I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when considering the needs of families and especially larger families with respect to a vehicle, there really isn’t anything to my mind that beats a minivan. From a purely practical, flexible and adaptable point of view, minivans rise high above SUV’s, CUV’s or sedans.
Sure, there is a stigma attached and they aren’t really a vehicle that will get your heart racing, but if you want a vehicle that can keep kids occupied and can haul a bunch of stuff, even when all seats are occupied…well minivans just can’t be beat.
A big problem though is that there aren’t too many minivans available anymore on the new car sales floors of dealerships across the land. Once upon a time you’d be able to choose from almost 30 different versions, but today we’re probably looking at around half a dozen. One of the stalwarts though has been the Honda Odyssey.
First built in 1994, the 4th generation Honda Odyssey has been available since the 2011 model year. For 2014 the Odyssey underwent a bit of a refresh adding some new design elements as well as new features such as the 1st ever in its class HondaVac, which is a built in vacuum system available on the top end Touring trim level.
While I’ve previously reviewed this current generation of Odyssey, I decided to take the opportunity once again to try out the new HondaVac, but to conduct the review in a less technical, but more real life manner. What I decided to do was to use the 2014 Odyssey Touring on my families annual weekend camping trip. I figured it would be a real litmus test to see if it can meet the demands that bringing a family of six into the woods, and all that comes along with it can pose.
Rather than writing about the experience I also brought along my video camera to share not only the experience of my time in the Odyssey, but also our families time out in the great outdoors.
As the video shows, the 2014 Odyssey managed to handle what we threw at it on our camping trip. I have to admit that I became worried when I realized just as I was getting ready to load up that the Odyssey given to us did not have the roof rack accessory attached. I had planned on using a soft Thule roof carrier for some items, but had to revise my thinking when I realized that I couldn’t do that. Aside from leaving one larger item at home, we still managed to fit everything inside with a bit of creativity along the way.
My impression on the refinements to the 2014 model are a bit mixed. I clearly love the HondaVac and I think anyone who elects to go for the top end Touring trim will love it too. I think if Honda were to consider including the HondaVac in lower trims as well, they’d likely sell boatloads of them.
However I have to admit that the refinements inside up front weren’t winning us over. The lower touch screen on the centre stack which is where you access audio and climate controls wasn’t as easy to use as I had hoped. We also found using the audio system controls to be a bit distracting and the information available on screen for such things as artist information was limited and difficult to access. I think that as they go towards a 5th generation Odyssey, the interior design team may want to give more attention to the usability of the console.
Overall though it didn’t damper my appreciation for the vehicle. I also have to give some credit to the fact that due to the addition of a six speed automatic transmission, weight reductions and engine improvements, the overall fuel efficiency of the 2014 Odyssey is among the best in its class. While no environmentalist is going to whoop it up over posted fuel ratings of 10.9 L/100 KM or 21.6 MPG (City) and 7.1 L/100 KM or 33.1 MPG (Hwy), it still is an improvement over it’s previous models and one only hopes that the trend continues towards better fuel efficiency with future generations of this vehicle.
Minivans may not be everyone’s cuppa tea, and they certainly aren’t the go-to vehicles that they used to be, but anyone with big families and corresponding needs will tell you that minivans are a mainstay. Honda seems to get this and I hope that they always will.
BY THE NUMBERS (Out of 10)
LOOK/DESIGN:
EXTERIOR – 8.5
INTERIOR – 8.5
DRIVE – 8.5
THE GREEN FACTOR – 7.0
THE FAMILY FACTOR – 10.0
TECHIE STUFF – 8.0
VALUE – 7.5
(MSRP as Tested
EX-L Touring – $47,990)
OVERALL SCORE – 8.5
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