1 00:00:15,316 --> 00:00:23,916 Speaker 1: Pushkin. It's the fall of nineteen eighty three in suburban Detroit. 2 00:00:26,996 --> 00:00:29,796 Speaker 1: I'm eleven years old, and I'm on the school bus. 3 00:00:31,156 --> 00:00:34,996 Speaker 1: We're wending through neighborhoods of mid century ranches and tri levels, 4 00:00:35,596 --> 00:00:38,756 Speaker 1: the very sort of handsome middle class homes that car 5 00:00:38,796 --> 00:00:43,596 Speaker 1: industry prosperity has made possible in this town. The bus 6 00:00:43,676 --> 00:00:47,756 Speaker 1: is heading to my friend Josh's house. Josh's dad works 7 00:00:47,756 --> 00:00:51,636 Speaker 1: at Chrysler. Lots of my friend's dads work at the 8 00:00:51,676 --> 00:00:57,196 Speaker 1: big three car companies, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. And 9 00:00:57,356 --> 00:01:00,036 Speaker 1: even if they don't work for them, they still kind 10 00:01:00,036 --> 00:01:03,956 Speaker 1: of do. In Detroit, it doesn't matter if you're a 11 00:01:03,996 --> 00:01:07,356 Speaker 1: barber or a surgeon. You still serve the people of 12 00:01:07,396 --> 00:01:14,756 Speaker 1: the Big three. It's a company town. The bus hisses 13 00:01:14,796 --> 00:01:17,836 Speaker 1: to a stop as Josh makes his way up the 14 00:01:17,836 --> 00:01:21,356 Speaker 1: steps and down the rubberized aisle. I see that his 15 00:01:21,436 --> 00:01:25,196 Speaker 1: mighty mack jacket has a white pin on it. It 16 00:01:25,316 --> 00:01:31,276 Speaker 1: says magic wagon, Magic wagon. What is that about? I ask? 17 00:01:32,316 --> 00:01:36,916 Speaker 1: Josh tells me it's like a van. Well, that sounds incredible. 18 00:01:37,836 --> 00:01:41,716 Speaker 1: The van is already the coolest vehicle there is. I mean, 19 00:01:41,996 --> 00:01:45,596 Speaker 1: mister T drives one on the A team, Good afternoon. 20 00:01:48,716 --> 00:01:50,956 Speaker 1: Are you crazy? Who might drive my van? But me 21 00:01:51,236 --> 00:01:54,396 Speaker 1: get out of you? The Magic Wagon must be even 22 00:01:54,476 --> 00:01:57,796 Speaker 1: cooler than that. It has magic right in the name. 23 00:01:58,956 --> 00:02:02,156 Speaker 1: It probably has huge stripes down the front and wizards 24 00:02:02,156 --> 00:02:06,876 Speaker 1: on the side and flames shooting out the back. And 25 00:02:06,916 --> 00:02:10,356 Speaker 1: then a few days later I see the ad for 26 00:02:10,476 --> 00:02:19,956 Speaker 1: it on TV introducing Plymouth Voyager. You've got some tragi. Hi, 27 00:02:20,156 --> 00:02:23,076 Speaker 1: I'm Doug Henny. You know, as your family grows bigger 28 00:02:23,116 --> 00:02:27,036 Speaker 1: and bigger, cars have been getting smaller and smaller. So 29 00:02:27,156 --> 00:02:32,316 Speaker 1: what you need is a magic wagon? Who boy? It 30 00:02:32,356 --> 00:02:34,796 Speaker 1: was clear that the magic Wagon was not a van. 31 00:02:35,596 --> 00:02:39,756 Speaker 1: Far from it. It was a minivan, emphasis on mini, 32 00:02:40,356 --> 00:02:44,156 Speaker 1: like a miniature Schnauzer or a kiddie pool. It was 33 00:02:44,236 --> 00:02:46,716 Speaker 1: not some slammed hot rod van with the flames and 34 00:02:46,756 --> 00:02:49,796 Speaker 1: the wizards and the stripes on the outside. There was 35 00:02:49,836 --> 00:02:54,596 Speaker 1: no shag carpeting inside, and mister T would definitely pity 36 00:02:54,636 --> 00:02:58,716 Speaker 1: the fool who drove one. It was an automotive bowl 37 00:02:58,796 --> 00:03:02,836 Speaker 1: cut a wood paneled wedgie. It was even lamer than 38 00:03:02,876 --> 00:03:07,436 Speaker 1: my parents Oldsmobile custom Cruiser station wagon. It just seems 39 00:03:07,476 --> 00:03:12,636 Speaker 1: sad and boringing of drudgery and adulthood. I hated it, 40 00:03:13,916 --> 00:03:17,036 Speaker 1: but hey, I was eleven. I had no idea what 41 00:03:17,076 --> 00:03:22,356 Speaker 1: I was talking about. I'm Eddie Alterman, and this is 42 00:03:22,436 --> 00:03:27,116 Speaker 1: Car Show. This week we begin a two part exploration 43 00:03:27,476 --> 00:03:31,876 Speaker 1: of the minivan's quiet genius. The minivan has been beligned 44 00:03:31,916 --> 00:03:35,516 Speaker 1: more than anything this side of a Ford Pinto. It's 45 00:03:35,556 --> 00:03:38,196 Speaker 1: the butt of nearly every car joke, a sort of 46 00:03:38,236 --> 00:03:41,676 Speaker 1: shorthand for automotive anemia, the thing you drive when you've 47 00:03:41,716 --> 00:03:44,836 Speaker 1: given up. But show me another vehicle that was so 48 00:03:44,956 --> 00:03:49,356 Speaker 1: right for its audience, so perfectly usable, and so utterly 49 00:03:49,476 --> 00:03:55,036 Speaker 1: devastating to its competition as the humble minivan. Consider this 50 00:03:55,876 --> 00:04:00,676 Speaker 1: with one basic vehicle, the Chrysler Corporation set fire to 51 00:04:00,796 --> 00:04:05,036 Speaker 1: an entire category of cars. The nineteen eighty four Chrysler minivans, 52 00:04:05,396 --> 00:04:08,796 Speaker 1: the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan laid waste to the 53 00:04:08,796 --> 00:04:11,716 Speaker 1: family we car of the era. The station Wagon just 54 00:04:11,876 --> 00:04:15,716 Speaker 1: made it look ridiculous. The minivan was and still is 55 00:04:16,356 --> 00:04:19,796 Speaker 1: the best way to move people and their stuff. In 56 00:04:19,836 --> 00:04:22,996 Speaker 1: this episode, we will learn about how we went almost 57 00:04:22,996 --> 00:04:26,836 Speaker 1: overnight from kids roaming around unbelted in the third row 58 00:04:26,836 --> 00:04:30,356 Speaker 1: of the station Wagon, took bolt upright and strapped into 59 00:04:30,356 --> 00:04:34,276 Speaker 1: the minivan. In the minivan, and from here on out, 60 00:04:35,076 --> 00:04:39,756 Speaker 1: kids would be tamped down, headsetted, and accounted for. This 61 00:04:39,836 --> 00:04:43,036 Speaker 1: wasn't just a product shift, it was a cultural shift. 