There's no greater test of a minivan than the typical family summer vacation. So when our Detroit Editor, John Clor, had the opportunity to pack up the whole family and drive them down to the inaugural EdmundsLIVE event in Atlanta earlier this month, he jumped at the chance.
For one thing, Clor wanted to see if he could finally find favor with the Odyssey, whose stay in Michigan has yet to win him over. For another, his family would get an opportunity to test-drive the rest of the country's best-selling minivans at the EdmundsLIVE event, which should give them all fresh perspective.
At issue for Clor has been power delivery in the Honda, which he says lacks sufficient low-end grunt to suit his driving style. Then there's the amount of wind howl, road boom and tire roar entering the cabin, which Clor feels is all too prevalent at speeds beyond 50 miles per hour.
While the Honda enjoys one of the highest horsepower numbers in its class, Clor believes the automatic transmission's gearing and shift points conspire to rob this otherwise smooth V6 of any ability to deliver much seat-of-your-pants pull. And he thinks the noise problem could be dialed out in subsequent models with a little bit of sound engineering and some strategically placed insulation.
So Clor set out down I-75 to Atlanta with his wife and two boys in tow, as well as all of their gear for a weeklong road trip. The first thing they noticed about the Honda in full vacation mode was that the rear hold could handle the entire cargo load, including a cooler, even with the third-row seat in place. Of course, the Odyssey's stowable rear seat (easily this van's most useable feature) affords an extra-deep rear load area that swallows even full-size suitcases. And having that rear seat available when driving with only four people aboard allows for an escape to the "wayback" -- a place where you can find a change of scenery or some room to stretch out and catch a quick snooze.
There were other notable advantages to traversing the interstate in an Odyssey, including an easy-to-use cruise control system, a very handy fold-up snack tray between the front seats, and a fair amount of extra legroom for passengers in second-row seating. And oh, averaging better than 20 miles per gallon (even with speeds up around 75 mph) proved a pleasant surprise, especially given the cost of fuel these days.
But the interior noise problem was ever-present. Sure, you just needed to talk a little louder or crank up the stereo a little more -- it's only that after double-digit hours of steady driving, such volume levels can get annoying. And another issue with the dual power sliding side doors had surfaced on this trip -- this being ill-timed opening and closing when turning off the vehicle or during attempts to lock the van remotely. Such activity would freeze a door in mid-position until either restarting the vehicle or manually forcing the door to the "full open" position to reset the cycle. From Clor's perspective, the initial cost and occasional aggravation of power sliding doors aren't worth what little convenience advantage they offer.
Once at EdmundsLIVE, the family indeed took the opportunity to test-drive all the minivans and most of the SUVs in the event, and came away with a new appreciation for the overall capabilities of the Odyssey. While its seats aren't the most comfortable on the planet, its combination of roominess, smoothness and features give this popular Honda minivan a leadership role among even the newest of competitors.
Before heading back northward to Michigan, the Clors decided to try and cool off from their sticky stay in "Hotlanta," so they pointed the Honda east for a quick dip in the Atlantic Ocean at Surfside City, S.C. The next day, they cut across the Carolinas into the mountains of Virginia before settling down for the night in Paintsville, Ky. The Odyssey took it all in stride, feeling confident even while snaking along the back-road byways into Kentucky, and surefooted even while sloshing through drenching thunderstorms. When they finally crossed back through the Detroit city limits, the Clor family had rolled up 2,550 miles in the Odyssey over seven days of driving.
While playing well the role of Clark Griswold in his own version of National Lampoon's Vacation this summer, Clor is now satisfied that the Honda Odyssey can easily fill the bill of the "American Family Truckster" as the quintessential travel vehicle. He's still not sure he'd trade in his old Windstar on one, mind you. But some of that is now due to his family's fond experience driving SUVs at EdmundsLIVE. Looks like their family's time with minivans may be coming to an end.
Current Odometer: 27,401
Best Fuel Economy: 23.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.7 mpg
Maintenance Costs: None.
Body Repair Costs: None.
Problems: None.
