BuyinganNVP

Yeah I saw that, but I don't think it would work as well for my needs -- my husband is usually doing the 8 hour trips to his family and can't easily reach down into the cooler, and I don't think we can expect anything to stay on the surface of it either. I also need tissues accessible at any given time. I'm used to a lot of storage and I think I'm going to miss it :(

Also, does anyone know the dimensions of the console? Could I swap it with http://www.ebay.com/itm/191545485488?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITwhich is considerably cheaper? They provide dimensions, but would that work?

My husband wants to save money and buy the S instead of SV. I reluctantly agreed without realizing we wouldn't have the center console. In some ways, I think it might be better as parents of young kids to more easily access the back and help them buckle, but I can't help thinking that we NEED some surface area. I drive a Sienna now and rely on my console to store a box of tissues, place a bag of snacks for the driver on a long car trip, etc. What do all of those without consoles do in this vehicle? All aftermarket ones look small, the OEM ones are expensive (once I am paying for that and having to install it and possibly cut some stuff to size since it seems like armrests may be in the way, I can't help but think it was worth it to spend $50/month more)...even just a swingaway table would be fine. I can't find any easily that look like it would work. I have no idea if I can try to take the one I have out of my Sienna and somehow put it there....we were thinking of just putting a cooler in between the seats and using the top, but they are pretty low down and things an easily slide off of it. Looking for some suggestions that will ease my mind and let me have peace that the S will work out fine for us.

I take it the commercial loan thing had to do with my experience today ;) It was from the financial manager who was trying to get the loans, and my guess is that since he is only dealing with commercial vehicles, his banks that he gets loans from see them all as commercial vehicles. In addition, many NVPs ARE bought for commercial use -- shuttles, for example. So I don't know how many a year these dealers actually sell of personal use vehicles. (Now I have to make sure my insurance sees this as a personal vehicle; my friend is paying commercial prices for hers!) Knowing the technology and options, though, that should be something easily picked up as they don't vary all that much between the 4 models they sell. I do agree that unless the worker is new, there should be some understanding of what is going on and standard complaints. Or maybe they should just read this forum; it's not that overwhelming!

Thanks everyone for your feedback. We put a deposit down on the S. I'll have to get over the looks, I suppose! For anyone coming across this in google, I just wanted to mention that the dealership told me I'd have to finance it with a commercial loan because it's a commercial vehicle officially. I spoke to my bank who had never had this question before and they told me since it's under 9,999 gross vehicle weight and for personal use, I can get a personal loan.

After reading a bit, it seems we might prefer not having it so we can buckle kids in directly from the front seats without it in the way. I guess I can just put in something with some height and a flat surface like a cooler to use as a "resting" table for a bag of chips or something on long trips. We're going for the S. My husband even thinks that is not cheap. Which is true, considering we've never bought new before, but we're paying less than we would for a full size Chevy or Ford 12 passenger ;) And the camera is being thrown in free of charge.

Are they easy to install?

Front sonar is only available on the SL trim, and that's out of our budget. So it's either aftermarket backup camera with no rear sonar or pay another 3245 and have the factory installed tech package and rear sonar. Also wondering how much the center console would be missed if we got the S trim. Having free space is nice, and we would still have cup holders, but for long trips, is there any after market "table" or something I could put in between so the driver can reach some snacks easily?

You don't find it too sensitive, beeping any time it snows or a bug flies in or anything? A friend suggested I try local cargo vans in stock just to see if I need the sonar...which is a great idea, if I can find such a dealer and the time to do it :)

Oh, and I forgot to mention usage of the NV -- for the 2 minute car ride to school and back daily, every so often a trip within town with the whole family, and once or twice a year to visit family out of town about 8 hours away...

Chris -- My friend who has an S loves being able to sweep her non-carpeted floor. My kids are not hooked on technology, so we aren't going to miss all the power ports. The cupholders, perhaps, but my little ones have them in their car seats and won't really reach the cup holders underneath. Rear sonar does sound like a plus, but how necessary is it if we have a camera? The after market camera they would be installing would be one integrated into a new rearview mirror. It is color, but you're right that I don't know about grid lines. I wouldn't be having to figure this installation out, as they could do it for me before buying. radin2son -- I am only looking at passenger vehicles. The closest we found is 2 hours away and the price they were quoting for the one SV they had in stock was $800 more than the similar version 4 hours away (the only difference is the further distance one has no rear carpet mats). There are commercial dealers closer by, they just have none in stock and we need to buy our second vehicle before school starts in 2 weeks. FWIW, the price difference I mentioned is after all rebates, taxes, dealer fees, etc. Same dealership for both.

Hi, I have been eyeing the NVPs for a couple years now and we're actually ready to buy one now. I have options between the 2014 and 2015 models (both new), and the S vs SV. I had my heart set on the SV, but we found a 2014 S with power package for $3245 less out the door than the 2015 SV with tech package. The dealer would install a camera in the rearview mirror. My husband is leaning toward the savings. We've never had built in GPS before, and don't really use bluetooth or xm radio stuff, though if we had it, I'm sure we'd take advantage. He's not particularly interested in spending more to have audio controls on the steering wheel or a couple extra cupholders. I am unsure about the lack of power-seats for the driver. I'm short, well under 5 feet. Do I need this, or is manual enough? (The vehicle is 4 hours away from us so it's not so simple to do a test drive :( I don't know anyone in the area with an S model either; I have a friend with one 500 miles away but she is significantly taller than me.) My husband thinks power adjusting seats take a long time anyway, so he would prefer not having them. Would I be able to adjust the manual seats enough to drive safely? I adjust my Sienna's seats manually and it works fine for me. Will we be happy with the after market camera, or will it be annoying? There is also no rear sonar. Any significant differences between the 2014 and 2015? I don't see much online comparing the 2 years. I know people were complaining about the lock issue on the sliding door; was that fixed in this past model year? What else should I keep in mind? We'd be financing, so we're talking about a $50/month difference for 5 years.