62 00:04:57,396 --> 00:05:00,956 Speaker 1: Though there were small vans before it. Modern minivan history 63 00:05:01,036 --> 00:05:05,316 Speaker 1: began in earnest when the great Italian designer Georgetto Jujaro 64 00:05:05,836 --> 00:05:08,516 Speaker 1: revealed a new kind of people mover at the nineteen 65 00:05:08,596 --> 00:05:14,756 Speaker 1: seventy eight Turin Auto Show. We met Jujaro back in 66 00:05:14,796 --> 00:05:19,956 Speaker 1: the VWGTI episode. First he designs the ultimate German family car, 67 00:05:20,156 --> 00:05:23,636 Speaker 1: the VW Golf, and then he creates the inspiration for 68 00:05:23,676 --> 00:05:28,236 Speaker 1: the ultimate American one. I must say this people mover 69 00:05:28,356 --> 00:05:33,876 Speaker 1: fixation doesn't exactly square with his personal style. Jujarro is 70 00:05:33,916 --> 00:05:37,716 Speaker 1: a man of extreme elegance, a perfectly quaffed head of 71 00:05:37,716 --> 00:05:41,796 Speaker 1: hair and beautifully tailored sport coats. The guy is right 72 00:05:41,876 --> 00:05:47,436 Speaker 1: out of a Rosalini film. But he is also a pragmatist, 73 00:05:48,196 --> 00:05:52,196 Speaker 1: and what he did for American families was eminently pragmatic. 74 00:05:53,396 --> 00:05:57,076 Speaker 1: He did more than just redesign the traditional wagon. He 75 00:05:57,156 --> 00:06:00,836 Speaker 1: rethought the whole thing from the inside out. He sort 76 00:06:00,836 --> 00:06:03,716 Speaker 1: of fused that VW Golf he designed with a box 77 00:06:04,476 --> 00:06:08,276 Speaker 1: because what's more space efficient than a box It had 78 00:06:08,276 --> 00:06:12,156 Speaker 1: a high seating position and a cavernous interior. It was 79 00:06:12,276 --> 00:06:16,556 Speaker 1: way cooler than a station wagon. This concept car, the 80 00:06:16,596 --> 00:06:20,956 Speaker 1: turin show the Lancha Megagamma, is considered the rootstock of 81 00:06:20,996 --> 00:06:25,196 Speaker 1: the minivan crop. Lancha had never produced the Megagamma, but 82 00:06:25,276 --> 00:06:27,876 Speaker 1: the show car caught the attention of lots of designers 83 00:06:27,876 --> 00:06:31,596 Speaker 1: and engineers. For a time, it was the biggest idea 84 00:06:31,676 --> 00:06:37,636 Speaker 1: in the car business. Over at Ford, they had been 85 00:06:37,676 --> 00:06:41,236 Speaker 1: cooking up their own small, boxy four passenger front wheel 86 00:06:41,316 --> 00:06:44,596 Speaker 1: dry van around the same time. It was called the 87 00:06:44,676 --> 00:06:47,836 Speaker 1: Minimax and it was the brainchild of Ford product guru 88 00:06:48,036 --> 00:06:53,916 Speaker 1: Hell Spurlick. Even though Ford's then president Lee Iacocca championed it, 89 00:06:53,916 --> 00:06:57,596 Speaker 1: it didn't go anywhere, but when Iacocca and Spurlick left 90 00:06:57,596 --> 00:07:01,996 Speaker 1: Ford for Chrysler, they took the idea with them. Those 91 00:07:02,036 --> 00:07:06,596 Speaker 1: two ultimately made the magic Wagon of reality. Iacocca and 92 00:07:06,676 --> 00:07:10,636 Speaker 1: Spurlick were pretty unstoppable as a team. They also created 93 00:07:10,676 --> 00:07:15,116 Speaker 1: the original Mustang during their time at Ford. Sperlick, the 94 00:07:15,196 --> 00:07:18,916 Speaker 1: Michigan engineering grad, and Ia Coca, the son of Italian 95 00:07:18,916 --> 00:07:23,676 Speaker 1: immigrants from Allentown, Pennsylvania. As different as they were, both 96 00:07:23,716 --> 00:07:26,356 Speaker 1: made a habit of getting fired for speaking their minds 97 00:07:26,396 --> 00:07:31,916 Speaker 1: in conservative Detroit boardrooms. Iacocca and Sperlick, through many iterations, 98 00:07:32,316 --> 00:07:35,356 Speaker 1: made the minivan the three row mainstream people mover. It 99 00:07:35,476 --> 00:07:39,636 Speaker 1: became they wanted a front wheel drive van that could 100 00:07:39,676 --> 00:07:43,916 Speaker 1: fit in a garage and had a huge interior. Sperlick 101 00:07:43,996 --> 00:07:47,476 Speaker 1: was responsible for pulling the vehicle together and ia Coca 102 00:07:47,516 --> 00:07:50,596 Speaker 1: took it to market. He could sell a ketchup popsicle 103 00:07:50,916 --> 00:07:53,796 Speaker 1: to a debutante in white gloves. A lot of people 104 00:07:53,836 --> 00:07:57,436 Speaker 1: think America can't cut the mustard anymore. That quality counts 105 00:07:57,436 --> 00:08:00,916 Speaker 1: for nothing, and hard work for even less, and commitment 106 00:08:01,356 --> 00:08:03,836 Speaker 1: that went out with a hula hoope. Well, when you've 107 00:08:03,836 --> 00:08:05,996 Speaker 1: been kicked in the head like we have, you'll learn 108 00:08:06,036 --> 00:08:08,876 Speaker 1: pretty quick to put first things first, and in the car, 109 00:08:09,716 --> 00:08:12,916 Speaker 1: product comes first, and product is what brought us back 110 00:08:12,956 --> 00:08:20,516 Speaker 1: to prosperity. Ayacca was undoubtedly a great pitchman, but it 111 00:08:20,556 --> 00:08:23,316 Speaker 1: was the physical layout of the minivan that had people 112 00:08:23,356 --> 00:08:27,676 Speaker 1: trading in their wagons. For voyagers, the station wagon was 113 00:08:27,716 --> 00:08:30,996 Speaker 1: the de facto family cruiser, only because it had an 114 00:08:30,996 --> 00:08:33,836 Speaker 1: extra row of seats in the back. A seat where 115 00:08:33,916 --> 00:08:37,516 Speaker 1: kids face rearward in the most precarious position in the car. 116 00:08:38,916 --> 00:08:41,716 Speaker 1: Though the station wagon may have slept millions of kids around, 117 00:08:42,116 --> 00:08:46,436 Speaker 1: it was not originally designed for them. As the name implies. 118 00:08:46,756 --> 00:08:48,996 Speaker 1: It was meant to take people in their stuff to 119 00:08:49,196 --> 00:08:53,156 Speaker 1: and from the train station. The station wagon was a 120 00:08:53,276 --> 00:08:57,636 Speaker 1: luggage car. Only later did it evolve into the family holler. 121 00:08:58,036 --> 00:09:02,956 Speaker 1: We remember so fondly from National Lampoon's vacation. Now. I 122 00:09:02,996 --> 00:09:04,956 Speaker 1: went to myself to tell you, mister Griswold, but if 123 00:09:04,956 --> 00:09:07,956 Speaker 1: you're thinking to take in the tribe fresh country, this 124 00:09:08,116 --> 00:09:11,516 Speaker 1: is the automobile should be using. The wagon point family truster. 