The move towards crossoverfying everything has had the added benefit of making some cars a little more versatile than they used to be. A lot of this comes down to the increased storage area and accessibility of a large hatch as opposed to the trunk that was common on so many sedans.
Some people can purchase multiple cars to fill each niche and I envy that capability. I’d love to have a sports car for sports things, a truck for truck things, a luxury car for nights out on the town, and a 12-passenger airport van when I need to move children around. Instead, I’ve got an older BMW and a newer Honda CR-V to cover as many of those jobs as I can.
What if you can have just one vehicle? What’s the Swiss Army Knife of cars? What’s the one vehicle to complete every task?
This question comes via Crank Shaft, who also has an answer:
I recently realized that the Pacifica Pinnacle is probably the most versatile, bang for the buck, unmodified vehicle you can buy. It is luxurious, handles well, is loaded with tech, has a remarkably tight chassis for having two huge sliding doors, has a more than enough power, seats seven, comes in AWD, has a towing package, can be converted to a cargo truck that will carry 4x8s on the floor, etcetera. I get that there are a million different perspectives, but I don’t think anyone could name a more do-it-all unmodified vehicle on sale today. Can either you?
Having driven one of these it’s hard to argue with him. It even has fancy pillows. How many cars come with fancy pillows? I’ve also slammed more gear into a Pacifica than would somehow fit in a U-Haul box truck. The physics are astounding and Crank Shaft even sent an image over to show how he does cargo with his:
What do you think? Can you beat that?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fnMkZVqAhPumAUVXA
A view from inside my old Pacifica (just barely) carrying my full-size 400 cc (really 373cc) motorcycle. I loved that thing, right up until the transmission started shitting the bed at 55K miles.
Range Rover LWB.
Unpopular opinion, but hear me out. 3 row, 7 passenger, go anywhere capability, Tows 8k+, TTV8 with massive power, handles decently well with active roll bars and rear wheel steer.
Yes, maintenance will be expensive. Yes, you will probably end up in a loaner car at some point, but boy are they magnificent and versatile vehicles.
I would say something like a VW Multivan,it can be a van,a mpv and a camper. Probably not a sports car though.
Since the 1980s I’ve said that if we were all sensible we would drive minivans. But we’re not sensible, are we? I’ve never owned one but have enjoyed every one that I’ve rented. I love Crank Shaft’s cargo protector!
For our household, our 2011 Sienna does fine for most everything. It’s great at both people and stuff hauling (Home Depot and garden center included), plenty comfy enough on long road trips. Much less of a workout to drive than my 1969 VW Bus (though I can say that about most everything else I’ve owned). And it works for our very specific use case of needing to move a 8’1″ harpsichord. I really wish the middle seats were easier to haul out though, stow and go like the rear sets would be wonderful.
Drove a rental 2024 hybrid Sienna for a solo road trip last year, mostly quite happy with it except for all those damn warning noises.
Not a popular opinion looking at the existing comments but for sure a big unibody 4×4 like a defender p635 or whatever the spicy range Rover sport variant is. Will haul a family in comfort, go basically anywhere with the right tires, tow up to like 8000lbs depending on the model, large cargo area, handles better than it has any right to.
I had the same train of thought with the FFRR. The Defender 130 would also make for a very versatile vehicle.
It’s either a full size high roof extended length passenger van or a 1 ton pickup. If you could still get diesel 4×4 vans they no question. Switching from passenger to cargo would be an absolute pain but you could configure it your best use and leave it until you need more passenger or cargo room.
I work for a Subaru Dealership. Outbacks are swiss army knives. They’re comfortable, can haul a bunch of gear, very safe, and if you can swing an XT, somewhat quick. And it’s more wagon than SUV despite what marketing is saying.
I saw an old lady trying to get a piece of furniture she got from home goods into the back of her Forester. I helped her but said it would probably scratch the head liner she said “no problem this is my hauling rig”. So there’s that I guess. I hate the way newer Subarus drive but I may be in the minority but I know others who feel the same.
As a 2 time Pacifica owner, they’re insanely hard to beat until it comes down to the reliability.
