Fuel-efficient family hauler

You won't find a new van for under $27,000 without it being a Grand Caravan, and that isn't a good van. The safety features in new cars these days are extremely helpful, especially if you aren't a good driver. They are also available in the very cheapest trims of the new Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. The features are on the $34k 2018 Odyssey EX (not LX) and the $30k Sienna L. If you are on a strict budget and safety features are the number one priority, almost every new Toyota has every safety features standard (Honda is just starting to do this), so an $18k Corolla or $23k RAV4 has all these features, but they don't have the space of a minivan.

The Toyota is a little more reliable than the Honda and has always been, but the 2018 Odyssey is the better minivan right now. These new vans are completely out of your budget. It depends on your financial situation, but I don't know if paying $15k over budget is worth it to get a few safety features.

When taking your budget into account, test drive a 2011 or newer Sienna and a 2011 or newer Odyssey. The Odyssey had some minor reliability problems, so be aware of that when buying. The Toyota didn't. The Odyssey was still the nicer van at the time, but it was not as big of a difference as the 2018 vs 2018. I think the Odyssey had blind spot monitoring in the Touring Elite trim in 2011. The Sienna has always been the only minivan available with AWD.

Because no one wants to be seen in a minivan, SUVs are the craze right now and as a result SUV prices are inflated and minvan prices are still reasonable. You don't get the same practicality in an SUV as a minivan unless you need to tow over 3,500 lbs.

Good luck and please tell us what you choose!