125 00:09:12,156 --> 00:09:14,676 Speaker 1: You think you hated now, but where are you driving? 126 00:09:16,116 --> 00:09:19,036 Speaker 1: A few years after the minivan came out, no one 127 00:09:19,076 --> 00:09:22,636 Speaker 1: would want a station wagon. But to really understand how 128 00:09:22,636 --> 00:09:25,836 Speaker 1: the Chrysler Magic Wagon killed that whole category of cars, 129 00:09:26,516 --> 00:09:33,516 Speaker 1: we need to go inside the two and compare. Imagine 130 00:09:33,516 --> 00:09:36,076 Speaker 1: we are back in nineteen eighty three at the wheel 131 00:09:36,076 --> 00:09:39,476 Speaker 1: of my parents Oldsmobile wagon. You sit low in it 132 00:09:39,916 --> 00:09:43,836 Speaker 1: on a vast expanse of the lure. Before you is 133 00:09:43,876 --> 00:09:47,716 Speaker 1: a thin rimmed steering wheel with spokes placed lazily at 134 00:09:47,716 --> 00:09:51,196 Speaker 1: the four and eight o'clock positions, as if you'd never 135 00:09:51,316 --> 00:09:55,116 Speaker 1: need more than a pinky to steer. The thing behind 136 00:09:55,116 --> 00:09:58,356 Speaker 1: the wheel is a broad and deep wood grain dash, 137 00:09:58,476 --> 00:10:02,716 Speaker 1: and beyond that is a long rectangular hood that reaches 138 00:10:02,836 --> 00:10:06,476 Speaker 1: clear to the horizon. In its engine bay rests a 139 00:10:06,516 --> 00:10:10,596 Speaker 1: wheezy five liter V eight, making a pathetic hundred and 140 00:10:10,636 --> 00:10:14,476 Speaker 1: forty horsepower. It couldn't pulled guano out of a goose. 141 00:10:15,596 --> 00:10:18,316 Speaker 1: Climb into the second row and you'll see a hump 142 00:10:18,316 --> 00:10:22,236 Speaker 1: in the floor. This bulge runs lengthwise down the center 143 00:10:22,236 --> 00:10:25,756 Speaker 1: of the car and houses the drive shaft. To sit 144 00:10:25,836 --> 00:10:28,396 Speaker 1: in the middle with legs splayed on either side of 145 00:10:28,396 --> 00:10:32,716 Speaker 1: the hump is to sit in humiliation the so called 146 00:10:32,956 --> 00:10:36,316 Speaker 1: bitch seat. Go around to the back of the wagon, 147 00:10:36,996 --> 00:10:40,396 Speaker 1: Swing out the heavy, creaky tailgate, and there is the 148 00:10:40,476 --> 00:10:44,476 Speaker 1: rear facing bench, swimming in a sea of light blue carpet. 149 00:10:45,596 --> 00:10:48,916 Speaker 1: It's tiny, with two seat belts, and it's hemmed in 150 00:10:48,996 --> 00:10:52,076 Speaker 1: by the high floor in some plastic cabinetry meant to 151 00:10:52,116 --> 00:10:56,076 Speaker 1: carry stuff like jumper cables, road flares, and twelve packs 152 00:10:56,116 --> 00:11:01,116 Speaker 1: of past The entire orientation of the olds is horizontal. 153 00:11:01,956 --> 00:11:09,356 Speaker 1: It's long, low, and wide. Very detroit postwar. Know you 154 00:11:09,396 --> 00:11:11,876 Speaker 1: get in this nineteen eighty four Magic Wagon and it's 155 00:11:11,876 --> 00:11:15,596 Speaker 1: a big step up. Literally, you sit up high in 156 00:11:15,636 --> 00:11:20,476 Speaker 1: these captain's chairs. There's room, you know, It's like the 157 00:11:20,556 --> 00:11:23,596 Speaker 1: hip point is really high. The door still feels kind 158 00:11:23,596 --> 00:11:27,196 Speaker 1: of low. Everything feels really airy, super easy to see 159 00:11:27,196 --> 00:11:29,036 Speaker 1: out of. If there were kids in the back, you 160 00:11:29,036 --> 00:11:32,596 Speaker 1: could see their faces. It's wild. And look at this 161 00:11:32,716 --> 00:11:38,716 Speaker 1: awesome Valeur interior. That's me and my editor Jenquia geeking 162 00:11:38,756 --> 00:11:42,356 Speaker 1: out because we are face to face with an original 163 00:11:42,636 --> 00:11:47,836 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty four Magic Wagon. But not just any Magic wagon. 164 00:11:48,156 --> 00:11:52,476 Speaker 1: This is number one. This is the first ever Magic Wagon, 165 00:11:52,596 --> 00:11:54,716 Speaker 1: the first one to roll off the line, the one 166 00:11:54,756 --> 00:11:58,196 Speaker 1: that Leaia Coca drove. Your smile is just so vague 167 00:11:58,276 --> 00:12:01,516 Speaker 1: right now. I've never been this excited about a minivan 168 00:12:01,596 --> 00:12:05,756 Speaker 1: of my life. I'm feeling a little bit like Leaya Coca, 169 00:12:05,796 --> 00:12:08,396 Speaker 1: like I should wear like a double windsor tie and 170 00:12:08,436 --> 00:12:13,516 Speaker 1: a brown It's so open, so like in the olds, 171 00:12:13,676 --> 00:12:18,116 Speaker 1: you're sitting super low. This one, you're you feel way higher. 172 00:12:18,116 --> 00:12:20,316 Speaker 1: You're sitting like a good foot higher, and yet the 173 00:12:20,396 --> 00:12:24,116 Speaker 1: floor seems lower. You know, everything is opened up. There's 174 00:12:24,156 --> 00:12:26,756 Speaker 1: no center consoles, just as big pass through you can 175 00:12:26,876 --> 00:12:31,516 Speaker 1: like reach back and whack the kids. It's great. Whereas 176 00:12:31,516 --> 00:12:34,476 Speaker 1: my parents oldsmobile had a wide bench seat up front, 177 00:12:35,316 --> 00:12:41,236 Speaker 1: the Magic Wagon has captain's chairs with armrests. These high chairs, 178 00:12:41,276 --> 00:12:44,316 Speaker 1: they really help you see out of the thing. The 179 00:12:44,356 --> 00:12:46,876 Speaker 1: hood is really short and it sort of falls away 180 00:12:46,916 --> 00:12:49,116 Speaker 1: from you. You have a great view of the road. 181 00:12:49,836 --> 00:12:57,036 Speaker 1: It's just open an area and the visibility is fantastic. Okay, 182 00:12:57,116 --> 00:12:59,356 Speaker 1: you go around to the side of the vehicle and 183 00:12:59,436 --> 00:13:01,996 Speaker 1: you've got a sliding door like a big boy van. 184 00:13:02,316 --> 00:13:05,396 Speaker 1: The access to the second and third rows is so easy. 185 00:13:05,756 --> 00:13:08,356 Speaker 1: You can just walk right in, like if you're a kid, 186 00:13:08,876 --> 00:13:12,036 Speaker 1: you could just step under that little ledge there and 187 00:13:12,316 --> 00:13:15,076 Speaker 1: see yourself to the back seat where you'd sit in 188 00:13:15,316 --> 00:13:19,476 