Minivan: The term immediately signifies a slower pace and a family. Thanks to Hollywood, it also gets the mind to conjure up images of screaming kids, juice spills, a drooling baby in a car seat tossing around baby food in the cabin and two parents having a mental breakdown as they try their best to somehow manage the situation. So, why would I want a minivan? The answer is simple – convenience. But let’s rewind a bit before I get to my explanation.
As a bachelor, I couldn’t understand why someone would want a minivan. Alright, in India, we don’t have minivans, but the Toyota Innova is the closest we get to that segment currently, and, frankly, when it was launched, I couldn’t understand who would buy one!
I was single, ready to mingle and what I needed at the time was the Mahindra Scorpio – dashing, robust, big and a boost to my ego. Testosterone on wheels. What more could I have ever wanted? Here was a vehicle that was fun to drive, a major ego booster and all my friends loved it. This was life and I scoffed at those who went out and bought an Innova.
After a glorious four years, my Scorpio and I decided to part ways – a decision that a bus driver took for me by driving his vehicle right into mine. As sad as I was, it was time to move on. I looked around and tried my best to convince myself to buy another Scorpio, but I couldn’t get myself to buy a version that would soon be defunct and I didn’t have the time to wait for the new one to hit the market. I was left with no choice and found myself outside the Toyota showroom in Gurgaon. I got myself an Innova.
At first, I convinced myself that this was a compromise, however, the more I drove my Innova, the more I learned about its merits. It powered up well, was extremely comfortable and I could pack my family in it. It handled well and the rough roads of Gurgaon weren’t a challenge either. I got past its looks and soon realised that at this stage in my life, it was the perfect vehicle.
The Innova has been in my family for the last seven years. It has proved its resilience over time and has been tested to the extreme with three little kids on board – one in a baby seat screaming and spilling juice and two hopping on the seats with their shoes on. It’s done cross-country drives without a hitch and has won over the women in the family too as they find it extremely easy to drive. The only problem that I have with the Innova is that I’ve outgrown it.
No, I haven’t become Jabba the Hut. It’s just that my family has grown and I feel that I am ready for something bigger. Something that takes what the Innova offers and steps it up a notch – a bigger van, but not a bus.
I am sure that there are numerous families out there who would agree with my sentiment and it’s because of this that I believe that India is ready for the minivan. Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Nissan – if any of you are listening, this is a segment for the taking.
I feel that products like the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town & Country and the Nissan Quest would work wonders here. The latest minivans come packed with tech, powerful engines and truckloads of space. In many ways, they are the perfect product for the large Indian family and it is strange why no manufacturer has even tried their hand at bringing the minivan into India.
(Vikram Gour is one of India’s renowned automotive journalists and the Co-Founder of MotorScribes. He can be reached on Twitter: @VikramGour)
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