Suburban Dad Vacation: The Family Vote
OK, we’ll let the passengers vote on the Sprinter using the categories we used last summer: looks, comfort, entertainment options and roominess. Here’s how it fared among the six family members voting:
Looks
I suspect that for most people, the Sprinter’s looks are polarizing. I liked the tall shape, the long lines and the interior. I suspect other people see it as a monolith. For me, I could appreciate the function over form, and I didn’t see it as boring or dull, which is often how these kinds of vans can be seen. I grew up driving a Ford 10-seater van, and I thought this was much more attractive. My kids liked the looks of it less: “They’re pretty awful-looking,” my daughter volunteered as she gave its looks a lowly, single point. Her mom and I each gave the Sprinter a 4 on looks.
Family vote: 19 out of 30 possible points (each person ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being lowest and 5 being highest)
Comfort
This was a mixed bag for my family. For me, the Sprinter was definitely comfortable — so much so that I wouldn’t mind it as a daily driver, if I had eight kids to haul around. My 16-year-old gave it a solid 5 points, higher even than me, and he spent all of his time in the back three rows. For one brief portion he rode in the front passenger seat, but opted to return to the back. My wife only gave the Sprinter a 3 for comfort, but perhaps the passenger seat lacked the legroom found in back. My sister-in-law was more blunt: “The actual drive is a smooth one, but my back did not appreciate it,” she said. “The seats were too hard and too upright.” That was something my 14-year-old daughter also pointed out (several times): She would have preferred reclining seats in the back rows. I don’t know how easily those could be added, but if Dodge is going to market this to families, they may want to consider those.
Family vote: 22 out of 30
Entertainment options
This is the category where the Sprinter feels like a ‘90s van, not a van of the 21st century.
“It needs more stuff in it,” my 16-year-old son pointed out. Even though Chrysler is the automaker that came up with Sirius Backseat Television, it’s not to be found in the Sprinter. I have to tell you, there were moments with the 4-year-old and 2-year-old where we could have really used it. In addition, Dodge needs to make some 12-volt outlets available in those back three rows (more about that later). The Sprinter did come with a six-CD changer, but in an age of iPods it seemed antiquated. A navigation system would also be handy, but given how many you get (for much less) on smart phones, perhaps it wasn’t that big an oversight.
Family vote: 6 out of 30
Roominess
This one was a no-brainer. The Sprinter has room, in spades, although perhaps not for as many people as it has seats for.
“For eight people, I thought it was great,” my sister-in-law said. “But for 12, it wouldn’t be comfortable.” I do think that the extra height gave passengers less of a sense of claustrophobia than do big, conventional vans, and in the driver’s seat there was a sense of light and room.
“If you have 12 billion kids,” my daughter hyperbolized, “it would be good.”
Family vote: 25 out of 30
Overall
When tallying the totals, clearly my oldest son and I enjoyed the Sprinter most; my sister-in-law gave it the lowest marks. I think Dodge has started off well here, but for nearly $60,000 it needs to find a way to add some entertainment options and power outlets to keep everyone happy on long trips. Would I buy one? If I had the eight kids my parents did, yes. Would I rent one for another long trip? With a DVD player and some more 12-volt outlets, absolutely.
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