I hv personally driven a Omni for 5 yrs and found it excellent to steer and move around in high congestion areas. This car gives u high visiblity and reduces the scope of judgement errors. The adjustment of the front seats in a 5 seater is amazing, u can actually make a flat bed out of it.
ummm, regarding the AC, in a 5 seater u can put in a rexin/plastic partition out the boot. so effectively u save 1/3 cooling space.
the 8 seaters are very uncomfortable for the ppl using the seat behind the drivers seat. Its back rest is at 90 degrees making is very uncomfortable. I presume kids can use it. moreover it also restricts the adjustment of the front seats. in the 8 seaters u actually lean over the steering.
bottom line. 5 seater very good and 8 seater not recommended, but useful.
u can protect the front with a good heavy duty crash guard and actually a good one can make the car look good.
one drawback is the heat that it generates is transferred in the cabin area. they must do something about the insulation.