Driving the 2014 Honda Odyssey, with vacuum-testing family in tow

Nobody talks about it. But everyone needs one in the house, especially those with young children. And I’m not talking about the refrigerator that has become a favorite afterschool destination for my kids for snacks and drinks. It’s a close cousin though, also a big box except for the wheels that can carry all the necessities to the various afterschool activities. Sure it would seem more exciting to drive a tough sport utility to baseball practices, but none can offer you the roominess and the functionalities of a “boring” minivan. After spending a good number of days in the 2014 Honda Odyssey, our family is hooked.

In 2013, the Honda Odyssey was the best selling minivan with over 128,000 units sold. We can see why as the Odyssey has proven to be the perfect road trip and vacation companion. With the easy fold-flat 3^rd-row seating stowed away, the cavernous 93.1 cu. ft. of what is remained in the rear can easily pack in a week’s worth of camping gear: barbeque grille, two full-size ice chests, 10-person tent (don’t ask why we need such a large size shelter for our family of four), sleeping bags, pop-up shading, etc. There is even some room left over at the top that I can see through the back from the driver seat.

For our 11-year and 8-year old sons, the Odyssey is like a moving hotel, complete with the comfortable leather-wrapped 2^nd-row seats, plenty of space to store their books, games, snacks and drinks. And the most important feature of them all is the roof-mounted rear DVD entertainment system with the ultra wide screen. Both boys agree resoundingly that the Honda minivan “has everything they need. The bigger flat-screen DVD is awesome!” Every time I turn around to check, the boys with their legs propped up, headsets on watching a movie while munching on snacks; all make me wish to be in their place instead of driving.

For 2014, Honda made modest changes on the Odyssey. The exterior styling has new aluminum hood and front fenders, revised front grille and lower fascia with integrated fog lights. Inside, the center stack has a cleaned-up infotainment system featuring a touchscreen LCD instead of a console full of confusing buttons. Kudos to Honda for including lots of storage bins and outlets to store small items and keeping our myriad of personal electronic devices charged.

Big news, at least for those that have experienced the pain of cleaning after kids, is the inclusion the onboard HondaVAC vacuum in 2014 models. Don’t chuckle as I did when I first heard of the feature announced at the auto show. After spending many days on the road as a family, having a vacuum readily available, and can be easily dragged out to clean up the minivan floor is fantastic. Developed with Shop-Vac, the HondaVac does the job perfectly. One complaint: the hose is just a touch short to reach the front seat floor comfortably.

On the road, the Honda Odyssey’s 248-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox provides adequate and smooth pulling power driving the front wheels. The front MacPherson strut and rear multi-link suspension setup is tuned for comfort, and runs out of grip and howls a bit with its all-around Michelin Primacy tires if you ask it to turn aggressively into the corners. Steering feel? Well, don’t look for it to be razor sharp. However, it does keep the car in the lanes easily without much effort.

My wife Elise comments, “Nothing really stands out on the Honda Odyssey besides the exceptional comfort and storage.” To car enthusiasts (my wife included), this isn't something to brag about. But for a minivan, an often underrated family member that just gets the job done with no complaints, I’d say the 2014 Honda Odyssey have fulfilled the mission perfectly.