Minivan sales are experiencing one of the most unlikely glow-ups of 2025. Names like the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Kia Carnival, and Chrysler Pacifica are part of a resurgence in sales, and we like it. It may be due to the tariff threats looming with consumers seeking a deal before any price hikes, but we’ll take it. Do you remember a time when the best minivans seemed unstoppable? The golden age of the soccer mom car, with its reign, was however short-lived.
Even shorter was the time when manufacturers thought it wise to build some of the best minivans, packed with performance, inadvertently creating some of the rarest sports cars in the history books. They never made much sense, but in this world, who cares anyway? For what they were and are today, are pure vans at the core, but with serious attitude that will, in some cases, destroy a properly focused sports car or two. Some may have ditched the extra row of seats, but that’s ok too. We had a look at the eight best minivans that have broken the mold and truly stand out.
8
Mercedes Benz R63 AMG
503Hp 6.2-liter V8 Naturally Aspirated – If you’d associate those details with a low-slung sports sedan and not a van, you wouldn’t be wrong, but Mercedes 18 years ago felt different. Different enough to wedge that powerplant into a 6-person carrying R Class, and we’re not disappointed at all. In fact, we’ve started a slow clap.
Perhaps unassuming yet oh so menacing, the R63 AMG was able to launch from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, which, even by today’s standards, is quick. With only 200 made, and 108 making it to North America, this is one of the rarest AMG models ever made. Good luck hunting one down.
7
Renault Espace F1
Celebrating 10 years of carrying French people, Renault, together with the Williams F1 team, built an all-carbon fiber one-off version of the 1995 Espace. Sporting the FW14’s naturally aspirated mid-mounted 3.5-liter V10. Yes, that is no misprint. If the turbofan wheels, wide-body configuration, and side air scoops never gave you a hint that this was something unique, the seating numbers would, allowing four people, including the driver, for a breakneck experience.
0-60 mph was achieved in 2.8 seconds and had a top speed of 194 mph, even with the aerodynamics of a parachute. Sadly, only one was ever made, marking a peak in Renault performance cars and one that should have made it to the streets but didn’t.
6
Vauxhall/Opel Zafira OPC
Something more of a hero car for the working family man. The Germans decided to install the Opel Performance Center 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, which produced 240 bhp, along with a 6-speed manual transmission, in its Zafira MPV. 18-inch alloys and twin pipes gave the game away.
To think you could modify these motors to include turbo hisses and gargles while slowly navigating the pedestrian crossing, at crawl speeds, outside your kid’s school, while dropping them off, makes the Zafira OPC somewhat of a twisted character in the performance MPV sector. Sadly, they never made it Stateside.
5
VW ID Buzz GTX 01
The most powerful VW bus of all time. Yes, and a readily available all-electric version at it too, producing 340 bhp, which enables the 0-62 mph sprint in 6.5 seconds. Perhaps a slight cheat on the list with its all-electric drivetrain, the ID Buzz GTX 01 deserves worthy mention by sheer looks alone. It looks the part.
For as long as I can remember, the VW Bus has been an integral part of people carrying, and finally, it’s getting some “get-up-and-go”. Volkswagen should take a page out of Ford’s book and prepare an ID R crossover for Pikes Peak. We could have an ID Buzz vs. SuperVan 4.2 showdown at long last. If Hyundai can joke around this type of thing, why can’t I? And if it does occur, you’ve heard it here first. Just mind those recalls.
4
Hyundai iMax N “Drift Bus”
The Hyundai iMax N is a one-off creation from Hyundai Australia, also known as the “Drift Bus.” It features a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 producing 400 hp, coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission, along with other components from the Hyundai performance parts bin, including brakes from an i30N.
The concept was first showcased at the 2019 World Time Attack Challenge, after being introduced as an April Fools’ joke in a render by a South Korean designer. They might have laughed then, but they aren’t now. Behind the laughter, Hyundai proved once more that they’re a fun brand capable of more than great-selling SUVs and a few sports sedans.
3
Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer (IndyCar Powered)
Alright, more of an SUV than MPV, but all the lines are blurred these days anyway, so consider this a clarion call to Honda to do the same treatment to an Odyssey (Please). “The CR-V Hybrid Racer is a passion project for everyone at Honda,” were the words from Honda, which included some special treatment on this one-off “Rolling Laboratory” special that received a reimagined look from the Group B rally days.
Installing, and I use that word loosely, an IndyCar hybrid power unit and just about every piece of trick technology from the IndyCar playbook itself, along with it, including a complete chromoly tube frame chassis, that helped transformed the look and performance of the overall package to be something straight out of a futurists dream fitting the Honda “Power of Dreams” slogan quite well. This included an “Easter Egg” livery design containing INDYCAR SERIES circuits and ghosted images of the powertrain. Zoom in.
2
Ford Transit Supervan 4.2
Perhaps the most famous of the lot, performance Vans have long been deeply ingrained in Ford’s technology exploits. The beloved van that robbed banks and hearts. The latest being the SuperVan 4.2, which packs an eye-watering 1,400 hp all-electric experimental van.
The latest, and also the quickest on this list, rockets the “van” to 60 mph in under two seconds, while producing two tonnes of downforce and achieving a top speed of 150 miles per hour. Don’t expect to purchase one of these off your local Ford showroom floor. This is a pure demonstration of what Ford can achieve technologically, and it’s impressive.
1
Peugeot 806 Procar Minivan
Hoofing all the right parts from a ’90s Peugeot 406 Group A car, including center lock wheels, into a minivan may seem like a crazy idea, but let’s not forget that the French still allowed their children to drink wine in school until 1981. Then there’s the question of whether some of those who took liberties then continued to do so, slipping through the educational system with ease, and later becoming Peugeot race engineers. Disclaimer: I’m not complaining.
It was a concept to showcase and raise the profile of the 806 by directly involving the might of the Kronos Racing Team (Winning a World Rally Championship and Spa 24 race twice). It was sent to compete in the 1995 Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race and qualified 12th out of 46 entrants. Sadly, however, our all-out racer van did not finish, retiring from engine issues halfway through the race.
Showing signs of austerity and a change of focus in the modern world/or a lack of imagination, or a crazy sign-off of boardroom ideas, the age of the performance Minivan is not entirely lost, but kept alive by a few. In this case, Ford and Honda, who still fly the flag. I stand up and salute.
Globally, automakers are operating in a very different space now, and the disconnect between racing and road car design and engineering teams indicates a departure from the traditional technology landscape. Seemingly long gone are the days when racing technology was directly translated into demonstration cars across the board, which in turn translated to sales of road cars.
Nowadays, it’s done in a very discreet manner. It’s not bad, it’s just different, and by different, I really mean boring. Boring in that we need these types of ideas to hit the tarmac more often. Perhaps I may be a little greedy.