Speaker 1: strapped in, you know, upright, not crawling around on the 189 00:13:19,516 --> 00:13:23,236 Speaker 1: back like an animal and so and facing forward and 190 00:13:23,556 --> 00:13:28,796 Speaker 1: facing forward. Okay, this is really important. That's right. It's 191 00:13:28,796 --> 00:13:33,796 Speaker 1: a front facing third row. This is key. In the 192 00:13:33,836 --> 00:13:38,636 Speaker 1: station wagon, kids sit facing backward inhaling exhaust fumes through 193 00:13:38,636 --> 00:13:42,676 Speaker 1: the rear window. What child hating monster thought the rear 194 00:13:42,716 --> 00:13:46,796 Speaker 1: facing third row was a good idea? It seems crazy now, 195 00:13:46,956 --> 00:13:49,556 Speaker 1: after all we know about crash safety to put the 196 00:13:49,636 --> 00:13:52,476 Speaker 1: smallest kids in the most vulnerable position in the car, 197 00:13:53,076 --> 00:13:56,156 Speaker 1: right in the rear crumple zone, with their feet inches 198 00:13:56,196 --> 00:13:59,676 Speaker 1: from the bumper. I'm going to try to shrink myself down, 199 00:14:01,036 --> 00:14:03,516 Speaker 1: but it's pretty easy to get back in here. You know. 200 00:14:04,316 --> 00:14:07,236 Speaker 1: Here in the minivan, they sit in the back row, 201 00:14:07,836 --> 00:14:13,756 Speaker 1: high off the floor, facing forward, almost like real human beings. 202 00:14:12,996 --> 00:14:17,716 Speaker 1: In the minivan. The kid is king. Yeah. So when 203 00:14:17,716 --> 00:14:19,316 Speaker 1: you say kid is king, what do you mean by that? 204 00:14:19,956 --> 00:14:22,876 Speaker 1: So the kid is in like the kind of command 205 00:14:22,916 --> 00:14:25,516 Speaker 1: position in the vehicle. He can see out, he can 206 00:14:25,556 --> 00:14:28,836 Speaker 1: see everything. He's sort of driving the bus. He's you know, 207 00:14:29,036 --> 00:14:32,676 Speaker 1: he's sitting in the back of the chariot and whipping 208 00:14:32,716 --> 00:14:35,996 Speaker 1: the horse in the driver's seat. Yeah. I mean, you 209 00:14:35,996 --> 00:14:38,596 Speaker 1: are pretty high up here in the back right, there's 210 00:14:38,596 --> 00:14:41,396 Speaker 1: like this perched element. You can see everything. You know, 211 00:14:41,476 --> 00:14:44,076 Speaker 1: You're you're sitting so much higher in the third row 212 00:14:44,116 --> 00:14:46,396 Speaker 1: than you would be in the second row. You're really 213 00:14:46,436 --> 00:14:49,076 Speaker 1: the king of the castle. King in the castle. King 214 00:14:49,156 --> 00:14:51,916 Speaker 1: in the castle. Have a chair. I have a chair. 215 00:14:53,956 --> 00:14:57,756 Speaker 1: Oh go do this, King in the castle. The real 216 00:14:58,396 --> 00:15:02,116 Speaker 1: key innovation is not just the third row. It's the 217 00:15:02,156 --> 00:15:05,996 Speaker 1: height of the third row. And kids can see out. 218 00:15:06,396 --> 00:15:08,436 Speaker 1: You know, they can see what's happening. They have a 219 00:15:08,476 --> 00:15:11,236 Speaker 1: sense of control roll too, and they're also part of 220 00:15:11,276 --> 00:15:14,356 Speaker 1: the conversation now where if they were facing backwards, they're 221 00:15:14,396 --> 00:15:19,636 Speaker 1: totally separate. Yeah, they're not sequestered and cordoned off in 222 00:15:19,716 --> 00:15:22,036 Speaker 1: the back part of the car. They are part of 223 00:15:22,036 --> 00:15:24,716 Speaker 1: the family. Now. I hadn't thought about that until I 224 00:15:24,796 --> 00:15:27,476 Speaker 1: sat in the back here, and now you're with mom 225 00:15:27,476 --> 00:15:30,956 Speaker 1: and dad, and your sisters are your brothers, and everybody 226 00:15:31,036 --> 00:15:34,196 Speaker 1: is one family unit, as opposed to having the kids 227 00:15:34,396 --> 00:15:38,396 Speaker 1: being kind of, you know, not seen and not heard 228 00:15:38,436 --> 00:15:40,796 Speaker 1: from here, kids like have a voice. You're part of 229 00:15:40,836 --> 00:15:44,916 Speaker 1: the family, You're part of the team. This is why 230 00:15:45,036 --> 00:15:49,236 Speaker 1: Jujaro and Spurlick and Ia Coca wanted that front wheel 231 00:15:49,316 --> 00:15:53,796 Speaker 1: drive layout, with the entire powertrain up front between the wheels. 232 00:15:54,356 --> 00:15:56,956 Speaker 1: There is no drive shaft running the length of the vehicle, 233 00:15:57,516 --> 00:16:02,156 Speaker 1: no transmission tunnel taking up room upfront. Everything is pushed down. 234 00:16:03,436 --> 00:16:06,156 Speaker 1: That's how you get a big airy box on wheels. 235 00:16:06,956 --> 00:16:11,996 Speaker 1: It's practically a mobile living room. The station wagon was horizontal, 236 00:16:12,396 --> 00:16:16,836 Speaker 1: whereas the orientation of a minivan is vertical. It is 237 00:16:16,876 --> 00:16:21,516 Speaker 1: short and upright. It's easy to wheel around you can 238 00:16:21,556 --> 00:16:27,076 Speaker 1: see your kids, you can see the road. By some 239 00:16:27,196 --> 00:16:30,196 Speaker 1: miracle of corporate negligence, Jen and I are given the 240 00:16:30,276 --> 00:16:35,516 Speaker 1: rare opportunity to take Magic Wagon number one for a spin. Okay, 241 00:16:35,876 --> 00:16:44,356 Speaker 1: now we're rolling. Oh she feels showroom new. This is awesome, 242 00:16:44,876 --> 00:16:50,876 Speaker 1: really driving a piece of history. Rides great, it's easy 243 00:16:50,916 --> 00:16:53,436 Speaker 1: to drive. You feel like you could get in and 244 00:16:53,516 --> 00:16:56,796 Speaker 1: drive it across the country now still thirty eight years later. 245 00:16:57,196 --> 00:17:02,876 Speaker 1: It's relaxing, it's terrific, and not about the engine. It's 246 00:17:02,916 --> 00:17:08,956 Speaker 1: about the interior. It's not about handling. It's about family 247 00:17:09,796 --> 00:17:13,396 Speaker 1: cargo space. Not cargo space, but just living room, the 248 00:17:13,476 --> 00:17:16,636 Speaker 1: most precious cargo, the most precious cargo of the family. 