Spriggles and Giggles

With our new family of three, it is becoming more and more apparent that having two small cars is just not cutting it. Since we will need the extra room by the time another Sprigglet shows up, we thought it was time to do some preliminary shopping around. Thanks to consumer reports we were able to narrow our options down to 3 vehicles, two being quite obvious and the third an interesting alternative! The winners are the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odessey and Ford Flex.

Yesterday we drove to all three dealerships to preview the goods. All of the vehicles are in a similar price bracket and some have rather good dealer incentives. Of the two minivans the Odyssey stands out hands down. They look rather similar from the outside but Honda's interior seems to be more solid in comparison to some of Sienna's features which seem flimsy. The honda is easier to pass from the front to the back and has more trunk space. It is also a bit more sporty which I like... especially since I vowed to never own a minivan. Haha. Yeah, I know.

Moving on, ahem, to the dark horse of the night. When Sean mentioned the Ford Flex having good reviews I wasn't really too interested. It is an odd looking vehicle. But when I saw it in person it grew on me quickly. The interior is roomy, seats seven and the square form allows for ample trunk space. It gets 17 mpg compared to the Odyssey's 19 mpg. The seats all fold down flat like the minis to accommodate cargo and even the standard interior finishes are extremely nice for the price!

I liked the beginning of this motherhood article in regards to the Flex:

"There are a few things that people either really like or really dislike: black licorice, “Teletubbies,” the president … oh, never mind that, but the Ford Flex seems to fit into this category as well."

As for me, my parents used to fill my easter basket with black jelly beans. That being said, we shall see which car wins out in the end. The Odyssey is still an undeniably practical option which is hard to argue with. I just thought I would post a bit on a car I am finding more and more fascinating.