There comes a point in almost every person’s life when they need a vehicle with greater than average carrying capacity. That vehicle was once the station wagon; the scion of suburbia, the reigning king of the road trip. No one ever thought that there was anything emasculating or dispiriting about driving a wagon, it was just what families had. The wagon’s rule would end in the Nineties as the twin tsunamis of the Minivan and truck-based SUV gained favor, and not even innovative tailgate technology could stem the tide. SUVs evolved into the more car-like tall wagons we have today, typically denoted as crossovers or CUVs, but Minivans took a different turn. For some reason, they acquired a negative stigma, a taint of resignation, and of having given up on life. Here’s the thing, Minivans are awesome. Even more so than the station wagons of lore, they are able to swallow large quantities of both cargo and passengers. They are also typically less unwieldy than a comparable capacity SUV or old wagon, and they offer incomparable levels of versatility. Plus, sliding doors!  How could all that value result in something that people are actually ashamed to drive? What did Minivans ever do to earn such a reputation? Image: Great Ads