EmailBest Reviewed
Minivans
- Best full-size minivan 2009 Honda Odyssey *Est. $26355
- Minivan with available all-wheel-drive 2009 Toyota Sienna *Est. $24540
- Best budget minivan 2009 Kia Sedona *Est. $21065
- Small, gas-miser minivan 2009 Mazda Mazda5 *Est. $17995
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Best full-size minivan
- Top safety ratings
- Seating for eight available
- Reliable
- Agility, ride smoothness
- Best resale value
- Most expensive minivan
- Road noise
February 2009. Most reviews say the Honda Odyssey is the best minivan you can buy -- but it will cost you. The Odyssey is the most expensive minivan on the market. It gets top ratings for safety, but it shares that crown with the Kia Sedona (*est. $21,065 to $26,595) and Hyundai Entourage (*est. $23,995 to $29,895), the least expensive full-size minivans on the market.
Honda outclasses most other minivans on everything else, however. The Honda Odyssey has the best resale value of any minivan (the Kia Sedona traditionally has the worst) and is also considered one of the two most reliable minivans, along with its main competitor, the Toyota Sienna (*est. $24,540 to $37,865). Experts overwhelmingly agree that the Odyssey is the only full-size minivan that can remotely be called fun to drive, and it's surprisingly nimble. More than one tester marvels at how easy the Odyssey is to maneuver in tight parking spaces, considering its bulk.
There's nothing small about the Odyssey. Although its cargo bay isn't quite as huge as the Toyota Sienna's, testers say it's big, flat and easy to load. As for passenger room, the Odyssey and the Sienna are the only two minivans that offer seating for eight (a removable middle seat for the second row comes standard on all but the base LX trim). The third-row 60/40 split bench seat folds flat into the floor. While some critics say the third-row seat lacks thigh support for adults, one 5-foot-10-inch tester says he's comfortable back there -- even with the second-row seats pushed all the way back.
Reviews say the Odyssey has plenty of oomph, with a 244-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration is smooth and refined, but road noise is more pronounced than in the Toyota Sienna. Testers say the Odyssey offers more precise steering and braking than the Sienna, along with a firmer ride, but the Odyssey still does a fine job absorbing potholes and the like.
The Odyssey's gas mileage is about the same as other full-size minivans: 16 mpg in the city, 23 mpg on the highway and 18 mpg combined, according to EPA estimates. More expensive trims get a mileage boost (17 mpg city/25 mpg highway/20 mpg combined), thanks to Honda's Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system that discreetly shuts down two or three of the Odyssey's six cylinders when they aren't needed. VCM comes standard on the high-end Odyssey EX-L (*est. $33,155) and Touring (*est. $40,505) models, but it isn't available on cheaper trim levels.
The Honda Odyssey is traditionally one of the most widely reviewed minivans on the market. We found the best coverage at Consumer Reports, where editors compare the Odyssey to its primary competitors, including the Toyota Sienna. A review at Edmunds.com tests the Odyssey head-to-head against the Dodge Grand Caravan. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conduct the crash tests that earn the Honda Odyssey its top safety rating. A review at MotherProof.com concentrates on practical features like cargo room and seat comfort. Other reviews -- including those at Car and Driver, Kelley Blue Book, Cars.com and Consumer Guide -- pay some attention to practicality, but they are more attuned to driver-centric qualities like power and steering feel.
Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Experts at Consumer Reports rank the Honda Odyssey against other minivans, based on extensive test drives. Consumer Reports also rates each minivan's reliability and owner satisfaction, based on reader surveys.
Review: Honda Odyssey, Editors of Consumer Reports
2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
You can search here for government crash-test results for most vehicles on the market. Like most other minivans, the Honda Odyssey earns five-star impact and four-star rollover ratings.
Review: 5-Star Safety Ratings, Editors of SaferCar.gov
3. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The Honda Odyssey earns a Top Safety Pick designation at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which crash-tests minivans and rates their ability to protect passengers in front, side and rear-end collisions.
Review: Honda Odyssey, Editors of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
4. Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com doesn't test the Honda Odyssey head-to-head with other minivans in this review, but editors call it their "favorite choice in the minivan segment." They offer a good generalized look at this minivan's performance and features, and they provide links to consumer ratings and reviews.
Review: 2009 Honda Odyssey Review, Editors of Edmunds.com
The Honda Odyssey "leaves little room for criticism," editors at Kelley Blue Book say, although it is expensive. This review is concise, but it provides a good general picture of the Odyssey's comfort, safety and drivability.
Review: 2009 Honda Odyssey Review, Editors of Kelley Blue Book
6. Cars.com
Cars.com's Dave Thomas calls the Honda Odyssey "the nicest minivan I've ever driven." His comments about its interior room, maneuverability and other features are useful and pointed. Thomas tests the 2008 Odyssey, but the 2009 model is largely unchanged.
Review: 2009 Honda Odyssey, David Thomas, Nov. 19, 2008
The Honda Odyssey is a Consumer Guide Best Buy minivan for 2009. This review gives the Odyssey numeric scores in 11 categories (such as cargo room and quietness) as well as an overall rating, with brief explanations. It shows how the Odyssey's scores stack up against the average minivan, but it doesn't compare the Odyssey to any specific competitors.
Review: 2009 Honda Odyssey Full Review, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
8. Car and DriverDetails/Subscribe
Car and Driver awards the Honda Odyssey a score of nine (out of 10) for consumer appeal, but only a three for driving-enthusiast appeal. Still, the Odyssey "can actually be called fun to driveÉ for a minivan," editors say. This write-up is brief, but it does link to a full review from 2006; the Honda Odyssey has not changed much since then.
Review: 2009 Honda Odyssey -- Review, Editors of Car and Driver, Sept. 2008
9. Edmunds.com
This 2007 Edmunds.com review pits the redesigned Dodge Grand Caravan against the perennial Edmunds favorite, the Honda Odyssey. The Honda edges out the Grand Caravan; Huffman says it drives better, rides better and is more comfortable. Although this review is slightly dated, it is still valid because neither minivan has changed much since its initial publication.
Review: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT vs. 2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, John Pearley Huffman, Sept. 2, 2007
10. MotherProof.com
MotherProof.com's Lori Hindman and her two sons, ages 5 and 7, test a loaded 2008 Honda Odyssey Touring (the 2009 model is almost identical). She finds it spacious and easy to maneuver, but she finds the optional eighth seat isn't very comfortable for anyone but young children.
Review: Grace and Power Become the Queen of Minivans, Lori Hindman, July 7, 2008
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