I have a family of 7 and need to downsize my minivan. What can I get?

If u own a Mazda MPV, then u downsized as much as is possible. There r not any other vehicles that r smaller or more economical that seat seven- unless u can find one of these wagons:

1992-1994 Mitsubishi Expo or it is predecessor the 1984-1991 Dodge Colt Vista

1990 Nissan Axxess & it is predecessor, the 1986-1988 Nissan Stanza wagon.

The Nissan models r interesting because they introduced dual sliding doors ten years before the first Dodge Caravan with four doors was introduced. Anyway, my pick would still be the MPV. It is newer, roomier, & has more safety features than the others.

Tough question, but l hope l can help here.

l start with Mazda, since it is Mazda forum where l found ur question.

If l am not mistaken, the only Mazda that can seat seven is CX-9. l do not know what u drive now, but CX-9 is not what you'd call a small car - it is 200 inches long (5 meters) & 76 inches wide (almost 2 meters). But it is a great car, with very un-SUV handling so u can travel all in comfort & have fun at the same time.

Unfortunately, US version of Mazda 5 can seat only 6, while European Mazda5 is available as a 5 or 7 seater. One of the last Mazda MPV models ( l think discontinued 2-3 years ago), should serve u well too. You should pick one at a decent price too. It is pretty spacious, does the job well & is still being produced in Japan without much changes.

If u need a new car that is not a crossover as Mazda CX-9, check out Toyota Sienna & Nissan Quest. These r cars clearly designed for families. Chrysler Town & Country & its clones is the daddy of people carriers but currently lags behind Japanese competition.

In any case, try all the cars, see how family friendly they r (how accessible r all the storage areas, how easy it is to reconfigure seats, how easily they'd fold down, accessible r second & third row, and, how easy it is to strap a child into a booster seat. Any salesman should help with all this, after all, you're buying a car for ur family, u will be using it every day, so it must suit you.

Hope it helps :-)

My mom has owned 3 mazda MPV is in the last 6years or so, and the only reason she got a new one was because she does not like being off warranty. We never had a problem with any of these minivans, they are one of the best small mini vans you can buy, they seat seven, and can pack a lot of cargo.

If you have a MPV right now, I'd highly suggest on staying with it as long as possible

The CX-9 is a 7 passenger crossover. The Mazda 5 is a 6 passenger sport wagon. The 5 is quite a bit smaller than a mini van.