two minivans, four full-sized SUVs, three shorter SUVs (without the bigger cargo space in the back, a 12-passenger van, two crew-cab pickups and two Jeeps. Plus some sedans/smaller cars for teenagers. Just laying that all out to say that I speak from experience.

The younger me would never have thought I would say this, but knowing what I know, I would vote for a minivan over anything else we've driven. If you do an honest comparison between a minivan and a full-sized SUV, this is where each comes out ahead:

Minivan wins on:
Cargo room
Gas mileage
Ease of driving/parking
Kids not opening doors into cars parked next door
Ease of entry/exit
Initial cost
Annual registration cost
Insurance cost

SUV wins on:
Cool factor
Towing capability

Depends:
Legroom/headroom. Most of the time the minivans actually win, but there are exceptions, depending on the individual car.

Our oldest three kids are out of the house now, so we don't have to be so picky about getting the most seats in a car. I drive an F-150 (that can seat 6) that I love. I'm tall, and it's got tons of headroom and legroom. My wife drives a Navigator, and I really don't like driving it (except for the massage seats). It's closed-in and claustrophobic compared to vans that she's driven in the past. All three of our vans were more comfortable for me to drive than it. She even agrees with me now, but I still can't talk her into switching back to a minivan "because it's not as cute."

Anyway, I get that minivans aren't cool, but if you look at function and the actual driving experience instead of trying to keep up with the Joneses, it's hard to beat a minivan.