Far more usable space for us tall people vs the other vans out there. I’m 6’5″ and I can have my knees not hit the seatback sitting behind myself nor brush my head against the headliner even with the glass roof
My Sienna Platinum is the jack of all trades. It can haul tons of stuff (I never do this though), it can carry my family of 4 in luxury, and 3 additional people in less comfort. The Platinum trim is also pretty much a luxury car as it has real leather (no synthetic) and all the features luxury brands have, like ventilated seats, heated rear seats, HUD, etc.
Probably a Suburban. I prefer my CC pickup, but My dad has been using Suburban’s for every possible task you could ask a vehicle to do, for 30 years straight.
I think it depends on what “all the tasks” the car needs to do are.
For some, one of those tasks might simply be “being small,” especially if they live in a city or have limited parking at their residence.
The Pacifica can’t do that, and neither can many of the other larger suggestions.
Order an Uber or Taxi for a party of 4+ anywhere in America. See what shows up.
Last time I remember ordering an Uber for a larger party was in the heart of the French Quarter when it turned cold during a meal and we were going from “happily buzzed” to “sober and freezing” way too quickly. A guy showed up in a Grand Caravan.The French Quarter is as tight as most European cities.
I’ve driven minivans in downtown regularly, they aren’t that hard. The really short front overhang makes them as easy as a mid-sized sedan.
But I agree that Europe and places with tight downtowns (French Quarter, Montreal, NYC), a smaller van like the NV200, Transit Connect and Mazda5 is easier to use (I would add the Prius V to the list too). Unfortunately, these vehicles never sold at the volume needed to sustain them.
I was honestly just thinking of finding parking (particularity street parking) where the car fits at all, regardless of skill.
The one thing an Uber doesn’t have to do, by virtue of what it is used for, is fit in a parking space—if there’s no parking, they usually just stop and everyone scrambles in.
Uber for 4 (that doesn’t suck to ride in)—you can’t do better than a Pacifica.
If you want to find parking… find a parking garage and walk. That’s what I do in old city centers where the roads were built back in the Middle Ages by peasants that were only alive because they drank beer instead of water.
OR… get a Smartcar. These things actually work in streets laid out before cars were considered and even horse drawn carts were rare.
Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer
Track day? Miata. Weekend car? Miata. Commuter? Miata. Need to haul things? Open the top and you have unlimited interior space. Need to transport many people? Get more Miatas. Towing? Ok I guess you got me there.
Towing–also get more Miatas.
Honda Supercub.
Need to carry a family of 7? Super Cub
Need to move a house? Super Cub
Need to unload a cargo ship full of watermelons? Super Cub
If it can be done, it’s being done right now with a Super Cub somewhere in Southeast Asia. There’s a reason why Honda has sold over 100 million of them.
My favorite is the full length mirror. But the 7 people and a duck is always impressive
Hoser68, I think you’d enjoy this song:
https://youtu.be/YbxJV9SEiks?si=g8sj2yNzz08BEbmp
This answer will get hate, (as many commenters on this site hate big trucks) but the most versatile vehicle is a 3/4 ton pickup truck. They can tow and hold a ton of weight, are comfortable and spacious inside (holding up to 6!), have a large bed, often have plugs in the bed for charging stuff, can often be upfitted with PTO’s or Winches, can often go offroad, and in some cases can do all of this with cooled/heated messaging seats.
What they can’t do: fit in urban city centers.
Yerp. I have a crew cab half-ton, and it does ALL the things…. Unless… Unless I have to go somewhere that I know the parking sucks or the lot isn’t big enough for there to be room to park ‘at the back of the lot.’
When that happens, I take a 7-seat SUV on 35’s, because the IFS and shorter wheelbase makes parking better.
The issue, beyond the ability to fit in many areas, is that a 3/4 van is likely more versatile. The issue with trucks, I have one so it isn’t hate, is that you need to select for either protected or open storage and the back section is for cargo only.
