A Mini-Van for Millennials is Actually a Sleeper for Gen X
F900R and F900XR
BMW Factory Press Launch Santa Barbara California
March 3, 2020

by Sam Q. Fleming

Once upon a time Dodge released an ugly but incredibly practical passenger vehicle onto an unsuspecting suburban population and ushered in millions of mini-van sales.   These sensible vehicles were the perfect solution to a utilitarian transportation need. The ubiquitous mini-van even became short hand to represent suburban motherhood. Intrinsically there is nothing wrong with suburbs, or motherhood, but the mini-van became a pejorative. Although a design triumph of practicality, they became a symbol of staid monotony.

Enter the SUV. Although 99.9% of the miles logged were on pavement, and they are actually more dangerous for children due to roll overs, the SUV offered the illusion of frontier spirit to the denizen of subdivisions. The mini-van was replaced by the now standard issue SUV, albeit with less comfort and interior space.