249 00:17:16,916 --> 00:17:25,356 Speaker 1: Exactly as different as the minivan and the station wagon were, 250 00:17:25,396 --> 00:17:29,436 Speaker 1: though both were products of Detroit's so called Malaise era, 251 00:17:29,876 --> 00:17:33,276 Speaker 1: so they do have some things in common. Both were 252 00:17:33,316 --> 00:17:38,596 Speaker 1: screwed together with utter apathy, both shook and rattled, and 253 00:17:38,836 --> 00:17:43,716 Speaker 1: both were comically underpowered. Your only minivan engine choices were 254 00:17:43,716 --> 00:17:46,636 Speaker 1: the piece of shit Corporate for cylinder or the slightly 255 00:17:46,676 --> 00:17:51,196 Speaker 1: less dreadful Mitsubishi for a cylinder. Each pumped out about 256 00:17:51,196 --> 00:17:55,596 Speaker 1: one hundred glue factory certified horsepower. The minivan and the 257 00:17:55,596 --> 00:17:58,756 Speaker 1: wagon were similar, and that the engines almost didn't matter, 258 00:17:59,596 --> 00:18:02,356 Speaker 1: but the differences were stark and could be traced back 259 00:18:02,356 --> 00:18:06,156 Speaker 1: to this. The station wagon is essentially a sedan with 260 00:18:06,196 --> 00:18:09,636 Speaker 1: its roof extended over where the trunk would be. It's 261 00:18:09,636 --> 00:18:14,276 Speaker 1: an adaptation of another form, but the minivan was something 262 00:18:14,516 --> 00:18:18,796 Speaker 1: entirely new, designed and engineered with a modern family in mind, 263 00:18:19,516 --> 00:18:25,236 Speaker 1: conceived from the inside out. In nineteen eighty four, the 264 00:18:25,316 --> 00:18:28,876 Speaker 1: first year of the Chrysler Vans osmobile, sold about thirty 265 00:18:28,876 --> 00:18:33,916 Speaker 1: four thousand custom Cruiser wagons. By nineteen ninety it sold 266 00:18:33,956 --> 00:18:39,436 Speaker 1: fewer than four thousand. Video killed the Radio Star, but 267 00:18:39,556 --> 00:18:42,516 Speaker 1: this didn't happen solely because the minivan had a sliding 268 00:18:42,556 --> 00:18:45,876 Speaker 1: door and tons of space. The search continues for Little 269 00:18:45,916 --> 00:18:49,716 Speaker 1: Debbie Vincent, missing since yesterday morning. So far, there are 270 00:18:49,756 --> 00:18:53,316 Speaker 1: no clues to her disappearance. The lease speculate that she 271 00:18:53,396 --> 00:18:55,756 Speaker 1: loved to have forgotten. We'll look at some of the 272 00:18:55,836 --> 00:18:59,676 Speaker 1: other deeper seated reasons why the minivan canceled the station wagon, 273 00:19:00,876 --> 00:19:02,396 Speaker 1: and a lot of it had to do with that 274 00:19:02,516 --> 00:19:06,636 Speaker 1: third row of seats. I'm Eddie Alterman, and this is 275 00:19:06,716 --> 00:19:22,596 Speaker 1: car Show. Will be right back The Magic Wagon was 276 00:19:22,636 --> 00:19:25,876 Speaker 1: as much born out of the world as into it. 277 00:19:25,876 --> 00:19:29,796 Speaker 1: It came at a time when somewhat unthinkably, America started 278 00:19:29,836 --> 00:19:35,116 Speaker 1: screwing up Detroit as a monia statistical leader and robbery 279 00:19:35,356 --> 00:19:39,916 Speaker 1: assault and rate them back from As kids in the 280 00:19:39,996 --> 00:19:43,836 Speaker 1: late seventies, we were trained to spot kidnappers and were 281 00:19:43,876 --> 00:19:47,636 Speaker 1: well versed in stranger danger. I remember seeing the wanted 282 00:19:47,676 --> 00:19:50,956 Speaker 1: poster in my local post office for the Oakland County 283 00:19:51,036 --> 00:19:54,636 Speaker 1: child killer. The wanted poster said he drove a Gremlin. 284 00:19:55,996 --> 00:20:01,436 Speaker 1: I could hardly imagine anything scarier. Oh, except this. The 285 00:20:01,476 --> 00:20:04,076 Speaker 1: Soviets not only continue to build up their offense if 286 00:20:04,156 --> 00:20:08,156 Speaker 1: nuclear forces at an unprecedented rate, they're also spending almost 287 00:20:08,196 --> 00:20:12,036 Speaker 1: as much on strategu defense. Our country seemed incapable of 288 00:20:12,076 --> 00:20:16,196 Speaker 1: addressing not only the real issues, but also the symbolic ones. 289 00:20:17,156 --> 00:20:20,996 Speaker 1: The Space Shuttle Challenger in nineteen eighty six revealed to 290 00:20:21,076 --> 00:20:24,636 Speaker 1: every classroom in America that our institutions were far more 291 00:20:24,716 --> 00:20:28,636 Speaker 1: fragile than we ever imagined. Already more than four miles down, 292 00:20:28,916 --> 00:20:32,076 Speaker 1: whims were throttling up three hundred and four percent of 293 00:20:32,196 --> 00:20:38,036 Speaker 1: Challenger go and throttle up the Shuttle mission will launch. 294 00:20:39,516 --> 00:20:42,676 Speaker 1: My God, fifty is going to explode one twenty nine 295 00:20:43,196 --> 00:20:47,116 Speaker 1: percent altitude nine nauticle miles down range. When people saw 296 00:20:47,116 --> 00:20:50,476 Speaker 1: the curtain whisked back on all of America's frailties, the 297 00:20:50,596 --> 00:20:54,916 Speaker 1: response was to hunker down, especially parents of small children. 298 00:20:55,676 --> 00:20:59,236 Speaker 1: This was a time of real paranoia, a downsizing of 299 00:20:59,236 --> 00:21:06,116 Speaker 1: our ambitions, and it seemed into everything. Not only were 300 00:21:06,116 --> 00:21:08,916 Speaker 1: cars getting smaller as a consequence of the fuel crisis 301 00:21:08,916 --> 00:21:12,236 Speaker 1: of the early seventies, the psychological space in which they 302 00:21:12,236 --> 00:21:16,956 Speaker 1: operated was too. In their engineering, cars were turning from 303 00:21:16,956 --> 00:21:21,636 Speaker 1: wild stallions to petting zoo ponies. The car's social function 304 00:21:21,716 --> 00:21:26,036 Speaker 1: was changing as well, from entertainment, freedom and expression to 305 00:21:26,236 --> 00:21:31,516 Speaker 1: personal and family protection. Car seats, seat belts, and airbags 306 00:21:31,716 --> 00:21:35,956 Speaker 1: were becoming more commonplace. It all reflected the wider shift 307 00:21:36,316 --> 00:21:39,516 Speaker 1: in parenting itself. I think the minivan in some ways 308 00:21:39,556 --> 00:21:43,316 Speaker 1: also projected that you know, I am committed. You know 309 00:21:43,396 --> 00:21:48,356 Speaker 1: I'm a committed parent. That's Miriam Errand. She's the former 310 00:21:48,476 --> 00:21:51,756 Speaker 1: editor in chief of Child Magazine and the former director 311 00:21:51,796 --> 00:21:56,956 Speaker 1: of the Good Housekeeping Institute. Even into the seventies, parenting 312 00:21:57,036 --> 00:22:00,836 Speaker 1: was something you achieved in between bowling frames and cigarette breaks. 