PRICING THE MOST EXPENSIVE MINIVANS IN CANADA - ODYSSEY, SIENNA & ROUTAN WITH FR-V, VERSO & TOURAN ON THE SIDE

Combined sales of Fiat's Chrysler's minivans in Canada last month reached 4,415. Although that might not sound like a lot to the casual sales observer in the United States, consider this: Canada's best-selling car is the Honda Civic; its sales totalled just 3,675 in February. Conventional wisdom says minivans are the opposite of a Trending Topic. The pure and simple (Canadian) facts will lead you to believe otherwise.

Or maybe not. Many would argue on behalf of the Honda Odyssey in any conversation about the best minivan. But Honda's Odyssey sales in February were a drop in the bucket at 392. A high-value Korean option, the Kia Sedona, isn't successful either. Kia Canada only sold 70 Sedonas in February. In the lead-up to the 2011 Toyota Sienna arriving at dealerships, the current Sienna sold just 175 copies last month, down considerably from the already-low 260 Siennas sold in February of 2009. Volkswagen Routan sales remained fairly level, but 103 is not the fairest of levels.

Much of the minivan market has swung toward a lower price point. That fact is manifested in sales of the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. The Dodge, with its low entry price of just $19,445 and moderate maxed out price of $38,850, made up the vast majority of those 4,415 Fiat Chrysler Group minivan sales. Town & Country sales rang in at just 277. But keep in mind, its price range starts above the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Plus and swings north. Kia Rondo sales (370) and Mazda 5 sales (329), better than any minvan barring the Grand Caravan, also clear up any confusion about the price level Canadian minivan buyers appreciate.

That ain't stopping automakers from equipping their minivans like never before, attempting to sell them at price points normally reserved for very nice luxury cars, and doing so with little regard for market demands in Canada. Although it must be pointed out, I use the word "demands" loosely. Check out the three minivans below along with their foreign counterparts' estimated MSRPs in the Gallery.... were they to be made available in Canada.

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2010 HONDA ODYSSEY TOUR

Base Price: $49,690

With Options & Accessories: $63,248.11

With Taxes & Fees: $71,616.13

Price Of Acura MDX With Taxes & Fees: $61,035.82

2011 TOYOTA SIENNA LIMITED AWD V6

Base Price: $49,100

With Options & Accessories: $50,695

With Taxes & Fees: $59,095.61

Price Of Lexus RX350 With Taxes & Fees: $55,268.30

2010 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN EXECLINE

Base Price: $50,575

With Options & Accessories: $50,575

With Taxes & Fees: $59,048.15

Price Of Audi Q7 With Taxes & Fees: $63,280 (est.)

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