Chrysler: Town and Country

"I'll start off by saying I never thought I would be a mini-van person - the idea seemed so far removed from any image I had of myself, my life, etc. That being said, I love driving my van and so does my husband. We looked at and test drove the larger SUVs. The problem I found was that I couldn't get to the back seat easily and I was eight months pregnant and still lifting an almost five year old up into the vehicle. Not fun! In fact, I don't know about all the SUVs, but the ones we tried, you had to fold forward the middle row seat to get to the back seats, so you couldn't keep an infant seat base secured; you would have to take it out each time to fold the seat. In the van, my son can climb in easily, buckle himself up, and push the button to close his door while I get the baby settled in.

We ended up with a Chrysler Town & Country Touring edition. I love that the doors open with a push of the button. Also, this is maybe the only van (I could be wrong) where the back opens with a button as well. I can not tell you what a lifesaver that has been while carting my kids around, and with twins I'd think this would be a big selling point; you could carry both of them and still be able to get the doors/tailgate open or closed. Also, I was surprised at how easy it is to drive, and it turns well and is easier to park than any SUV I've ever driven.

A bonus that I didn't take into consideration when buying is that all the seats fold down into the floor. We've avoided some delivery charges on larger items we've purchased for our house - my husband was able to bring home a grandfather clock for example.

I think you just have to drive some of both, vans and SUVs, and see what is a better fit. For me, the convenience of the van has greatly outweighed my aversion to being a "mini-van mom". The only thing was I insisted that if I was going to have to drive a van, it be a nice one - leather seats, all the bells and whistles. One other thing I just remembered, as your son gets older, you will likely be carting his friends around as well, so it's nice to have the extra room."