313 00:22:01,676 --> 00:22:05,156 Speaker 1: But Miriam says by the eighties, kids were becoming the 314 00:22:05,236 --> 00:22:08,956 Speaker 1: focus and when by people was got into parenting just 315 00:22:09,236 --> 00:22:11,116 Speaker 1: like they've done every phase of their life, they got 316 00:22:11,116 --> 00:22:14,116 Speaker 1: into it with this amazing gusto. So they were all 317 00:22:14,156 --> 00:22:17,636 Speaker 1: in the rise of the working mom gave rise to 318 00:22:17,756 --> 00:22:22,116 Speaker 1: meticulously organized suburban carpool systems, So suddenly, you know, you 319 00:22:22,276 --> 00:22:24,676 Speaker 1: had to you had to get on board with the 320 00:22:24,756 --> 00:22:26,956 Speaker 1: other people, other parents in the neighborhood to total a 321 00:22:26,996 --> 00:22:32,436 Speaker 1: lot of kids. And also team sports became a very 322 00:22:32,476 --> 00:22:36,156 Speaker 1: big thing for kids at younger ages, so you've got, 323 00:22:36,196 --> 00:22:39,156 Speaker 1: you know, the soccer mom toting the soccer team and 324 00:22:39,236 --> 00:22:42,956 Speaker 1: all the gear. I think that in some ways, the minivan, 325 00:22:43,116 --> 00:22:46,156 Speaker 1: you know, bigger, better, you know, it's a real statement. 326 00:22:46,956 --> 00:22:51,476 Speaker 1: I think reflects almost the image that many parents were 327 00:22:51,476 --> 00:22:55,436 Speaker 1: trying to project that this was life became very child centered. 328 00:22:58,876 --> 00:23:02,796 Speaker 1: The minivan was parentings suit of armor, and it only 329 00:23:02,836 --> 00:23:05,916 Speaker 1: got thicker from there. The key ideas were the addition 330 00:23:05,956 --> 00:23:10,556 Speaker 1: of a second sliding door, the rollout seats, cup holders, 331 00:23:10,676 --> 00:23:15,116 Speaker 1: juice cup holders, integrated safety chail seats, grocery bag holders, 332 00:23:15,116 --> 00:23:20,116 Speaker 1: and the seatbacks. This is well traveled car executive Chris Theodore. 333 00:23:21,076 --> 00:23:23,476 Speaker 1: He worked on the first minivan and led the second 334 00:23:23,556 --> 00:23:28,396 Speaker 1: generation's development. I wanted to understand the thinking behind the 335 00:23:28,476 --> 00:23:31,556 Speaker 1: second generation of a minivan. One invention I wanted to 336 00:23:31,596 --> 00:23:35,076 Speaker 1: do I never got into production, but somebody finally did 337 00:23:37,596 --> 00:23:40,316 Speaker 1: was a little video cam that would be up in 338 00:23:40,356 --> 00:23:42,676 Speaker 1: the mirror so I could watch what the kids were doing, 339 00:23:42,716 --> 00:23:47,756 Speaker 1: but would flop over to a backup camera. And so 340 00:23:47,836 --> 00:23:50,356 Speaker 1: we were working in all all kinds of stuff like that. 341 00:23:51,196 --> 00:23:53,916 Speaker 1: Chris was on the right track. As we'll see in 342 00:23:53,996 --> 00:23:57,636 Speaker 1: part two of our Family Car series, minivans have become 343 00:23:57,836 --> 00:24:02,036 Speaker 1: mobile surveillance states. But just as important as keeping an 344 00:24:02,036 --> 00:24:05,996 Speaker 1: eye on the kids is making sure they stay optimally hydrated. 345 00:24:06,596 --> 00:24:09,876 Speaker 1: Were these the first cup holders or they were not 346 00:24:09,916 --> 00:24:14,036 Speaker 1: the first cup holders? They were the first in the 347 00:24:14,116 --> 00:24:17,836 Speaker 1: front where the first variable cup holders. It was like 348 00:24:17,876 --> 00:24:20,356 Speaker 1: a claw and whatever size cup you could put in 349 00:24:20,396 --> 00:24:22,436 Speaker 1: you could ratchet down so it would rip the cup. 350 00:24:22,676 --> 00:24:25,276 Speaker 1: And the first juice box holder, it was the first 351 00:24:25,356 --> 00:24:28,676 Speaker 1: juice box holders. So we had I can't remember the numbers, 352 00:24:28,716 --> 00:24:32,796 Speaker 1: like thirteen or something like that cup holders throughout the vehicle. 353 00:24:33,836 --> 00:24:37,156 Speaker 1: That means that in the high occupancy seven passenger version 354 00:24:37,516 --> 00:24:39,796 Speaker 1: with a full complement of five kids in the back, 355 00:24:40,436 --> 00:24:44,356 Speaker 1: each one could double fist their juice boxes. No wonder 356 00:24:44,436 --> 00:24:48,196 Speaker 1: parents love them. They weren't just cars, they were child 357 00:24:48,196 --> 00:24:54,436 Speaker 1: pacifying anxiety alleviation devices. But parents love them for another reason, 358 00:24:54,756 --> 00:24:58,556 Speaker 1: and it's a foundational truth of the car business. No 359 00:24:58,596 --> 00:25:00,956 Speaker 1: one wants to drive the same car their parents did. 360 00:25:01,796 --> 00:25:05,796 Speaker 1: And here's where the cycle repeats itself. No matter how 361 00:25:05,796 --> 00:25:09,556 Speaker 1: great the minivan was for baby boomers, Jenac, there's like 362 00:25:09,596 --> 00:25:12,836 Speaker 1: me and my wife wanted something new. We found it 363 00:25:12,956 --> 00:25:17,036 Speaker 1: in the suv or sport utility vehicle. I asked my 364 00:25:17,076 --> 00:25:20,196 Speaker 1: wife Carrie about it so care. When the kids were 365 00:25:20,236 --> 00:25:26,516 Speaker 1: a little we had wagons and three row SUVs, not minivans, 366 00:25:26,756 --> 00:25:30,156 Speaker 1: when a minivan would have been much more practical. Why 367 00:25:30,156 --> 00:25:33,676 Speaker 1: didn't you want a minivan? While I loved the idea 368 00:25:33,716 --> 00:25:36,276 Speaker 1: of driving the living room, I also felt like it 369 00:25:36,396 --> 00:25:42,476 Speaker 1: put the entire identity of parenthood before the identity of self. 370 00:25:43,156 --> 00:25:46,356 Speaker 1: And as somebody who worked, I felt like when I'd 371 00:25:46,356 --> 00:25:48,356 Speaker 1: pick people up from the airport or drive them