Ironically, minivans are all about cool stuff. Among the most feature-laden vehicles sold in the U.S., minivans can be equipped with a wide range of equipment designed to entertain and comfort your family while keeping everyone safe. Our staff voted the following twelve standard or optional items as the coolest, and most critical, features on any minivan.

Adjustable Pedals – Power adjustable pedals allow the driver to find an optimum seating position, one that keeps all controls comfortably within reach while reducing proximity to an airbag deployment. Dodge and Honda offer these pedals as optional equipment.

DVD Entertainment – Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I’m hungry. I’m bored. Are we there yet? Poof! Young mouths go silent when SpongeBob SquarePants is serving up the grub to patrons of the Crusty Crab for the umpteen millionth time. All four of our vans had this pacifier on board, which works equally well for Paris Hilton videos during guys’ weekends in Vegas.

OnStar with Airbag Deployment Notification – Over the years, OnStar has not impressed us much as a system for helping to find addresses, or to get directions. However, the telematics service’s airbag deployment notification system, which detects when the airbags have deployed and notifies rescue personnel of the vehicle’s exact location, is terrific technology. Pontiac’s got it on the Montana SV6, with a free one-year subscription.

Power Outlets – It is a sign of our technological times that high-powered, 115-volt electrical outlets would land on our cool stuff list. With the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, there’s no more need for converter cords to power laptop computers, video game consoles, portable DVD players, camera equipment, or the like.

Power Tailgate – Seemingly useless, the power tailgate earns its keep the first time you stumble up to your vehicle with plastic handled grocery bags digging into the soft flesh of your fingers – as long as the remote keyless entry fob is easy to access. Pontiac does not make a power tailgate available to buyers of the Montana SV6.

Roll-down Glass in Sliding Doors – Mazda was first to market with this handy feature in the MPV minivan, but Honda and Toyota bring roll-down windows in the sliding side doors to the masses. Yes, the driver gets lockout control to keep errant sippy cups from hurtling into traffic.

Run-flat Tires – The last thing you want to do in a desolate area, in a sketchy part of town, or on a rainy freeway late at night is change a tire. The Honda Odyssey Touring’s Michelin PAX run-flats let you drive 125 miles at 50 mph before getting new rubber installed.

Shades for Side Window Glass – East/west road trips mean somebody’s getting the sun blazing into their eyes for a good part of the day, and if that somebody is under five years of age, Mom and Dad are gonna hear about it. Honda and Toyota offer shades for the side window glass, even though it’s already dark tinted.

Slide-together Second-row Seats – Only Honda and Toyota give the customer second-row captain’s chairs that can be reconfigured to create a bench seat. In the Toyota, the right seat must be unclipped, lifted, and re-installed in the new location. In the Honda, only the rear latches must be released, and the seat will slide laterally to become one with the chair next to it.

Sonar Park Assist – Sonar park assist serves two functions. First, it helps to identify objects that are blocking the van’s path, like the neighbor kid’s bicycle, or the neighbor kid himself. Second, it keeps the van’s bumpers from damage during parking and reversing maneuvers. All four of our minivans offered this as an option, but only the Honda and Toyota included sensors in the front bumper as well as the rear.

Stability Control – Stability control is a critical safety feature that uses the antilock braking system and yaw sensors to detect a skid and automatically take action to correct the skid before the driver loses control of the vehicle. Dodge doesn’t offer stability control on the Grand Caravan, but the Pontiac and Toyota feature the technology as an option. Honda makes it standard on all Odysseys.

Stow-‘n-Go – Dodge’s brilliant – and exclusive – Stow-‘n-Go seating system allows both rear rows of seats to be folded and stuffed into wells in the Grand Caravan’s floor, turning the van into a spacious cargo hauler. The procedure takes a minute or two, and erases the need to lift heavy, back-breaking seats out of the van to carry large items.