If you're a family that's looking at minivans that seat 8 passengers you are not completely shut out but you maybe a touch disappointed in your limited choices. The number of minivans have been decreasing in recent years as more SUVs and cars that seat 8 are made available, which has cut down on automakers looking to push the edge with more seating or more features like AWD.
Minivans that Seat 8 People
Minivan
Base MSRP
Seating
2012 Toyota Sienna
2012 Honda Odyssey
$25,060
$28,375
Seats up to 8 Passengers
Seats up to 8 Passengers
For the minivans that seat 8 segment, you have two flavors coming in the form of a Toyota minivan or a Honda minivan. Neither is had on the cheap, as the Toyota Sienna base MSRP starts at $25,060 for the base model and adds on $5,000 to upgrade to the Sienna LE edition.
The starting price of the Honda Odyssey minivan is an even steeper starting point at $28,375 and requiring an upgrade to the Honda Odyssey EX trim at an added cost of little over $3,000. This puts both vehicles over the $30,000 starting line for eight passengers, and a tight eight if all your passengers are adults. Depending on the size of your brood, or your organization calls for more then eight you may want to consider one of the full size vans below.
Vans that Seat 8 Passengers or More
Minivan
Base Price
Seating
2012 Ford Econoline Wagon
2012 Chevrolet Express Passenger
2012 GMC Savana Passenger
2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
$28,760
$28,940
$28,940
$40,320
Seats up to 15 Passengers
Seats up to 15 Passengers
Seats up to 15 Passengers
Seats up to 12 Passengers
Out of the box, all these full-size vans seat eight passengers or more. In fact all these vans can easily seat 12 while the Benz falls short on options if you need vans that seat 15. However at a $40,320 starting MSRP the Mercedes-Benz Passenger van falls at the high end of the spectrum anyways. However if you compare minivans to the full size van counterparts the available size increases greatly for similar price and carrying capacity. And if you carry adults more often then kids, the extra headroom and leg room can be a life saver on long trips.