The manufacturers of your regular 5-seater sedans market themselves as family cars. Which is all very well, but they seem to have not thought of one or two things:
Some families have more than three children – I survived growing up in one. Even if you have two or three children, you occasionally need to carry grandparents, school friends or the football team, and the boys in blue frown on seatbelt sharing. Carrying three hefty teenage children in the back seat when they haven’t outgrown sibling rivalry can lead to World War III. You do not want to have the dog riding next to the picnic hamper in the boot, especially if the hamper contains barbeque sausages. Dogs and hampers don’t always fit under feet or on laps.

So what’s a family to do? Well, you could always join what my sister-in-law refers to as the “White Van Brigade”. But vans aren’t to everyone’s taste, and the aforementioned teenagers usually hate them as being definitely uncool things to learn to drive in. So unless you do have 6+ children, then getting a 7-seater vehicle is a sensible and intelligent option.

The front-runner of the MPV vehicle class is definitely the Honda Odyssey. Its promotional material makes the claim that it is THE family car, and then the real thing proceeds to go out and basically prove just that. Honda have designed the Odyssey so that it looks like a regular sedan, only longer (none of that chunky van-with-a-nose look that some MPVs have). Instead, the Honda Odyssey is sleek and aerodynamic, with a sophisticated lack of fussiness and a definite air of focus. The large windscreen and rear view give excellent visibility to the driver (and passengers).

Both the standard Honda Odyssey and the luxury model have the same powerhouse under the hood that will give the driving members of the family plenty to play with. The 2.4 litre inline-4 engine with DOCH and Honda’s i-VTEC is capable of delivering 118 kW of power at 5500 rpm and 218 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. The five-speed automatic transmission makes the Honda Odyssey a pleasure to drive and makes things that little bit easier for learner drivers who get flustered easily. The Honda Odyssey is designed as a low-emission vehicle, doing its bit to reduce pollution. And it consumes 9.4 litres per 100 km – not bad for a big car, which is a plus when you’re feeding teenagers that seem to clean out the fridge daily.

The handling in the Honda Odyssey is much better than the boxier MPVs thanks to its cleverly designed low centre of gravity, which makes it handle much more like a regular car. Double wishbone suspension front and rear makes the ride inside the Honda Odyssey comfortable, and the ABS brakes with EBD prevent skidding and loss of control when stopping.

Looking at the inside of a Honda Odyssey could remind you of an Escher artwork – the Honda Odyssey seems to defy normal laws of physics by being bigger on the inside than it looks from outside. All seven seats are beautifully comfortable, and in the Honda Odyssey Luxury, they are trimmed with leather and the front ones are heated. The driver’s seat is adjustable – manually in the standard version, 8-way electronic in the Honda Odyssey Luxury – and head restraints are provided all round for comfort and safety. The Honda Odyssey boasts a grand total of eight cup-holders – more than enough for everyone – a centre table for the first row of seats, door pockets everywhere and an auxiliary power socket. The air conditioning in both versions of the Honda Odyssey is by climate control in the front and manual for the back. Both versions also have a CD/radio system with steering wheel mounted controls, and the Honda Odyssey Luxury also has a 6-disc CD player.
As can be expected in a family car, the Honda Odyssey has an excellent range of safety features. Front and side airbags are provided for the front seats in both versions, and the Honda Odyssey Luxury also has curtain airbags for all three rows. The seatbelts in the front seat are pre-tensioned, while all the rest are three-pointers. Side impact protection and Honda’s unique G-CON and progressive crumple zones complete the safety package.

Specifications:
• Engine: 2354cc DOHC four-cylinder (16 valve)
• Power: 132kW @ 6500rpm
• Torque: 218Nm @ 4500rpm
• Induction: Multi-Point
• Transmission: Five-Speed Automatic
• Driven Wheels: Front
• Brakes: Discs with ABS, EBA & EBD
• CO2 Emissions: 212 grams per kilometre
• Fuel Consumption: 8.9 litres per 100km (ADR)
• Fuel Consumption: 10.4 litres per 100km (as tested)
• Fuel Tank Capacity: 60 litres
• Fuel Type: 91 – 98 RON Unleaded
• ANCAP Rating: TBC
• Airbags: Front, Side and Curtain
• Safety: ESP with Traction Control
• Spare Wheel: Space Saver
• Suspension: Wishbone (F) / Independent (R)
• Cargo Capacity: 259 / 708 litres
• Tow Capacity: 1000kg (Braked)
• Turning Circle: 11.6 metres
• Warranty: Three Year / 100,000km
• Weight: 1700kg (Tare)
• Wheels: Alloy 17 x 7.0-inch