MINIVANS AND BEST-LAID PLANS

MODERN MINIVANS OFFER MANY OF THE AMENITIES FOUND IN HIGH-END LUXURY CARS. WE PLANNED A TOP-SHELF OUTING TO PROVE IT, BUT THEN THINGS WENT AWRY.

- Elana Scherr

IKE MANY A FAMILY VACATION, everything was perfect when we started out. The sky was sapphire blue, Palm Springs was just closing out its fashionable Modernism Week, and we had scheduled several days of activities designed to challenge our convoy while highlighting how minivans have evolved from bare-bones people-hauling boxes to sophisticated and feature-laden luxury transports.

The plan was to soak up the February sunshine in the desert, alight through power-sliding doors in the valet drop-off at hip farm-to-table eateries, and test the sturdiness of the many cup-holders on the twisting roads surrounding the valley. Then there was a sandstorm, a windstorm, a wildfire, a power outage, a canceled hotel, and a blizzard, all within the first 36 hours. It was decidedly not luxurious, but you only really appreciate the comfort and entertainment value of a minivan when you're huddled in the back during a surprise hailstorm. If only anyone had brought a portable oven, some chicken wings, and a few DVDs of Chevy Chase movies, we would have been all set for the night. (Yes, DVDs are still a thing.)

There was a time when a minivan comparison could have featured half a dozen slant-nose, sliding door, three-row crates, all with V-6 engines, front-wheel drive, and similar prices. These days, the minivan is a vanishing art form, and those that remain have branched out with electrified drivetrains, all-wheel drive, and wildly variable price points from the $35,000 range all the way up to nearly twice that amount. We ended up with a plug-in-hybrid Chrysler Pacifica Limited, a Kia Carnival SX Prestige trying to pass for an SUV, a hybrid Toyota Sienna Limited with all-wheel drive, and an old-school underdog, the Honda Odyssey Elite. All were the top trims or close to it and loaded with options to best represent the plush, pampering offerings of Minivandia.