We have an odyssey which we love. We only have 2 kids but often carpool/drive our kids’ friends around and having the minivan makes that easy. Road trips are easier w the storage capacity of the minivan: we can pack so much stuff and still be very comfortable/plenty of leg room. It’s great when out of town visitors come so we can easily do airport pick up/drop off and drive everyone around while they’re in town just using 1 vehicle. Also love the sliding doors for ease of loading/unloading in tight parking spaces, helping w car seats, etc. No, minivans aren’t cool. But they are so practical that I don’t care about the cool factor.

I will never ever buy or drive a minivan. It just goes against my entire self.
I also don't have enough kids to warrant one.
But no, never.

I have an Odyssey and my sister has an Ascent. We both really like them.

Mini-van pros:
-sliding doors. Nothing compares to this (RIP Sinead) and they are amazing and I can't believe I didn't get these sooner
-we can add a 3rd seat to the 2nd row which is actually really useful. We still get a huge cargo area when we have 3 kids in back.

SUV pros:
-they have a huge moon roof that they love
-it's not a mini-van so looks slightly cooler? Idk about this aspect at all, but I know many people do.

Neither is cool. Which fits your needs better?

Subaru family here with an only child and a dog, not the Ascent but a different model. A minivan would be overkill for us but they serve a purpose. If we had more kids I'd definitely pick a different car, but this fits our needs.

Neither will mark you as a member of the cool kids club.

OP, you are falling for the try-hard outdoorsy marketing that Subaru blasts in advertising.

Honda advertising doesn’t have much image, because its heritage speaks for itself.

I would add consider a Sienna since as reliable as he Honda, and has the AWD and towing capacity options — but that may break your budget.

Image? Who are you trying to impress? I have a mini van and love it! We have the Chrysler Pacifica though. I love the sliding doors. I love that instantly I can stow and go the seats if I am hauling something. Zero complaints, but then again, I don’t drive cars to look cool for others.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Images? LOL. Give it up OP. Resistance is futile. Come to the dark side, we got cookies.

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

They ain’t peppy, but they’ve saved lives for my near and dear, on events that were not the driver’s fault.

They don’t seem to run forever like our Hondas and Toyotas did. But then alive is a good thing.

Test drive each several times so you see if you are comfortable driving and parking in it. I found the Subaru driver's seat very uncomfortable for me but no one else has complained about it.

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

What issues? Ours ran through a parent and a child, now pushing 300,000 miles. Subarus are the safe, boring, value choice. Minivans are minivans. Either you embrace it or you don't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

It's the leaky head gasket issue. Why hasn't he replaced it?

Ours leaks oil too we were told it’s just how Subarus age what a lemon

5 year old outback. Sunroof and electrical problems too. So much less reliable than our Toyota

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

It's the leaky head gasket issue. Why hasn't he replaced it?

Ours leaks oil too we were told it’s just how Subarus age what a lemon

Anonymous wrote: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.

You look good in heels, do you wear them around the house or change to flats/slippers? A minivan is like a pair of slippers - comfortable and convenient. SUV's are not. We've had our Honda Odyssey for almost 20 years now. Can't find a good SUV to replace it with. Just did a 600 mile road trip over the weekend - 6 passengers, one teenager (17, 6'2"). Can't imagine doing that in an SUV and expect everyone to travel in comfort..

Anonymous wrote: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.

It's the leaky head gasket issue. Why hasn't he replaced it?

Anonymous wrote: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.

Well, if you're planning on keeping the vehicle for a long time, and your kids are young-do the minivan. The kids dont get smaller, then you might transport a friend with them and plus they have stuff like backpacks, sports stuff...you'll need the space.

If you have like one kid who graduates next year, maybe do the other car. My kids are adults now and I commute, so I drive a phev sedan, but I do miss the minvan space!