(September 20, 2011) DETROIT — As children across America head back to school, a new survey commissioned by Chevrolet finds that many fathers in America are taking more of an active role in before-and after-school carpooling duties, with utility vehicles the preferred choice of dads over minivans.

An online survey conducted by Harris Interactive showed that 80 percent of fathers in the United States with children age 17 or younger take an active role in daily family life, with more than 70 percent driving their kids to school, daycare or extracurricular activities.

But in the evolution of carpooling, the study also showed that both drivers and their vehicles have changed. While moms may prefer minivans for their sliding doors, more than half (58 percent) of the dads surveyed prefer to do their business, personal and leisure shuttling in a family hauler that doesn’t question their masculinity. In fact, survey results demonstrated that fathers gave their current family vehicle a 6.4 “cool” rating on a 10-point scale.

Utility vehicles — such as SUVs and crossovers — were the most-preferred vehicles among fathers for accomplishing all their work week, weekend and family activities. Less than one quarter surveyed indicated that they prefer a minivan for these tasks.

Mark Clawson, Chevrolet Traverse marketing manager and dad of three, takes on more responsibility at home.

“According to recent Census data, there are 154,000 stay-at-home dads and more than 25 million dads who have kids under 17. The trend is shifting and men are becoming more involved with family-driving duties. We’re seeing the rise of the ‘Dadmobile,’” said James Bell, head of General Motors Consumer Affairs.

“The minivan has long been seen as the quintessential family car, but its heyday might be over with crossovers and SUVs ... combining equal or better fuel economy, safety and convenience with a more rugged edge,” Bell said.

The study showed that fathers first and foremost want a safe, fuel-efficient vehicle. More than half of all dads chose safety as top vehicle feature, followed by fuel economy. Interesting to note that dads cited high fuel prices and traffic jams as the top two most stressful things about travel.

Vehicle versatility is also key as dads surveyed use their current vehicles for everything from holiday travel (94 percent) to work commutes (63 percent) to household do-it-yourself projects (54 percent). Accordingly, passenger capacity was important to nearly 40 percent of fathers, along with functionality, ample cargo space and comfort.

“The survey illustrates a growing trend that crossovers are more popular than minivans among dads in America,” said Mark Clawson, Chevrolet Traverse marketing manager.