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The minivan has taken a beating in the past decade. It has been derided for its lack of style, called a "school bus," only suitable to be driven by "soccer moms." Painting all minivans with the same brush is a mistake. The Honda Odyssey is not the minivan of the 1990s; it is so much more than that. So it's odd that the outstanding feature on the top-of-the-line Odyssey is the feature that has gotten the most attention -- and it's an appliance.

The Touring Elite Odyssey comes with a "HondaVAC," an in-vehicle vacuum cleaner, which for some reason has fired up the public imagination.

The 2014 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite comes with a base price of $44,450 ($45,280 as tested), including a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty and EPA fuel economy estimates of 19 mpg city/28 mpg highway. Let's drive.

First Glance

Honda tells me that the styling on the 2014 Odyssey has been refreshed. I have to honest -- I can't spot the changes. I can tell that there are a few new colors available. My test vehicle wore a coat of Obsidian Blue Pearl paint, which was not available on a minivan before this year. Odyssey is in the middle of its fourth generation, which was born in 2011. For the record, the first generation Odyssey was 1994 to 1998; second generation from 1999 to 2004, and third generation from 2005 to 2010. Over the course of time, Odyssey has gotten sleeker and better looking, and the current generation has some styling cues that tie it in with the rest of the Honda lineup.

There's a bit of the Civic in the grille and stance, there's a bit of Pilot in there, too. Odyssey looks as wind-swept as a two-box design can possibly look. The sliding side doors are neatly integrated into the design, using a beltline to camouflage the door tracks in the rear quarter panel. If you've got to drive a minivan, Odyssey does its best to wear the form well. Kids are not going to be hanging Odyssey posters on their walls, but neither do you need to be embarrassed by driving a lame minivan.

In the Driver's Seat

One of the reasons that Odyssey is one of my favorite minivans is the driving position. Unlike its chief competitors Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, the driving position is less school bus and more SUV (my vehicle of choice).

The Touring Elite model is a showcase for technology. Just about every available feature is included as standard equipment. Most of the features are incredibly useful, and some seem a bit over the top for a minivan. Because minivans are family vehicles, there's an emphasis on safety and entertainment. All of the standard safety features that you expect are there: a full complement of airbags, active front head restraints, anti-lock braking, vehicle stability assist, brake assist, electronic brake distribution, LATCH system for child seats and ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) body structure, among others. Then, there's forward collision warning and lane departure warning, electronic safety systems that warn about conditions (but don't actively intervene). On the entertainment side of things, there's a huge 16.2" DVD rear entertainment system with an HDMI input and wireless headsets, which save the driver from having to hear Katy Perry songs over and over. Odyssey's 650-watt sound system is accessible through a dashboard touchscreen, a nice upgrade over the sea of buttons that used to control the system. Additionally, Odyssey gets numerous 12-volt and 115-volt power outlets, so even more distractions can be powered and connected to the vehicle.

Odyssey's second row and third row seats are easily accessible, thanks to the big sliding doors and simple fold and flip mechanism for the second row. The third row is fun to figure out. It's called "magic seat" in Honda-speak, and it folds and flips like origami to turn from a 60/40 split bench into a flat load floor with simple 1-2-3 directions. As befits a minivan, Odyssey can haul 38.4 cubic feet of luggage behind the third row. For a big Costco run, fold the third row flat and you can buy 93.1 cubic feet of toilet paper. For a Home Depot run, stuff 148.5 cubic feet of bubble wrap in with the second and third rows folded.

On the Road

Driving a minivan doesn't have to be boring. Odyssey comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 248 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque, and sends that power to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. Like most minivans, there's a real forward weight bias (55/45 for the Touring Elite), but with four-wheel independent suspension (MacPherson struts front/double wishbone rear) and a tight 36.7' turning diameter, Odyssey handles more nimbly than you might expect. It has a lower center of gravity than most SUVs, and as a result, feels very stable and planted on the road, and can actually be fun to drive. With a curb weight of 4,613 lbs, you're not going to win any drag races (except against other minivans), but you can hustle through the curves with surprisingly little drama.

Odyssey's comfort and quiet levels, along with its decent driving position and handling, make it a great candidate for a road trip. I could drive an Odyssey across the country with ease, and not want to burn it to the ground halfway through Nebraska. That's high praise.

Journey's End

I got all the way to the end of this review without gushing about the HondaVAC. That's because it's a gimmick, only included on the Touring Elite model. The convenience of HondaVAC is great, but you could buy a really nice 1-gallon Shop Vac and keep it handy for $34.99 and get the same functionality with only slightly less convenience, then choose a much less expensive trim level Odyssey, like the EX-L for around $37,000. The full-zoot Touring Elite is a fantasy vehicle; the mid-trim Odyssey is where the value lives.

Odyssey has to be measured against the other new minivans on the market. My other favorite fancypants minivan is the Toyota Sienna, and my favorite less-fancy minivan is the Mazda5. The Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan have their fans, and the Nissan Quest is an also-ran. The Kia Sedona is back in town after a few years gone, and carries a relative bargain price tag.

 

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.