We will travelling along the coast, San Diego to SF in August. There will be 5 of us, plus luggage. Will it be safe to do the coast ride in a 7 passenger minivan?

What kind of driver are you?

Utahtea

I agree with utahtea - it depends more on the driver than the car. If you are able to steer your vehicle, stay within the lines on the pavement, and so on, then yes, you can drive a minivan on Hwy 1.

Hwy 1 through Big Sur is narrow and curvy, but people drive motorhomes on it.

Minivans have surprisingly little cargo space. With 5 people, you should be OK, but unless all travelers pack very light, don't count on all luggage fitting into cargo area - some will likely end up in passenger area.

FAZIE,
We did this same trip in reverse 10 years ago with our family of four in a rented Ford Aerostar Mini-Van (which was rear wheel drive.) I realized early on that as the driver, I could do no sightseeing while driving. Everytime someone yelled "Look at that!" I had to discipline myself to look at the road. By the time we stopped at Hearst Mansion, it felt like my hands were welded to the steering wheel. Everyone else had a great time and I still enjoy watching the videotape that we took along the way. The scenery is spectacular!
JoeG.

Joe - that's why it's important to stop often and to change drivers. I think it's tremendously unfair for one person to have to do all the driving on that road. I have been that one driver forced to pay attention to the road while everyone else gawked at the scenery.

Yes, you can do it; allow yourselves plenty of time. We did it twice in our Pontiac Montana. The first time, we were driving from San Francisco to Hearst Castle, trying to make our tour on time. We didn't make it... altho they DID take us later.

The next time, we allowed ourselves MUCH more time and enjoyed the journey, making several stops along the way. STUNNING scenery!