The state of the minivan market, and a mini-minivan comparison of the segment’s two strongest players.

2011 Toyota Sienna

Chrysler likes to brag that it invented the minivan segment when it introduced the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan in 1983. Chrysler deserves credit for launching the minivan market back then, but it didn’t invent it.

Arguments can be made for other historic vehicles before it, but Volkswagen deserves more credit than Chrysler for inventing the van with the iconic Type 22 Microbus in 1950. While that original Volkswagen never caught on as a mainstream family-mobile, it was a big box on wheels with lots of space inside to put stuff and people – the same minivan formula that works today.

Chrysler was successful in introducing the van to the masses, proven by the sales figures after Voyager/Caravan hit the road. In their first full model year, Chrysler sold 257,238 vans. In 1990, total minivan sales topped 900,000. In 2000, minivan sales hit 1.37 million with 15 different models on the market.

Things are different today. Ford and GM have – we would say misguidedly – abandoned the market in favor of crossovers. (A friend of mine who is a Ford engineer said that at every product planning meeting he attends, a small group of Ford engineers suggests doing a vehicle with “sliders,” or sliding doors. The fantasy Ford with sliders is always dismissed.)

In the 2009 model year, there were only eight models available with sales under 650,000. The only major sales players in the segment today are the Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town & Country and Toyota Sienna. We love the “European Space Wagon” MAZDA5, the sportiest and best handling van available, but the small size that makes the Mazda such a great handling vehicle also puts it out of the same class as a typical minivan. The Kia Rondo and Sedona – plus the ill-conceived Volkswagen Routan – are on the fringes.

Still, we say the minivan is not dead. We think the minivan market is poised for growth, especially considering the slew of new and improved vans here and coming in the next few months, plus the next-generation of green minivans on the horizon.

Minivan vs Crossover

2011 Chevrolet Traverse

We think the trend away from minivans and towards crossovers is, as President Obama called Arizona’s new immigration law, “misguided.” In our mind, the decision between a minivan and a crossover comes down to two issues: storage space behind the third-row seat, and ease of entering and exiting the third-row seat.

Minivans win because they have more space, in particular a huge well of space behind the third row seat. To compare, let’s look at two of the newest entries in each segment, the new Sienna and Chevrolet Traverse. The 2011 Sienna has 39.1 cubic feet of space behind the third row; the Traverse has 24.2. Behind the second row seats, the Sienna has 87.1; the Traverse has 68.8.

Getting into and out of the third row seat in a minivan is as easy as ducking your head and walking back there. Doing the same task in a crossover requires climbing over the seatback or twisting and bending your legs between rows – a contortionist task for even an 11-year-old, even if the second-row seat slides forward.

Regarding driving feel and the nature of how the two types of vehicles go down the road, to most drivers who are more interested in comfort than 0-60 and skidpad times, the driving experience between the a minivan and a crossover is about the same. Both have a high-up seating position, and both feel safe and comfortable. Fuel economy is about equal, too, with city numbers in the high teens and highway figures in the low 20s.

Even with more space and room to stretch out, minivans suffer from the “kid mobile” stigma, but we think that attitude is unfounded and – dare we say it? – silly. In our experience living with kids and both minivans and crossovers, space to live in and put stuff gives the minivan the nod over any crossover any day.

Throwdown

Later this year, a new Odyssey is coming from Honda. After seeing a teaser image at the Chicago Auto Show in February, we’re itching to get in and drive it. A new Quest is also on its way from Nissan in early 2011.

2011 Nissan Quest Concept

2011 Honda Odyssey Concept

Toyota’s Sienna is new for 2011 and the newest kid on the block. We recently spent a week in a Sienna XLE AWD and a 2010 Honda Odyssey Touring – as good a chance as any to compare the two biggest players in the current minivan market.

A key difference between the Sienna and Odyssey can be found in, uh, the key. The Honda has a regular piece-of-metal-key that you put into the ignition and a separate, bulky fob that unlocks the car and opens the sliding doors. The Sienna has a smart key that unlocks the door when you approach. Sitting in the driver’s seat, you push the “Start” button on the dashboard to start the car. Like with most luxury-car keys these days, in the Sienna you can unlock the door and start the car without ever searching for a key.

