I love my outback. But with one kid in ES and one in preschool and less and less driving inlaws i can see the need for a minivan. Then i can cart the kids and grandparents. Or kids and friends.

I like Subarus.

But there is nothing cool about the Ascent. There is nothing cool about most of their cars.

It’s practical and pleasant for driver and passengers. And that’s what you need.

The Subaru is cooler. The minivan is more practical. Test drive both and see which feels right to you.

I’m still driving the Odyssey we bought 16 years ago when we were expecting multiples. It has been incredibly reliable. Being able to open both side doors with the touch of a button and having them slide back instead of swinging out away from the car has been invaluable, especially when I needed to access both sides of the vehicle with car seats and people parked really close. When the kids got older, I didn’t have to worry about them dinging car doors getting out of the car or one of them closing the car door on another’s fingers. Being able to get inside the car to buckle kids into car seats when it was raining was wonderful. We can take so much luggage when we travel. When we added a large dog to the family, he had plenty of room in the back and we could stash things in the stowage space under the floor.

It’s uncool, but if I had to go back and do it all again, I’d buy the same car without hesitation.

We have a Subaru and a Honda (different models than in this thread) and the Subaru requires more maintenance. It seems like my husband is always adding oil to the Subaru.

You are not crazy. As long as you hav two or more kids, imo, the odyssey is way cooler than a Subaru. Subaru is bottom of the barrel uncool.

I have a Honda Odyssey. I am not at all cool.

But it is extremely practical.

Carseats are a breeze. Carpooling is easy. It is comfortable even for adults in the back seats. The truck area fits an amazing amount of stuff. And if you take the seats out you can fit more stuff in there than many trucks.

I have a small family so I can't justify the minivan, but I think they're great. We're Subaru people instead (and we do actually camp with it, + dogs) but I hear the Ascent is sluggish. I have a Forester.

If my parents ever move in with us I'm getting a minivan.

My family has had bad luck with Subarus. If you are used to the reliability of Hondas or Toyotas, they take getting used to.

Anonymous wrote:I struggled with the minivan mom identity. I even put some silly stickers on it to poke fun at myself. But with young kids and especially infant carriers the big sliding doors in parking lots are a life saver, especially postpartum. I hate dealing with our outback doors now. I think the Subaru people have their own image of camping every weekend that rarely materializes. We did the Toyota Siena hybrid minivan base model (cloth seats) and they’ll be prying it from my cold hands. Gas savings is a nice plus too.

I think this is wise. I would pick the Subaru (we have a smaller one) but don't have a large family. The people I know who have gone for the minivan with some wincing have universally loved it. I can see the benefits of what PP is saying if you have multiple small children. And agreed that many Subaru owners want you to think they're going home to strap on the kayak just as soon as they get home from this Trader Joe's run, and that's its own kind of cliche.

I will not buy a Subaru, even though aesthetically the Ascent would be my choice over a minivan. Just too many issues.

Neither of those would be in the same sentence as “cool”. So pick the one that meshes with your current phase of life better. Many of us were not fans of minivans. However, if you have young kids, nothing beats the convenience of one. They haul people and stuff better than any of the other options.

Neither of these vehicles make you "cool". Pick the one you like better.

I struggled with the minivan mom identity. I even put some silly stickers on it to poke fun at myself. But with young kids and especially infant carriers the big sliding doors in parking lots are a life saver, especially postpartum. I hate dealing with our outback doors now. I think the Subaru people have their own image of camping every weekend that rarely materializes. We did the Toyota Siena hybrid minivan base model (cloth seats) and they’ll be prying it from my cold hands. Gas savings is a nice plus too.

I know image shouldn’t matter. Still. If we have determined the Subaru Ascent and a Honda Odyssey meet our needs and budget, is one of them more/less uncool? Which one would you pick? My husband thinks I’m crazy but he’s also not going to be the daily driver.