere and a VCD player with a folding, ceiling mounted LCD monitor are available.

Helping in the feel-good department is the general level of workmanship and materials found inside the Q-RV. There’s a nice, polished feel on the seats, dashboard, and even on the plastic and cloth trims. The effort required for the foot-operated parking brake and the column-mounted gear shifter is virtually negligible.

Simply put, the Q-RV’s beauty is what’s under its skin.

It sells for P1.160 million; a lower-spec variant is offered at P960,000.

Chevrolet Venture

Though both the Europeans and Japanese have long been building small vans – think VW Kombi or Toyota Hiace – it’s the Americans who are credited for coming up with the car chassis-based small van, thus creating a whole new genre called the minivan. And Chevrolet’s Venture is exactly one would expect from a country that, for all intents and purposes, invented the minivan.

For one thing, the Venture is American-size spacious. This minivan seats seven in utmost comfort, with average size people not having to get in contact with each other. "Intimate" seating, the Venture does not offer. Although it can seat 10 in a pinch too.

What the Venture also does not offer, is a tacky, "luxurious" interior, which to most local buyers mean shiny, fake woodgrain trim and all manner of multicolored dancing lights on electronic gizmos. The Venture’s interior may be sparse but it is functional, with all the power-this and power-that stuff. Aircon vents and controls can be found in numbers, as are cupholders, cubbies and pockets. A superb audio system is certainly a bonus, and the seat and trim materials are unassumingly elegant. The subdued orange glow of the instrument panel’s lights and other controls complete the look. Tasteful is the word here.

The manner in which the Venture goes about its business of shuttling people and hauling cargo around is impressive as well–which is to say everything is accomplished in a polished, smooth way. The rigid body construction and what seem to be layers and layers of sound-deadening materials insulate this minivan’s occupants and result in a museum-quiet ride. No jarring bumps, no squealing engine hysterics, no droning road noise. Sshhhh.

That quietness and smoothness, however, means it’s sometimes hard to actually gauge the speed one is traveling by seat-of-the-pants guesswork alone. Which may not be a big deal, until you hit the brakes and realize you’re not stopping in the distance you thought you would–or should. It’s not the vehicle’s nor the brakes’, um, shortcoming though. It’s simply that you never thought you were going that fast already.

Which, by the way, the Venture is really capable of doing, thanks to its 3.0 liter V6 engine. Producing 171 horses and 345 Nm of torque at 5200 and 4400 rpm respectively, it’s sports sedan quick if it weren’t for the fact that the Venture tips the scales at 1853 kilos. Relatively quick, though it still is. And fast too, if given a reasonable amount of distance to do it.

All these goodies are wrapped in a tidy package. The Venture is not sports car sleek, but it’s not van nondescript either. Its styling is generic in a modern minivan manner, but with enough touches to distinguish itself from the others. The lack of chrome pieces, for one, is quite admirable and the body cladding treatment is successful if for the fact that it doesn’t look like body claddings at all.

Best news though is the Venture’s price tag. At P1.190 million, it’s a lot of van for the money.