I had a friend who was a tradesman and bought a business that came with three vans. The minute one broke down he went and bought a 3/4 ton truck because he didn’t like driving the van. He put a topper on it with the opening sides, bed slide, etc., to make it more usable. After a year, he sold it for another van. He missed getting access to what he needed without the silly bed/loading height.
If modern trucks had designs more focused on function than simply being massive, they would be better for it.
Maybe an Izuzu 4×4 would do the trick too:
https://isuzu-intl.com/4×4/
My late buddy had one of those w/ a box van on the back. For its use case it was great. Short wheelbase (but a wide body) tight turning circle, semi decent fuel mileage (4 cylinder Diesel, automatic). But, limited cab space, running wide open at freeway speeds and a tendency to overheat took some of the joy out of driving it. It was more than a bit noisy (sitting on top of that Diesel).
Was it reliable enough? And how many miles did he get it up to?
I’ve talked to fleet mechanics about them. They always say they do ok but you do have classic turbo diesel issues. The newer ones maybe better. Turbos like to go out on them and engine heat can be a problem. I’ve seen several for sale that have blown engines probably from overheating. Normally owned by small landscapers. They are a bit strange to drive too because you are in front of the steer tires. No idea about the 4×4 system. I’ve seen them for sale at auctions with booms on them for tree cutting work listed as run and drive with 300,000 miles and who knows how many hours.
Are there any that have hit very high mileage?What years have this issue?
It is strange because I have never heard this problem in Qatar or other developing nations where these trucks are sold.
Do Hinos suffer from similar issues? They might have similar emissions equipment and the like…and recently Hino was caught AGAIN in a scandal…
Ive always heard good things about hinos but sometimes turbos but normally not a big deal. Not sure if they have a 4×4 though. Rarely see them with blown engines but less of a sample size in the US. I’ve seen both with 500k mi. It’s probably they same supplier for emissions. Japan auto industry uses a lot of the same suppliet across brands. Just like Bosch is has been the supplier in most of the emissions scandles in the European designs. As far as years it seems like the late 90s to early 2000s has the most issues with blown engines. But with emission systems like def could suffer as most do. I hasn’t heard anything crazy just normal woes. I assume if you are buying one in a developing economy it probably doesn’t have all the emissions junk.
I heard Hinos are not easy to diagnose if something goes wrong.
He bought it used w/ a scored cylinder. He removed the head and pressed in a new sleeve (in situ). I’m sure he removed the pan and replaced the piston & rings. He bought it w/ the idea he would put his nicely restored Model A in the box and drive it to Pennsylvania (?) to get the upholstery done (he assumed that other states had California’s highly restrictive towing laws). Because he had gotten Cancer by that time, he never had the time and energy to make the trip. He did use it to haul stuff to Las Vegas for a cousin, but the fact that running it at 70mph (auto tragic transmixer) caused the temperature to rise (particularly uphill) kinda disappointed/discouraged him. He would loan it out to friends who needed to haul stuff locally.
I see…
Minivan is the right answer – but which is the most versatile of the minivans? My argument would be for a Mitsubishi Delica D5.
Does all the usual van stuff: seating for seven to eight with room for their luggage too and the seats are removable so you can pack it full of whatever. It has one up on nearly every other people mover, however, in that it has pretty good ground clearance and a locking centre diff, allowing for some light-to-moderate off-roading. Yes the previous generation Delicas were even more capable off the beaten path but from what I hear they had pretty poor on-road manners as a trade off. They’re also old as the hills and, like all old vans, lack virtually every safety feature. The D5 is still relatively modern so apparently drives quite well and is reasonably safe.
A wildcard in the practicality stakes has to be the 1989-1999 Toyota Crown Wagon (sorry for all the JDM stuff, they just do so much cool weird car things over there). These cars were technically eight seaters if you configured them with the front bench seat and the jumpseats in the load area – that’s 3 in the front, three in the middle row and two rear facing seats at the back. I love this configuration and frankly can’t find any other car from this era or later that offered such a quirky and cool seating configuration – which feels like a throwback to the land barges of the 70s. There’s a ’96 Crown Wagon for sale locally to me and I’m sorely tempted to go and have a look.
