I have to admit - I don't understand some of the antipathy toward mini-vans. Yeah, there's the soccer mom image with all the yard apes stuffed in the back raisin' hell, but Mrs E and I are waaaaaaaay too old for yard apes 'n such. Yet this is a vehicle that, for me, is much more practical than a pickup truck.
Even 2WD is just fine where we live (north-central Missouri). The enclosed cargo area will handle 10-foot sections of stuff and the seats come out when you absolutely must have that extra room.
It rides nice (we also have a 2004 Sienna with over 150K on it, with much more to go before it dies), it gets great mileage (about 27 on the highway at 70 mph, and 22 in the city), but with a V6, it has balls enough to get up to speed quickly.
I'm in my mid-fifties, no kids, but I wouldn't trade my mini-van for the most ballsy Ford 250 dually made. I rehearse and perform on 3 low brass instruments on a regular basis, and putting those very expensive musical instruments in a truck, even with a cap, is simply not an option. Thievery still happens on a regular basis and I intend to keep that from happening to me.
