Family bonding with the all-new Toyota Previa

Okay, I confess, I love minivans. But my love for these boxy little things is not an offshoot of having three kids who need as much elbow room (literally) from each other as possible. My love for minivans come from way back — from being one of three brothers who needed as much elbow room (literally) from each other. Which explains my fondness for the original minivan of my grade school and high school days, the slow but spectacularly spacious VW Kombi.

But minivans of today are from the boxy four-wheeled contraptions of yesteryear. Case in point: the new Toyota Previa. One look and I was instantly whisked away to a Tokyo train station, gazing admiringly at the world-famous Shinkansen the bullet train.

From its pointy snout with those bright xenon HID head lamps to its sharply raked hoodline and windshield to its smooth, smooth flanks, the Previa looks like it was meant to cut through the air at high speeds and for long distances — a Lear jet for the expressway.

Fortunately, the Previa has what it takes to be a ground-bound executive jet: a strong 2.4-liter VVTI engine (170 hp and 224 Nm) coupled with a 4-speed automatic. But even more than that, it has a spacious cabin that can shame a large luxury sedan’s: an interior that’s fully swathed in supple Lexus-quality leather; an 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat; a 4-way-adjustable front passenger seat; slide-and-recline second-row seats; dual armrests for the front two rows; and my personal favorite, foldable leg rests for the middle row to let you stretch out in full airline comfort. I’ve ridden in the spacious and exceedingly accommodating back seats of BMW 7-series and Mercedes S-class sedans, but this one takes the cake. You even get to look down on the hoi polloi.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Previa’s key fob is actually the key. Walk up to it and watch the lights blink and the door unlock — all with the key fob in your pocket. There is no ignition key hole (no key, remember?). Just step on the brake, press the Engine Start/Stop button, feel the steering wheel unlock, and hear the motor roar to life — still with the key fob in your pocket. This is pure hands-free wireless technology found previously only in BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes.

Impressed? How’s this for more jaw-droppers: Press some buttons on the ceiling beside the rearview mirror (or on the key fob) and watch the two sliding doors and the tailgate spring open. Pressing the buttons again closes them. You can also close the sliding doors by pulling the inner or outer door handles; the motor will take care of the rest. The Previa is not the pioneer with this muscle-atrophying feature (the Chrysler, Town & Country offered it first) but it nevertheless fails to turn heads and impress onlookers — not to mention be extraordinarily convenient when loading small kids or grannies who can’t yank a heavy sliding door themselves.

Okay, enough about the features. How does the thing work? Mostly, just like any Toyota: smooth, silent and utterly reliable. On the road, the ride strikes the right balance between comfort and responsiveness. The engine is unobtrusively smooth and powerful. The 4-speed automatic boasts a manumatic mode although I doubt that a lot of parents or chauffeurs would feel like driving the Previa like a sports car — not to mention that the gear lever is angled somewhat awkwardly (it’s mounted almost vertically on the console) to inspire racing-style up- and downshifts. Braking from the ABS- and EBD-equipped four-wheel discs are strong and sure.

Foibles? A few, I detected some occasional audiboe sounds from the suspension and chassis, not exactly as if something was loose or rattling, but certainly not as solid or noise free as one would expect a P2-million Toyota should be. Perhaps it’s the low cost torsion beam suspension or a lack of sound deadening, but it certainly detracts from the overall experience.

Then there is the Smart Key system that occasionally (say 1 out of 5 times) fails to unlock the door automatically even when I’m right beside the car grasping the door handle. Last but not least, the right-hand sliding door never managed to completely latch itself closed. I always needed to get down and push the door inwards for it to close flush with the bodywork. (The boys won’t lock if any door is slightly ajar.) This last bug, however, should be easily rectified with an adjustment at the dealer.

The Good

• Best-looking minivan by a mile

• Superb power train

• Truly ingenious and useful wireless and hands-free entry and ignition

• Cabin accommodations fit for a king

The Bad

• Right-hand sliding door fails to completely close automatically

• Wireless sensor sometimes fails to open the doors automatically

• Front bumper scrapes on steep inclines

• Un-Toyota-like suspension and road noise expensive

The Verdict

• An utterly comfortable, spacious and feature-laden minivan that will absolutely pamper its affluent occupants — as long as everything is working.