We have a 2000 & a 2003, both with cloth seats and couldn't get an acceptable recline with the Radian. The TF was tight for us, too.
We love our MPVs! I think they offer a lot of value for the money. I love the way they handle and their size is quite small for a Minivan. They drive like cars. Check out the town hall/forum thing on Edmunds for reviews. The
www.MPVClub.com site as soooooo much information on how to do repairs on your own and we've saved a ton of money on odds and ends this way.
These vans are not 'known' for transmission issues like most vans this age. The A/C went out on DH's 2003, which would have cost about $2,500, but he was able to dissect the van for the mechanic and save $1,300 using some online database for repairs (other than the MPV Club). I've had mine since 2004, and we've had DH's since 2007.
The 'new' version was built between 2000 & 2006, and here is how the latch/tethers shake out.
2000 - no lower anchors; top tether bolt pre-drilled locations in floor behind 2 center captains chairs only. Retrofit kits were $15 each. This year as angled ridgid belt stalks that make installing most seats a total PITA. The Britax convertibles, My Ride, and Frontier seats fit great, but most others are a total pain.
2001 - no lower anchors; top tether bolts installed in floor for 2 captain's chairs. Not sure about the 3rd row. 2000 & 2001 are otherwise the same vehicle.
2002-2003 - lower anchors & top tether actually on the back of the seat at the back for both captains chairs. No lower anchors in 3rd row, but there is a single center top tether spot. These models are the same vehicle.
2004-2006 - These models are the same vehicle. The cloth on these years is not as nice as the older years, but the leather is REALLY nice and the overall look of the vehicle is much more stylish.