So your family has expanded again, and it’s time for a vehicle with a third row. That means you’re downloading brochures for large SUVs, right? As far as you can tell, they’re your only option.

Well, brace yourself, because I’m about to present you with an alternative. You’ll probably find the prospect confronting, but stay with me.

If you’ve got a large family and young kids, you might want an SUV, but what you really need — is a minivan.

I know, I know. Your dad drove one of those things, and you swore you never would. They’re so practical and utilitarian. It feels like officially resigning yourself to a lifetime of dad bods and mom jeans. I get it.

But being in the midst of raising a child myself, and having transported her in every type of vehicle on the market over the past few years, I find those weeks when a minivan graces my driveway are always a breath of fresh air.

Indulge me while I do some “van-splaining” and outline the reasons why you should at least consider a minivan when shopping for a larger vehicle. You just might thank me later.

Their sliding doors don’t make dings

This is far and away my favourite reason to drive a minivan when I have young kids along. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve leapt across parking spaces, arm extended, screaming “nooooooooo!” as I sail through the air to block the path of a swinging rear car door. And based on the number of dings I’ve picked up in parking lots, I’m not the only one with this problem. Sliding doors solve it immediately.

And yes, back when you were a kid, your parents might have complained that they were heavy and sometimes didn’t latch properly. But there’s not a minivan on the market today that doesn’t come with push-button, powered controls for the side doors that are so easy to use that, once they’re old enough to do so, kids can operate them themselves. Trust me: this is far more convenient than you’ve given it credit for.

They’re easier for the whole family to get into

This one applies not only to kids, but also to older family members: the average load floor on a minivan is lower than in an SUV. The best demonstration for this is in ground clearance, which for example is 14.8 cm in a Honda Odyssey; versus 18.5 cm in a Honda Pilot. For smaller humans and those with more life experience or mobility issues, this can make a big difference to a person’s ease with getting into and out of a vehicle.

The trade-off is, obviously, less ground clearance to get over things like tree stumps and snow drifts, so it’s worth taking a moment to consider whether you’ll more often be rumbling up rough cottage driveways than transporting pre-schoolers and senior citizens within the city.

But if your lifestyle puts you into the latter camp, you might find the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. (And a side effect of this is that minivans tend to offer more internal vertical height, which can be helpful for moving taller passengers or cargo.)

They’re a lot prettier than they used to be

Not every minivan on the market has managed to slough off the segment’s typically utilitarian looks, but some have. If fashion is one of your primary motivators for choosing an SUV, take a look at the Chrysler Pacifica and the Kia Sedona. Neither of them could be passed off as German, but both demonstrate that a minivan doesn’t have to be homely.

You can get one – but only one – with all-wheel drive

Most minivans can’t drive all four wheels, which is one of the top reasons why Canadians tend to pass them over for SUVs since we all seem to think this is a feature we can’t live without. (And unless you live way out in the sticks or you’re one of those people who never shovels the end of your driveway after the plow comes by, chances are you’d be better served by a quality set of winter tires, anyway. But that’s another article.)

You don’t have to live without all-wheel drive if you decide to buy a minivan, though. You just need to accept having a lack of choice. The Toyota Sienna remains the only minivan on the Canadian market that can power both axles, at least for now.

They come with family-oriented features SUVs don’t

Somehow, the on-board vacuum hasn’t made it into the three-row SUV. Sure, you can just keep a handheld vacuum in the back, but then it rattles around while you’re driving and gets left behind goodness-knows-where.

If you’ve ever had a moment where you need to vacuum up the huge mess of spilled Cheerios right now or you just know it’s going to get stomped into the upholstery and stay there until it decomposes, then you know the value of having a vacuum that you can call upon at a moment’s notice and then tuck neatly away when it’s no longer needed.

And while not all minivans come with rear-facing entertainment systems, the one in the Chrysler Pacifica is truly excellent. If you somehow manage to leave the house without your kid’s tablet – the horror – you can keep a DVD or two in the Pacifica’s centre console. Between those and the built-in games, you’ll be able to drive in relative silence for hours.

And as we all know, for parents, there are few things scarcer and more valuable than peace and quiet.