to 372 00:25:48,436 --> 00:25:51,756 Speaker 1: different events when they'd come into town, I often felt 373 00:25:51,796 --> 00:25:55,756 Speaker 1: like I'd much rather have a professional looking car than 374 00:25:55,796 --> 00:26:00,316 Speaker 1: a mom car. When SUV started infiltrating the car market 375 00:26:00,356 --> 00:26:03,636 Speaker 1: back in the nineties. It wasn't because they were carefully 376 00:26:03,676 --> 00:26:07,236 Speaker 1: planned and packaged people movers. It was because they said 377 00:26:07,316 --> 00:26:12,116 Speaker 1: something powerful about their drive. That these rugged frontiers people 378 00:26:12,196 --> 00:26:15,116 Speaker 1: were ready at a moment's notice to drop all their 379 00:26:15,156 --> 00:26:19,236 Speaker 1: workaday responsibilities, strap a sea kayak to the roof, and 380 00:26:19,356 --> 00:26:23,116 Speaker 1: set out for Cape Horn. These folk may have warned 381 00:26:23,156 --> 00:26:27,676 Speaker 1: khakis by day, but underneath all that synthetic fleece lurked 382 00:26:27,716 --> 00:26:32,036 Speaker 1: the soul of an adventurer. The vehicles even had names 383 00:26:32,036 --> 00:26:40,676 Speaker 1: like that Pathfinder, Trailblazer, Explorer. These were the anti minivans, 384 00:26:41,236 --> 00:26:45,596 Speaker 1: macho road crushers with big wheels, knobby tires and pedestrian 385 00:26:45,636 --> 00:26:51,236 Speaker 1: clavering brush bars. And then what do you know, Slowly 386 00:26:51,276 --> 00:26:56,076 Speaker 1: but surely, as the suv expanded in popularity, style, and size, 387 00:26:56,716 --> 00:27:00,956 Speaker 1: it began to morph into a minivan replacement. Three rows 388 00:27:00,996 --> 00:27:07,236 Speaker 1: of seats, tons of entertainment options inside, cupholders galore, but 389 00:27:07,356 --> 00:27:11,356 Speaker 1: no sliding door stigma. The suv grew up, and in 390 00:27:11,516 --> 00:27:15,636 Speaker 1: doing so, became a minivan in disguise. I guess every 391 00:27:15,636 --> 00:27:19,556 Speaker 1: generation needs their own king of the carpool lane. If 392 00:27:19,596 --> 00:27:22,676 Speaker 1: you think about it, we always say that there's nothing 393 00:27:22,756 --> 00:27:27,036 Speaker 1: better at moving people and stuff. Than a minivan. That's 394 00:27:27,116 --> 00:27:30,756 Speaker 1: Dodge CEO Tim Coniscus. He used to be the head 395 00:27:30,796 --> 00:27:35,476 Speaker 1: of passenger cars for Chrysler's parent company, Stilantis. Tim is 396 00:27:35,476 --> 00:27:38,636 Speaker 1: one of the hardest hardcore car enthusiasts in the business 397 00:27:38,636 --> 00:27:40,476 Speaker 1: and one of the people who gave the world the 398 00:27:40,516 --> 00:27:46,196 Speaker 1: original seven hundred and seven horsepower Dodge Hellcat. None of 399 00:27:46,196 --> 00:27:50,236 Speaker 1: this diminishes his love for the minivan. The three row suv, 400 00:27:50,396 --> 00:27:54,396 Speaker 1: Tim says, is basically a people mover on stilts, which 401 00:27:54,396 --> 00:27:57,396 Speaker 1: means that deep down, minivans are still what people want, 402 00:27:57,836 --> 00:28:00,476 Speaker 1: even if they don't realize it. So do you think 403 00:28:00,476 --> 00:28:02,476 Speaker 1: that this is where minivans are going? Do you think 404 00:28:02,516 --> 00:28:06,036 Speaker 1: that they are going to be sort of Norm Coore 405 00:28:06,516 --> 00:28:10,636 Speaker 1: style statements in a way? Well, I think about when 406 00:28:10,676 --> 00:28:12,836 Speaker 1: are we going to get to autonomy? I don't know. 407 00:28:13,236 --> 00:28:15,236 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't have a crystal ball, but I 408 00:28:15,276 --> 00:28:17,876 Speaker 1: mean look at some of the vehicles that we're shown 409 00:28:17,876 --> 00:28:21,996 Speaker 1: at cs CES is the annual Consumer Electronics Show in 410 00:28:22,076 --> 00:28:24,996 Speaker 1: Las Vegas where a lot of new concept cars are shown. 411 00:28:25,116 --> 00:28:27,956 Speaker 1: You know, these are not metivans. These are quote autonomous 412 00:28:28,036 --> 00:28:30,836 Speaker 1: pods or whatever. What did they have? They had sliding doors, 413 00:28:30,836 --> 00:28:33,596 Speaker 1: they had power to sliding doors, because how else are 414 00:28:33,596 --> 00:28:37,076 Speaker 1: you going to do a door in an autonomous vehicle? Right? Yeah, 415 00:28:37,156 --> 00:28:41,236 Speaker 1: who's going to open it? Wait a sec? Are we 416 00:28:41,276 --> 00:28:45,316 Speaker 1: witnessing a new dawn of the minivan? Will the sliding 417 00:28:45,316 --> 00:28:49,116 Speaker 1: door long the velpro shoe of automotive attributes become a 418 00:28:49,196 --> 00:28:53,836 Speaker 1: real and defining asset. Will autonomous family pods of the future, 419 00:28:54,196 --> 00:28:57,756 Speaker 1: provided they ever get here, look more like minivans and 420 00:28:57,916 --> 00:29:02,676 Speaker 1: less like three row SUVs. For an answer, look no 421 00:29:02,796 --> 00:29:06,596 Speaker 1: further than the autonomous vehicles that weymo Google self driving 422 00:29:06,636 --> 00:29:11,516 Speaker 1: sibling is testing. Because they're computer driven, these cars need 423 00:29:11,556 --> 00:29:15,196 Speaker 1: to reassure people that they're safe because they are shared 424 00:29:15,396 --> 00:29:19,596 Speaker 1: much like an uber, they need to accommodate everyone. What 425 00:29:19,796 --> 00:29:23,836 Speaker 1: kind of vehicle fits the bill? Those white waymou vans 426 00:29:23,876 --> 00:29:26,516 Speaker 1: with all the sensors and cameras on them are of 427 00:29:26,556 --> 00:29:31,556 Speaker 1: course Chrysler Pacificas the future of the people mover is 428 00:29:31,556 --> 00:29:36,316 Speaker 1: still the minivan. All of this technology exists out there 429 00:29:36,356 --> 00:29:39,716 Speaker 1: for all this high tech safety, and we said, you know, 430 00:29:39,756 --> 00:29:41,356 Speaker 1: if there's ever going to be a vehicle or we 431 00:29:41,356 --> 00:29:43,916 Speaker 1: should make all that standard, it should be the steak 432 00:29:43,956 --> 00:29:45,916 Speaker 1: in the ground should be the minivan. I think it 