Originally Posted by
Robert Foster
They are marketed that way. But a Mini Van can't tow more than 5000 pounds. Not much of a boat, trailer Or even a trailer full of dirt bikes that won't put a strain on a V-6 mini van. At leat one sold in the US. A SUV can pull almost as much as a Truck, 7500# or better and with 4X4, start with 8 inches of ground clearance. Mini Vans only come in AWD no low range and low to the ground. Good for city driving and hauling but not so good for snow and even rutted fire roads. Fine for snow covered streets in the city however.
But you are correct the SUV has an image the mini Van doesn't.
I agree with you to some extent but the problem is that most buyers dont want body on frame Body on Frame SUV. Take a look at any auto show and everyone is CROSSOVERS. They LOOK like SUVs but they really are just all wagons with unibodies and yes, front wheel drive. Consumers are looking for SUVs with better milage and a better ride... they are looking for the LOOK of an SUV but not anything else.
Several automakers also used to make mini vans such as the astro and areostart that were rear wheel driver towing vehicles, they stoped because demand stopped.
The other thing I really dont get about the "I need my SUV to tow stuff" arguement is that there are litterally thousands of ways around it. If you have a boat, pay a little extra and you can just leave it at the docks or at a near by storage facility. Some of them will even dump it into the water for you when you call. Same goes for 5th wheel people. Unless you are towing something over 50% of the time you drive your SUV then why do you own it? You can rent big trucks from just about anywhere by the hour for pennies compared to the price of running an SUV all day everyday and then takingi it to the snowtwice a year. I do agree that an extremely small number of people may actually "need" an SUV but it pales in comparison to the number of people who actually drive them.