Question let's talk about passenger vans and rollover

Hi everyone,

We just sold our Town &Country and are looking at the Nissan NV. We just took it for a test drive. My husband had no issues adjusting to driving a truck but it was MY first time and well, I didn't feel very comfortable... My DH told me that I have to take my time and no sudden movements! Since sudden movements may induce rollover. I did some research about rollover and according to the NHTSA the NV has a 2 star rating for rollover (30.6%). Not great of course but to be expected on such a big van.

So, now, I would love to hear if any of you ever had to avoid something on the road, if you've ever hit a curb and what the outcomes were. In other words, what is your experience with driving a big vehicle? I would love to hear any advice too!!

Should I worry about rollover? I read that one of the reasons for rollover are inexperienced drivers, well, I've been driving for over 15 years but I never drove something bigger than my T&C...

Also, is it possible to park such a big van between two other vehicles on a regular Texan parking lot (grocery stores, mall,...)? I tried several times but failed quite miserably... I have to get my orange cones out again

TIA,

Mag

The 2-star means nothing, really. It's a big van being compared to sports cars. Of course it's going to come out behind. It's like comparing the risk of frostbite in Alaska vs Arizona and saying "Don't live in Alaska!" LOL. You just need to use common sense and drive it like a van, not a sports car. I've made emergency manoeuvres in my Safari (Astro) & Express without any trouble. If you need a big van, you need a big van. The Ford Explorer also gets a 2-star. I haven't heard of people being worried about driving those.

Here's an interesting article on those rollover ratings:
http://www.caranddriver.com/columns...atings-good-enough-for-government-work-column

Are you planning to have more children? If you only have 4 and don't need massive amounts of cargo space, you might be happier with a Sienna / Odyssey. I would hate having to drive the big van all the time. I use my Safari for daily use.

Thanks for sharing your experience and your common sense!! We have 5 kids with 4 of them in car seats/booster and while the Odyssey was on our list, I still had a hard time fitting everyone... And then when we have family over, we can take just one car. So, after debating between the Odyssey and the NV we decided on the NV but we haven't purchased it yet. So since we don't have it yet, I wanted to learn more about what worries me the most about it... With all the big trucks we have here, I have never seen a rollover and don't know anyone who has had one but it was still a concern... I was kind of reassured that on the rollover test that NHTSA did, the van did not tip, so that is good (but after reading the article in your link, I guess it doesn't mean much ;-)). I still wanted to hear from people here, on the community. So thanks again!

MamanMag said:

Thanks for sharing your experience and your common sense!! We have 5 kids with 4 of them in car seats/booster and while the Odyssey was on our list, I still had a hard time fitting everyone... And then when we have family over, we can take just one car. So, after debating between the Odyssey and the NV we decided on the NV but we haven't purchased it yet. So since we don't have it yet, I wanted to learn more about what worries me the most about it... With all the big trucks we have here, I have never seen a rollover and don't know anyone who has had one but it was still a concern... I was kind of reassured that on the rollover test that NHTSA did, the van did not tip, so that is good (but after reading the article in your link, I guess it doesn't mean much ;-)). I still wanted to hear from people here, on the community. So thanks again!

Click to expand...

Oops, I just saw the 4 lines in your siggy and missed that you have a 5th there! Sorry I think you'll really like the van once you get used to the length. The width is actually about the same as the new Sienna & Odyssey.

Keeanh said:

Oops, I just saw the 4 lines in your siggy and missed that you have a 5th there! Sorry I think you'll really like the van once you get used to the length. The width is actually about the same as the new Sienna & Odyssey.

Click to expand...

No problem!! 4 and 5 came in one package but boy, they are a hand full

I really hope that I'll get used to it in a reasonable amount of time! We'll see... The parking will take a few weeks I think I'm just not good at maneuvering

I think no matter what vehicle you switch to there is a learning curve in parking!

When I switched from our old van to the accord it took adjustment, then again when I switched from the accord to our new van...it just takes time to learn your corners and angles

nannykates said:

I think no matter what vehicle you switch to there is a learning curve in parking!

When I switched from our old van to the accord it took adjustment, then again when I switched from the accord to our new van...it just takes time to learn your corners and angles

Click to expand...

Yes, that's true!! Hopefully it won't take too long though