MINIVANS THAT ARE COOLER THAN SUVS

01 Hyundai Staria

The coolest boxy Hyundai honour belongs to not the Tucson, but this: the Staria. Yes, it’s a minivan, but it’s as streamlined as a Japanese bullet train, as minimalist as a vegan’s lunch and has a certain Darth Vader menace about it. Sadly it’s not being offered for sale in the UK. Yet.

02 Ford Supervan

Ford’s mad takes on its workaday Transit through the years have included a GT40based MkI and a MkIII with a Group C racing engine in the middle. The latest version has GT-style aero tunnels, is all electric and the most powerful yet with 2,000bhp.

03 Hyundai iMax N

A ‘drift van’ is an idea not even Hollywood dreamt up for the third instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise. So, Hyundai Australia went and did it instead, by taking an eight-seater van and chucking in a 402bhp 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6. OK, so it’s a one-off, but if enough people want one...

04 Ford Transit XJ220

Another legend of the vans-that-are-better-than4x4s scene is this: a humble Transit concealing the mid-engined 542bhp V6 powertrain from Jaguar’s Nineties supercar. It allowed Jag to test its powertrain without risking XJ220 prototypes going up in smoke – or revealing the styling.

05 Peugeot 806 Procar

Another minivan that proved it’s quick to be square was Kronos Racing’s slicked, stripped and slammed people carrier. Conceived for the Class 2 Super Touring category at the 1995 Spa 24 Hours, the 280bhp Pug was a real fan favourite, but broke down and retired early on in the race.

06 VW ID.Buzz

Fine, fine, here’s a cool van that you can actually buy. The all-electric Buzz is just so much less bolshy and threatening than an SUV. More space efficient inside too. But with prices kicking off at not far south of £60,000, it’s hardly going to be a ‘people’s van’, is it?

07 Porsche Vision Renndienst

Even Porsche can’t resist dabbling in some van heaven now and again. This all-electric van concept was inspired by an old VW support van used by Porsche in the Sixties, hence the name, which translates as ‘race support.’ Sadly Porsche never intended to put it into production.

08 Renault Espace F1

A Renault family van good for 0–62mph in 2.8 seconds. And a 789bhp 3.5-litre V10 where the middle of the second row of seats should be. Ah yes, this is another glorious chapter from the big book of overbudgeted PR stunts, to celebrate a decade of Espace production.

09 Lexus LM

This is a normal production minivan. The powertrain is unremarkable. So is the handling. This is not a van of improbable engineering. No, it’s here because, well, just LOOK at it. What a face! That’s got to be a 12A, maybe even a 15 certificate.