Ok, after reading about 6 or 7 of the back-and-forth arguments about MPV's, can I add in my perspective as having owned one of the 7 passenger variants? I also currently own what (I think) you folks call an estate....
Granted, a 1986 Toyota Tercel 4WD station wagon and a 1987 Dodge Caravan SE are two totally different animals in every aspect.
The plusses for the Toyota :
Turning circle - for a FWD (in 2WD mode) vehicle, it has an absolutely AMAZING turning radius. Very handy when you spot that one parking spot left and it's on the opposing side of the lane....
Fuel economy - When new it touted 30+ mpg (on US gallons) at times approaching 40mpg (exceeding it using your gallons).
Compact size - It'll fit into some pretty amazingly small parking spots.
Versatility - With the floor-level lift gate at the rear and the 60/40 split rear seats, the cargo hauling capabilities are quite good. Much better than any boot I've ever had the displeasure of unloading groceries out of.
Reliability - It's a Toyota. If I need say anything more, you've obviously never owned a Toyota before......
4WD capability - for being nothing more than a Toyota Starlett with two extra doors, it's hard to believe that it is so capable in 4WD mode. Last winter we had a blizzard around here. They cancelled school and told us to come pick our kids up as all but three of the school bus drivers had refused to travel in the conditions
I got there and found out that only two other parents had made it to the school. The three of us ended up transporting home almost 100 students as we were the only things moving on the roads in a town of 8,000. The other two vehicles were a pre-70's Ford Tallboy 4X4 pickup with farm tyres on it and the other was a WWII Willy's M38 military Jeep with the ragtop on it. I was the last one to go home as the other two got too close to running out of petrol and none of the gas stations were open. The number of SUV's and other 4WD vehicles that were stranded was unbelievable, and yet I was having absolutely NO trouble at all except with visibility due to the blowing snow!!
The minusses for the Toyota :
Non-existant power - with a 17.0s 0-60, you REALLY have to plan how you get out onto a 55mph two lane road. And passing at 55+mph is a day-long exercise in futility.
Comfort - It's a tiny little Jap mobile that has the comfort levels of a Catholic church pew.
Noise levels - It's a mid-80's Jap mobile. They had no idea what sound deadening material was in those days.
Lack of toys - The only thing power on this car is the brakes and steering. Everything else is completely manual, including shifting into 4WD. At least on the automatics it was pushbutton.
The plusses for the Dodge Caravan :
You want space? - I could almost park the Toyota in the cargo area of the Caravan if I took out the middle and rear seats. It's HUGE in there!! I'm 6'3" tall, and when I laid down with my stretched out toes pointing at the rear gate, I had LOTS of room above my head!! It was THAT far from front to rear!! An absolutely unholy amount of room inside them.
Power. You want power? - My God!! I only had the 3.0L V-6 with a crappy 3spd autobox on it and it was 154,000 miles old. But that thing had absolutely NO problem shifting out onto a 55mph road!! Many a time I would stomp a little too hard on the go pedal and that thing would HOWL the P235/60R15 Eagle GT+4's! I can't even imagine what the 3.8L's are like.
Riding position - Picture a good office chair with a steering wheel in front of it. That's what driving a minivan is like. You're sat bolt upright with a commanding view of everything around you. The "fishbowl" effect of all those windows mean you have a full 360 degree view. And the quick slanting bonnet means you're not poked out into traffic to see what's coming.
Versatility - The sliding door on the side with waist-high floor-level access means that loading is unbelievably easy. The cavernous rear hatch means that getting even a 52" plasma screen home is as easy as carrying a pack of smokes. And the 500lb capacity roof rack meant that carrying home a new couch meant no movers required. I moved my sister-in-law out of her apartment in one trip. Her bed, couch, dresser, entertainment center, everything went in one load.
Toys - OMG!!! This thing had more toys than a kid's playground
Climate control - Mine was one of the VERY few of that year that had the dual zone climate control. I could literally freeze us out of the front of the van with the A/C and cook the kids in the back with the heater. That thing had phenomenal A/C and heat. I've seen them produce frost in the summer and actually crack a windscreen in the winter.....
The minusses of the Caravan :
Poor turning radius - It was horrible. Turning around in a two lane road was impossible. Unless you were suicidal and wanted to try an e-brake turn in something top heavy with only a foot-style parking brake.
Poor mileage - I think the best I ever got out of mine was 18-20mpg. Most of the time it was closer to 15. Mind you, I have a REALLY heavy right foot.
Reliability - One thing to condsider is that mine was 154,000 miles old when I got it and had been heavily abused by the previous owners. Maintenance to them was to wash it once a year. But I did have to replace the water pump ($550 at the garage - I lived in an apartment complex that did not permit working on cars), the alternator ($157.00 just for the part), passenger's mirror (fell off when wife took it through the mechanical car wash), both rear light clusters (water intrusion/corrosion), the rear hatch locking mechanism, both tranny cooling lines, and one CV joint. And I only owned it for 2.5 years....
Parking - with something only a few inches shorter than a Cadillac SeVille and a turning radius of an 18 wheeler, getting around a parking lot could test the patience of a Shoalin Monk. And trying to find a parking spot big enough to get it into and still get out of the van was frustrating beyond belief.
Security for possessions - At least in the Toyota you have a removable parcel shelf to cover the cargo area. In a minivan EVERYTHING is open to the world's view.
Summer heat - With all that glass, it VERY quickly becomes a greenhouse in there. I ended up putting limo tint on the rear 5 windows to help keep it cool. Helped a LOT.
Brilliant 
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