There are some who are quick to bark that “driving a minivan makes you less of a man”.
Not only is that an inane notion, it also sheds a less than flattering light on those men who apparently must seek validation in the form an automobile, guys who, for whatever reason, have come to need a vehicle to define them as a man.
I’m way too comfortable with myself to need a half ton of chiseled steel and molded plastic to act on my behalf. I’m fortunate, I guess, in that I know who I am and what I’m capable of. I just want to be in a car that makes me and my family physically comfortable as we drive all over the country. Comfort is king.
To that end, I’m a big fan of minivans. While we don’t own one yet (I’d like to, especially as my girls become teenagers, because it’ll be sweet to easily transport their elongating legs and their gaggle of friends to and from wherever they wish to go), I have driven minivans across the entire country, on a Vegas racetrack and all over the Big Island of Hawaii. I know how cool they are and how sensible too. Kinda like me. After all, my favorite rad indie rock songs sound just as rad coming out of a Toyota Sienna as they would out of a Mustang or a Mercedes.
They idea that a man isn’t a man if he sits behind the wheel of a minivan is also an inane notion because minivans can be straight up badass.
See: VANkulture.
See also: The S-Tuned and R-Tuned Toyota Sienna minivans.
These two one-of-a-kind Sienna minivans are Real Performance concept Siennas that haul ass on the race track, delivering faster lap times than Camaro, and some day, maybe, they’ll haul ass on your local highways and bi-ways too.
That’s the idea. Real performance, real comfort, really incredible minivans, for real men (and women, of course). Toyota wants to incorporate more and more performance into our family vehicles, to transform their lineup from cars people have to drive into cars people want to drive. I’ve experienced the starting point of this transformation last week in California.
Here’s what it looks like to race the R-Tuned Real Performance Toyota Sienna at speeds up to 90 mph on The Streets of Willow Springs racetrack in Rosamond, CA. I’m in the #2 helmet, staying cool as you’d like, taking turns like a boss and experiencing something not many ever have. Take a look!
*Thanks to Toyota for bringing me out to Southern California to experience the S-Tuned and R-Tuned Sienna minivans. All opinions expressed above are honest and unbiased, as always.
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