I know that just cost me a lot of street cred right there, but it’s true. We’ve had this thing for two years now, and I can’t imagine life without it. Actually, I can. I drive a mid-size SUV, and whenever I take Jack out in it, I realize how much I take the van’s comforts for granted.

Now I know there’s lots of guys out there who wouldn’t want to be caught dead riding a minivan, much less driving one–I used to be one of them, but no more.

The outside	For starters, the van has a lot of power. Looking at it, it doesn’t exactly scream DRIVE ME, but with 250 horses under the hood, this isn’t your mama’s minivan. With traction control, sportmatic transmission, anti-lock brakes and the turn radius of a much smaller car, this thing is actually a lot of fun to drive! Oh, and it still averages 18mpg.
Power sliding doors	The doors slide open so even in a tight parking spot, you have plenty of room to maneuver so you can strap that cranky 2 year old to his seat without bruising your elbows, bumping your head, or putting a dent in the car next to you. And there’s so plenty of room all around for toy bins. And diapers. And wipes. And towels. And change of clothes. For all of us.
Spacious trunk	The 3rd row of seats doesn’t take over the trunk–you actually get a real trunk. And because the vehicle doesn’t have to be so high off the ground, the trunk is actually 12 inches deep–you can haul a whole lot of junk in this trunk!
Lots of space	The 2nd row has so much space around the seat that someone can get in the car and walk to the 3rd row without you having to play musical chairs. Tried that in an SUV lately?
Plenty of leg room	The third row can actually seat normal sized people. No wheel wells or drive shafts taking over the space–the floor is actually flat. And look at the amount of space between my knees and the 2nd row of seats.
Lots of cargo space	Pull out the 2nd row of seats and stow away the 3rd row seats, and in 2 minutes you have enough cargo space to haul two couches.
Kick ass stereo	A 6-disk MP3/WMA player with a 16-speaker surround sound system with a wide screen DVD player ensures your toddler will never be bored in the car. Ever. Okay, so my kid doesn’t get to watch TV–but I’ve been known to watch a movie in the drive way from time to time.
Seats that remember you	My wife likes the seats all the way up while I like them all the way back. Programmable seat, brake pedal and mirror arrangements mean no complaining about having to rearrange things every time I drive. And when you turn the engine off, everything moves out to give you more room to walk out. Also, when you put the thing in reverse it lowers the mirrors so you can see the lines, and sonar sensors on the rear bumper ensure you don’t hit anything. Oh, and it came standard with side curtain airbags.
His and Hers temperature controls	My wife and I can never agree on the temperature–one of us is always hot while the other is cold. Three-zone climate control solves that problem. More impressive than flying cars, if you ask me.
View of the sky	“Jack, do you want to see the sky?”That question has ended several upset spells with my little guy.
A workout for your fingers	Buttons to open every door in the car. Yeah, it seems a bit ostentatious, but when you have a toddler in one hand and grocery bags in another and it’s raining outside, they sure do come handy.

Okay, so maybe you’re saying, man, this guy is laying it on thick! Well, yeah I am. I hated the idea of getting a minivan. I was a dick to the minivan salesman when we went to test drive one while my wife was pregnant.

> So what do you think, Mr. Shah?
>> It’s a minivan…
> Yes, and a really good one. You test-drove it. What did you think?
>> It’s a minivan…
> Okay… so what’s it going to take to have you take it home today?
>> Make it not a minivan.

Right. But we had four large dogs and two cats when we had Jack. There was no way we could all fit in the same vehicle once we put in the baby seat. It was either a minivan or a massive SUV, and the minivan is way more practical. And safer. And fuel efficient. And cheaper.

So yeah. I love having a minivan.

Tags: home on wheels, Hyundai Entourage, losing street cred, minivan