2012 Honda Odyssey Road Test - Minivan of the Year

by Martha Hindes

Road & Travel Magazine Names Honda Odyssey
2012 International Minivan of the Year

Imagine a bored nine-year-old counting mile after mile on a long road trip. Stationed next to an 11-year-old sibling would be worse. Watching a movie on drop-down video might seem an ideal peace maker, but not when each wants something different and age advantage usually wins. How to cope? Well Honda has a bang-up solution in its 2012 Odyssey minivan.

Someone in Honda's design department must have umpired such childhood video wars in the past before contributing a sensible solution. How about a drop-down screen for different flicks on each side with individual headset audio? That's one no-nonsense approach Honda uses to duel with minivan competitors.

Minivans aren't your traditional middle-of-the-night dream sequence autos that can make one weak in the knees at the prospect of owning one. (Too bad - A woman with a wriggling toddler in tow might explain why it should.) More styling zip was added during the Odyssey's major overhaul last year, including a bolder zigzag "lightning bolt" carved into the side, should boost that attraction faction. Full Review