I have always liked the versatility of vans. The only issue for me, and it is a big one, is the lack of ground clearance and four wheel drive. I own a snowmobile camp in snow country in northern NY, and even though my road gets plowed, the snowpack layers up and builds up to a base of up to three feet by the end of February. If it gets above 28 F or so, with sun, you are not getting in and out of there without four wheel drive and 8" minimum ground clearance.
So far, the best vehicle for that, towing light trailers, and getting decent gas mileage has been my Subaru Forester.