2010 Honda Odyssey
(Starting at $26,805)(17 city/25 highway)Early in life no one plans to ever own a minivan. No one is ever voted Most Likely to Drive a Minivan by their Senior High School Graduating Class and takes that as a complement. But as the years pass we inevitably manage to accumulate more and more stuff. And if we are lucky enough to have children? Well, the stuff pile then grows exponentially largerhence the need for a minivan like the 2010 Honda Odyssey.
While I may not own a Honda Odyssey minivan myself I do realize that if I did have children I would definitely park one in my garage. It is, without question, the best minivan on the market today. Can it really be that bad when it shares engines, transmissions and a platform with the Acura MDX?
The Odyssey is motivated by a spunky 3.5 liter V6 (which has served dutifully in the Accord and various Acura models) with 244 horsepower that also has a cylinder de-activation system that runs the engine with only 3 cylinders under light loads. It is important, especially for parents, to be green nowadays since so many are aware of the environmental problems they are leaving behind for their kids.
Inside the Odyssey there are so many little cubbies and storage compartments that it will take years for you to find all of the old candy bars and toys that your children will no doubt hide. The plastics, leathers and cloth fabrics used in the Odyssey are also all first rate and can easily withstand years of baby spew and juice splatters. One word of advice: it might be a good idea to invest in the scotch-guarding offered by the dealership. It really helps come clean-up time. My friend Katrina learned that the hard way when she accidentally left spilled milk in her hot minivan over a weekend.
There really is a 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan for any family with any budget. The entry level LX has all the creature comforts people have come to expect like air, power everything and even a nice 120-watt stereo. But if your tastes are a bit more refined then perhaps you would be better served by purchasing the $40,775 Odyssey Touring model which comes with navigation, 360-watt audio with subwoofer, Bluetooth, parking sensors and a rear seat DVD entertainment unit. The kids should have absolutely no reason to complain when riding around in the back of that one.
Even though the 2010 Honda Odyssey has been on the market for a while now relatively unchanged it still remains the king of the minivan mountain. Somehow the simple and coherent styling inside and out have managed to look fresh even as designs from Dodge and Toyota have withered on the vine.
