So when society – via social media, reality telly and more-promoted self-obsession and ‘me time’ and perhaps even glorified a little narcissism, the SUV took off. When me-me-me became fashionable, the MPV did the inverse.
What a pity. And what rot. Because actually no car is more lifestyle-oriented, and arguably no car is more luxurious, than an MPV. Time is the biggest luxury of all, but space is maybe the next one after that. Big houses cost more than small ones. And no car offers space like what is effectively a small van. This is, after all, why the Americans call such vehicles minivans.
MPVs are incredibly airy. That’s sometimes seen as undesirable and unfashionable. Boring. Why is it that in a luxurious house we want big windows and optimum airiness, perhaps floor to ceiling glass, and old buildings with big, high ceilings are lovely, yet in a car, a high window line and a snug, cocooning ambience is preferable?
In a house, we would call it poky. An MPV is the closest there is to an extension of the home – probably the most luxurious and relaxed space any of us has. It’s the equivalent of a conservatory: nice big windows letting the sun stream through and warming our souls as we recline in semi-relaxed chairs, with the benefit that it can be kept the right temperature all the time and the view changes.
MPVs are also – or rather can be – quite nice to drive. Shorn of the obligation of pretending to be off-roaders or sporty in any way, they can be set up comfortably something that is, mercifully, becoming slightly more popular than it has been in recent times but still, I think, an underrated virtue.
And when it comes to efficiency, while an MPV has a large frontal area, it’s a relatively aerodynamic shape. The Volkswagen Type 2 had a cleaner drag coefficient than the Jaguar D-Type.
Today, while largely ignored in the mainstream sector, the MPV does survive, and here’s the thing: it’s a true luxury vehicle. It’s used by those who are so busy that they don’t drive themselves. The Lexus LM, for example, is just a four-seater and it starts at £95k. The Volkswagen California is perhaps more day van than camper van and starts at £65k. And there’s perhaps no car more suited to an active lifestyle than a four-wheel-drive California.
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