So what fuel-saving options are available (or will be coming soon) for prospective minivan buyers? Let's take a look.
What about a Hybrid Minivan?
While passenger cars with hybrid engines (powerplants that use a small gasoline engine in conjunction with an electric motor and other fuel-efficient technologies to boost fuel economy) have started popping up all over the nation's highways, none of the minivan models currently available for sale in the United States are available with a hybrid engine option. Toyota has been a leader in the development and sale of hybrid passenger vehicles, and even has a hybrid minivan -- the Toyota Estima -- that is sold in Japan. Hopefully Toyota will introduce a hybrid minivan model here in the states, perhaps in 2008 or 2009.
While you may have to wait a year or two for hybrid minivans to appear at local dealer showrooms, minivan devotees do have a number of fuel-efficient and alternative fuel options available to them.
Ethanol and FlexFuel
While ethanol -- an alternative fuel refined from corn, sugar and other organic materials -- has been getting lots of press these days as an alternative to gasoline, the truth is that this remarkable fuel has been available for years on the US market. Many vehicles on the road today sport engines ready to run ethanol without any modifications.
Note: E85 ethanol doesn't contain as much energy as traditional gasoline, so you may see your gas mileage worsen when using it.
The 2006/2007 Dodge Caravan SE and Dodge Grand Caravan SE both offer a 3.3L FlexFuel V6 engine that can use ethanol, while many older (1998-2003) Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth minivans were also equipped with ethanol-friendly FlexFuel engines. Late 2007 models of the Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander and Saturn Relay will also be available with a 3.9 liter V6 engine capable of running off of ethanol as well. Be sure to read your owner's manual or check with an authorized dealer to make sure your minivan is an ethanol-compatible model before filling up, however!
Ethanol isn't widely available at the moment, although motorists in the Midwest will tend to see more filling stations that offer ethanol as an alternative fuel source. Many Midwest states are involved in corn-based ethanol production, so adoption in those regions will likely happen much more quickly than on either coast.
Diesel and Biodiesel
Once thought of as smelly and noisy, diesel engines have made great strides over the past decade or so. They've been immensely popular in Europe, with most major car manufacturers providing diesel engines across their model ranges. For example, an optional 2.9 liter diesel engine is available for Chrysler minivans sold in the United Kingdom.
Unfortunately, no minivan currently for sale in the US has an available diesel engine option. Good news on this front may be coming soon, however, as the new 2008 Chrysler minivan is being designed to support diesel engine applications from the outset. It's still unclear whether the diesel engine option will be for European models, but Volkswagen will be introducing their own minivan - based on the new Chrysler platform – which could be good news for diesel engine fans. VW has historically offered diesel engines in many of their car models here in the states, so I'd bet that we'd see a diesel engine as an option on any new VW minivan.
Fuel Saving Tech
Other manufacturers have begun applying some of their fuel-saving technologies found in their passenger car business in their minivan models. Certain trim levels of the 2006 Honda Odyssey – specifically the EX-L and Touring models -- offer Honda's new Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology, which turns off 3 of the 6 engine cylinders at highway cruising speeds to save fuel. This feature gives a modest boost to economy, with the EX-L and Touring models boasting EPA city/highway mileage ratings of 20/28, versus 19/25 for the lower-cost EX and LX models which lack VCM.
This may not seem like much. But with gas prices likely to rise steadily over the next few years, even modest gains like these can help over time.