433 00:29:45,956 --> 00:29:51,116 Speaker 1: does send a message to people, Oh, Miniman, safe vehicle. Okay, 434 00:29:51,116 --> 00:29:53,356 Speaker 1: so I'm driving the Pacifica. Now you can hear how 435 00:29:53,436 --> 00:29:57,356 Speaker 1: quiet it is inside. All that talk about autonomous pods 436 00:29:57,476 --> 00:30:01,196 Speaker 1: is largely conceptual. I wanted to drive a new minivan 437 00:30:01,516 --> 00:30:04,636 Speaker 1: to see how far the species had evolved. Now this 438 00:30:04,756 --> 00:30:09,836 Speaker 1: is the twenty twenty one Chrysler Pacifica. Pinnacle costs around 439 00:30:09,876 --> 00:30:12,676 Speaker 1: fifty four thousand dollars, and it's got everything on it. 440 00:30:13,156 --> 00:30:17,476 Speaker 1: It's got a Swede headliner. When Chrysler's Magic Wagon was new, 441 00:30:18,476 --> 00:30:21,716 Speaker 1: it costs, when we adjust for inflation, around twenty five 442 00:30:21,756 --> 00:30:25,436 Speaker 1: thousand dollars. This new version is more than twice as much. 443 00:30:26,436 --> 00:30:30,836 Speaker 1: But that original minivan didn't have any of this, bifunction 444 00:30:30,996 --> 00:30:35,596 Speaker 1: led projector headlamps and led tail lamps. It's got a 445 00:30:35,636 --> 00:30:40,236 Speaker 1: hands free power whiftgate, hands free sliding doors, platinum chrome's 446 00:30:40,276 --> 00:30:44,956 Speaker 1: stone place roof rack, platinum chrome will grills around irony alert. 447 00:30:45,476 --> 00:30:48,476 Speaker 1: The new Pacifica is safer than minivans have ever been. 448 00:30:49,356 --> 00:30:53,836 Speaker 1: It's more luxurious than they've ever been. It's more professional. 449 00:30:54,756 --> 00:30:57,356 Speaker 1: Comparing the driving experience of this new one to that 450 00:30:57,436 --> 00:31:00,196 Speaker 1: of the old one is like comparing a Bentley mossan 451 00:31:00,596 --> 00:31:04,356 Speaker 1: to a rickety old shopping cart. Even the sound of 452 00:31:04,396 --> 00:31:12,756 Speaker 1: the Doris says luxury. And yet due to the rise 453 00:31:12,796 --> 00:31:16,756 Speaker 1: of the three row suv, their numbers have shrunk dramatically. 454 00:31:18,196 --> 00:31:21,436 Speaker 1: Carmakers sell only about three hundred thousand minivans a year, 455 00:31:21,836 --> 00:31:23,676 Speaker 1: which is bug kiss when you compare it with the 456 00:31:23,796 --> 00:31:29,516 Speaker 1: number of three row SUVs they sell. But like the 457 00:31:29,556 --> 00:31:33,556 Speaker 1: Tarte grade, that near microscopic, eight legged creature that can 458 00:31:33,596 --> 00:31:38,796 Speaker 1: withstand radiation, boiling liquids, and the vacuum of space, the 459 00:31:38,876 --> 00:31:43,996 Speaker 1: minivan survives in even the most hostile environments. It keeps evolving, 460 00:31:44,276 --> 00:31:48,876 Speaker 1: getting safer and more comfortable. It deserves a measure of admiration. 461 00:31:50,116 --> 00:31:53,396 Speaker 1: It's so uncool that it's actually low key dad cool. 462 00:31:54,716 --> 00:31:56,716 Speaker 1: As I sat staring out of my window at the 463 00:31:56,836 --> 00:32:00,756 Speaker 1: velvet red pearl coat Pacifica parked in my driveway, my 464 00:32:00,876 --> 00:32:03,356 Speaker 1: eye was lingering on the long spear of chrome down 465 00:32:03,396 --> 00:32:06,996 Speaker 1: the van side. I was admiring the way the rear 466 00:32:07,076 --> 00:32:11,676 Speaker 1: roof pillar jetted backward aggressively like a hockey stick. I 467 00:32:11,756 --> 00:32:14,396 Speaker 1: was digging the twenty inch five spoke wheels and the 468 00:32:14,476 --> 00:32:19,116 Speaker 1: blacked out windows. I looked down and thought, who could 469 00:32:19,156 --> 00:32:28,516 Speaker 1: hate on that the minivan may be cooler now than 470 00:32:28,556 --> 00:32:31,756 Speaker 1: at any time in its history, but that competition from 471 00:32:31,796 --> 00:32:35,836 Speaker 1: the suv segment is indeed formidable. Next week, we're going 472 00:32:35,916 --> 00:32:38,356 Speaker 1: to see how it stacks up, and we're going to 473 00:32:38,436 --> 00:32:40,356 Speaker 1: have a little help from a new dad who's in 474 00:32:40,396 --> 00:32:43,516 Speaker 1: the market for a family mover. Just imagine, Eddie didn't 475 00:32:43,956 --> 00:32:46,796 Speaker 1: if you were you are my partner, and Jacob and 476 00:32:46,876 --> 00:32:50,236 Speaker 1: debacc is my daughter. I can't. No one's gonna let 477 00:32:50,276 --> 00:32:54,876 Speaker 1: me drive like this. People will be squealing with like 478 00:32:55,076 --> 00:33:04,916 Speaker 1: horror and outrage. Car Show is written and hosted by 479 00:33:04,956 --> 00:33:09,356 Speaker 1: me Eddie Alterman. It's produced by Sam Dingman, Jacob Smith, 480 00:33:09,396 --> 00:33:14,476 Speaker 1: and Amy Gaines. Our editor is Jan Guera. Original music 481 00:33:14,516 --> 00:33:19,516 Speaker 1: and mastering by Ben Tolliday. Our executive producer is Mia Lobell. 482 00:33:20,596 --> 00:33:23,796 Speaker 1: Our show art was designed by Sean Karney and airbrushed 483 00:33:23,796 --> 00:33:27,436 Speaker 1: by Greg Lafever. Our patron saints are Lee, Tom Mallad 484 00:33:27,556 --> 00:33:31,756 Speaker 1: and Justine Lang. Special thanks to Emily Rostek and to 485 00:33:31,876 --> 00:33:36,196 Speaker 1: David Elshoff, Darren Jacobs and Rick deno Astatlantis for showing 486 00:33:36,276 --> 00:33:40,876 Speaker 1: us around the er Minivan. Karshow is a production of 487 00:33:40,876 --> 00:33:44,476 Speaker 1: Pushkin Industries. If you love this show and others from 488 00:33:44,516 --> 00:33:49,916 Speaker 1: Pushkin industries consider subscribing to Pushkin Plus. Pushkin Plus is 489 00:33:49,916 --> 00:33:54,556 Speaker 1: a podcast subscription that offers bonus content and uninterrupted listening 490 00:33:54,796 --> 00:33:58,236 Speaker 1: for just four ninety nine a month. Look for Pushkin 491 00:33:58,316 --> 00:34:03,196 Speaker 1: Plus on Apple podcast subscriptions to find more Pushkin podcasts. 492 00:34:03,676 --> 00:34:08,036 Speaker 1: Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 493 00:34:08,156 --> 00:34:09,076 Speaker 1: listen to podcasts.