Maybe it's because we've been conditioned to think of minivans as front-wheel-drive vehicles that behave like cars. That's been the ethic since Chrysler invented these versatile station wagon substitutes back in 1984, and Chrysler still owns the segment.

Built on a truck-style chassis, the Safari and Astro are rear-drive and not very carlike. But they are robust and rugged, offering a combination of capabilities that most of the smaller, lighter front-drive minivans simply can't handle. The overall package is still well within the minivan size category, but the appetite for hard work exceeds anything in this class.