Nobody is going to be putting a front bench in a wagon again but I love that MB still puts rear facing seats in the E-class wagons for a 7 person capacity.
Would the rear facing seats be considered the “way back” like in 60s wagons?
Old school Chevrolet Express or New School Toyota Hiace Van w/3.5 V6.
Pantera
I had a rental Pacifica on a work trip last year—four of us and about 900 miles through the abject desolation of West Texas. Minivans, in general, are great, but I hated the Pacifica-specific design decisions. It wasn’t very comfortable, and the ergonomics and AV system were garbage.
But vans are for sure the right answer either in full or mini form. The interiors are infinitely more usable than in an SUV/CUV, and unless you are in the extreme edge cases for towing or off-roading, they can be every bit as capable.
Agree on vans. I would add the smaller format vans that are still in Europe like the Transit Connect and NV200 are very useful if you live in a more urban environment and that larger vans can tow anything short of a 5th wheel when properly equipped.
As for the Pacifica, I’ve got mixed feelings about it. I totally agree that the layout of the AV system are garbage with confusion on if a button, dial, or touchscreen does a job. The ride isn’t horrible at all, but it feels like a 20 year old design in chassis tuning, not a modern vehicle. But it’s not hard to drive and see out of, it’s been built long enough that Dodge has figured out how to make them reliable, and Stow-N-Go (non PHEV) is still the best setup for center seats in a minivan.
To me the selling point of the Pacifica is the Price. With rebates, they are the cheapest van on the market. If you can find a dealership selling the Voyager, it’s even cheaper. They are the worse van on the market, but by being the cheapest, they give you all the advantages of a van for less. I think if I drove one daily, I could figure out and accept the old UI.
Most versatile… a 4X4 minivan with a hybrid motor system, convertible top, manual transmission, winch, cargo lift, side ladder rack and…. a siren.
And an optional periscope, just in case.
And a tow hitch, of course.
Unimog
I’m going to go with a Suburban or Expedition, or if including past vehicles, Excursion. Preferably the heavy duty version with eight bolt wheels. These are the Swiss Army knife (or tank) of vehicles.
It will haul plenty of people and their junk, tow a very good size trailer and if you take the back seats out you can fit 4×8 sheets of whatever, safely out of the rain.
I also own two VW SportWagens. I am long roof ride or die. Minivans have long roofs so they sorta count.
I only suffer half as much as you do, but I have to say it’s hard to beat the practicality of my Sportwagen
Can you still buy a Ram or E-Series handicap conversion van? No, not a Sprinter or Transit or one of those other Eurovan things that’s guilty of the same portapotty design scheme as the Tata Nano, too tall for its width (thank you to a saner, older form of RCR for that one), the kind that’s a full-size passenger van with folding bench seats, a wheelchair lift at the back, bifold bus doors on one side, and a raised roof tall enough to walk upright under it, unless you’re Jeremy Clarkson.
Every time someone I know wants to go car-shopping, that’s my immediate recommendation. Those wheelchair lifts have to handle the sort of People Of Walmart who are powerchair-squashing My 600lb Life award winners, so they’re rated for 800+lbs, easy.
It’s crazy what you can do with one. The ground clearance is like a full foot, so they’ll even pass the “country driveway” test. Need to haul stuff? Take down (or out) the bench seats, haul. Family vacation? Put the seats back in, road trip. Want to start a biz? Move on in, there’s room for everyone. You can literally haul appliances on that lift, and it has the added bonus of basically being its own loading dock as well.
I legit cannot think of anything more versatile. The newer Eurovan-based ones are absolutely not a proper substitute.
Ford still makes the e_50 cutaways. They still put bus bodies on them and use them for RVs.
Well, that’s good to hear. I hope they still make handi-vans of em, too!
You can get a wheelchair lift bus. But I think the vans are all euro style or mini.
Well, that sucks…
Oh, well. What can you do.
Is it simply a style/aesthetic thing? Because otherwise, I think the Eurovans are far superior for most people’s use cases.
I’ve always found the older style more practical.