Sure, the next Honda will probably have a smart key, and lots of other cars have these things, but Sienna has it now, and this vein of modernity runs throughout everything in the Sienna. Sienna’s DVD player is 16.4 inches wide and accepts two separate video inputs; the Odyssey’s is nine and plays one video input.

The font on the Honda’s navigation system looks like it came from Atari circa 1985; the resolution on the Sienna’s screen is much sharper. Open one of the electric sliding doors on the Honda, and the electric gear seems to grab and delays for a second before it starts to open. In the Toyota, you grab the handle, give a slight pull, and the door seems to magically, seamlessly take over.

One more: A storage tray between the front seats in the Honda flips up and down with a cheap-feeling lever and clicks into place; on the Toyota, a cleverly-designed center console storage compartment can slide backwards on a track, offering itself to rear seat passengers, too.

Yes, these are all small things, but they point to a deeper level of engineering detail that the Toyota exhibits and the Honda does not. Marketing guys call these “surprise and delight” features, and the Toyota has a lot of them.

Dynamically, the 2011 Sienna and 2010 Odyssey are very close, with the slight nod going to the Odyssey. Honda suspension and drivetrain engineering has always been buttoned down and tight. Toyota has tended to be soft, tepid and not designed to encourage spirited driving. In Sienna vs. Odyssey, there isn’t much difference between the two suspensions that most drivers will notice in around town driving. Both are no fuss and make transporting people and cargo a ho-hum experience, exactly what it is supposed to be. The Toyota’s steering felt looser than the Honda’s and a tad more vague, but nothing dramatic.

2010 Honda Odyssey

2011 Toyota Sienna

Sienna is still the only minivan with all-wheel drive for those who insist on being able to drive up steep driveways in the snow.

The Odyssey’s 244-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine is fantastic. Its Variable Cylinder Management system helps increase cruising range; with it, the engine can run on three, four or six cylinders based on the power requirement. The suspension exhibits Honda’s exceptional, and typical, engineering prowess. But the overall packaging and feel of the car isn’t as modern or slick as the new Toyota’s. The Sienna’s 3.5-liter, 266-horsepower V6 is just as smooth as the Honda’s. Under wide-open throttle, there is a little unexpected coarseness to the Toyota engine, but driven around town the Sienna is Lexus smooth.

We didn’t forget the Chrysler Town & Country, but sketchy quality issues surrounding most Chrysler products has us not too disappointed about excluding it from this min-comparison test. George Peterson, president of AutoPacific Inc., said in an article on WSJ.com that poor quality surrounding Chrysler products is “a reality. To survive, Chrysler needs to get its quality at least to the level of Ford and GM.” We couldn’t agree more, and stories from friends and families confirm this. Who would have thought 25 years ago that Chrysler’s quality heroin would come from Italy? Only time will tell.

We expect great things with the 2011 Odyssey due out this fall. And if the new Nissan Quest combines the style of Maxima with the soul of a Z, that van will be terrific, too. The minivan market is maturing before our eyes. Green vans have been hinted at too. Rumors of a diesel Odyssey have been quashed, but that’s not to say a diesel minivan will never arrive.

With the packaging flexibility of a big box on wheels, and with most minivan buyers being conscientious moms and dads, a hybrid minivan can’t be far away. And let’s not forget about the MAZDA5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid concept powered by a hydrogen-fueled rotary engine. The car can run off of hydrogen or gasoline and is assisted with the aid of an electric motor.

MAZDA5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid Concept

Sure, crossovers are hot today, but they can’t beat a minivan for space, utility and drivability. Among minivans, and compared to any crossover, we say the Toyota Sienna wins.

What’s around the corner for minivans in late 2010 (all-new Odyssey), 2011 (all-new Quest), 2012 and beyond (Sienna Hybrid Synergy Drive, Odyssey Clean Diesel or MAZDA5 Hydrogen Hybrid)?

We can’t wait to find out.