Best Minivan for MPG

[arcosine]

WEIGHTS:

Previa 3755 lbs, Sienna 3800 lbs
Odyssey 95-99 3450 lbs, '99+, 4250 lbs
Caravan 3457 lbs
Venture 3655 lbs
Astro 4427 lbs
Silhouette, 1990-1995 3460 lbs

Liters/min@65mph

Caravan 2.5*2000 = 5000
Venture 3.4* 1300 = 4420
Astro 4*1800 = 7200
Odyssey 2.2*2300 = 5060
silhouete 3.1*1350=4185

payload: lbs

Astro 1430 lbs
Venture 1450 lbs
caravan 1200 lbs
previa 1400 lbs
Odyssey '95-'98, 1250 lbs, '99+, 1700 lbs
Lumina APV, Trans sport, sillhouette 90-96 1250 lbs

cd, cda, m^2:

Astro .38
Previa .35, 1.12 , Sienna, .32
caravan, '95 .39, .'98,.35
Venture, .34
Odyssey,1='95.35, '99.30
Old silhouette 1990-1995 .30


The Astro wieghts 1000 lbs more than the Odyssey. There is an Odyssey on Craigs list that I called on.

[arcosine]

Transit it too tall, and it's a Ford, and it's too new. I only buy old cars.

[arcosine]

Originally Posted by pete c

Yes, the Nissan V-6 in that villager is one of the best damn motors ever made. The 3.3 dodge is a damn good motor as well, unfortunately is was bolted to a POS AOD tranny. Dodge has seemed to finally iron out the problems with this tranny. I had an 02 GC with this drivetrain that shifted like new the entire time I owned it. I believe the cure was a monster sized tranny cooler. I became very familiar with it after my daughter stoved in the front end and I got to replace it all. The cooler was approximately the size of the AC condenser.

Chrysler engineers decided not to have a gasket on the valve body, this would eventually leak and cause hunting, shifting problems and then clutch failure. A friend had a caravan and replaced the transmission 4 times, every 50k it would go out.

[vacationtime247]

I know it's not necessarily a minivan, but I've got pretty good fuel mileage out of my Pontiac Azteks. Much better than most SUV's. On my trip out west this last summer, I was averaging around 25 mpg. Mostly highway & interstate. This with 4 people and the rear loaded down with camping equipment.
VT247

[Frank Lee]

^First anecdotal evidence that the Aztek "fastback" is slipperier than squareback vans?

[pete c]

You can look at the Aztec as a slippery minivan. i look at it as a bloated hatchback and quite possibly the ugliest damn thing to ever roll down the road.

To me a minivan means 3 rows of seats and relatively easy access to all of these. And relatively easy movement between the various rows. Also, all the seats can be removed/stowed to make a big cargo area.

The Aztek does not meet any of these requirements.

And did I mention it is fugly? If I had any use for an overgrown hatchback, I'd rather have the buick version.

[rmay635703]

The Miles ZX40 minivan is probably the best, uses no gas at all.

In seriousness though the newer generation Daihatsu Move varieties (including the Mira, and others) top out around 50mpg at reasonable speeds. (CVT oddly enough)

Sure they are small but they are a mini van, really not a car per se.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Some nice minivans for ecomodding are the good old Chevrolet Lumina APV/Oldsmobile Silhouette/Pontiac Trans Sport, 1st-gen Mazda MPV and the Ford Aerostar.

It's not impossible to adapt the 4-banger Iron Duke bolted to a 5-speed manual into the Lumina APV, I've already seen one configured this way.

1st-gen Mazda MPV and Ford Aerostar, due to the RWD layout, also allow a wide range of engines to be retrofitted into, including some small Diesels such as the Kubota V2203 which is getting some popularity among Chevy S10 and Ford Ranger owners, with different gearings also possible to select and maximize the overall efficiency.

[arcosine]

I am not particularly fond of Aztecs. The Odyssey was sold within an hour, $700 :C Thinking of generation 3 or 4 dodge with 2.4L I4 engine and swapping in a neon 5 speed. I don't like the Iron Duke engine, too over square, EcoTec I4 isn't bad.

[MetroMPG]

You're on the right track: anything with a manual should be top of the list. Or added to the list if you're willing/able to do a swap.

I'm not sure what a stock Mazda 5 is capable of, but the stick sure gives you a lot more options when it comes to technique.