Image-conscious parents may avoid them, but there's simply no beating a minivan for overall versatility and practical family transportation. The Honda Odyssey is the best minivan on the market, blending a comfortable cabin, flexible seating, and room for eight people with responsive handling and impressive fuel economy.
All Odysseys come with a smooth six-speed automatic transmission, which boosted fuel economy to a best-in-class 21 mpg overall. That's very good for a vehicle this spacious. Crash test results are excellent. And advanced electronic safety features, such as forward-collision and lane-departure warnings, are commonly available.
Its slick engine and transmission deliver relaxed cruising and ample power. The ride is supple and steady. And the Odyssey has commendably agile handling and sharp steering, challenging the notion that a minivan has to be boring to drive.
Inside, you're treated to a quiet cabin and supportive, well-padded seats. The spacious second- and third-row seats can be folded or deployed in numerous configurations to accommodate varying cargo and passenger needs. And easy access, generous child-seat accommodations, and abundant cabin storage let you check off three more boxes on the family-friendliness wish list.
Among our few gripes is the two-tier, dual-screen dashboard and radio design, which scrapped the previously simple control layout in favor of a needlessly complicated high-tech command center.
Something the Odyssey doesn't offer is all-wheel drive. If you want that in a minivan, your only current choice is the Toyota Sienna. You could also look at three-row SUVs, but none of those can match the interior versatility or generous third-row accommodations of a minivan.