Interior design has been a Honda strength for a long time, and the experience shows to good advantage inside the Odyssey.
This new minivan will offer seating for six or seven passengers. The standard arrangement is for seven with a bench seat in the middle row - and it's a versatile setup. The middle bench will fold up flat against the backs of the front bucket seats, and the rear seat can be folded down into a well in the rear cargo area, yielding a nearly flat floor.
If you want to convert the Odyssey into a quickie cam-per, you can fold the middle and rear seats down to make a bunk bed - Honda calls it a day bed. You can also flip the rear seat onto its back, creating a bench handy for picnics.
The optional seating package substitutes two captain's chairs for the second-row bench, reducing passenger capacity by one. With this layout, the second-row chairs are removable. They weigh about 25 lb. each, and it's a relatively easy job, although General Motors' front-drive minvans - Chevy Lumina, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Trans Sport - still lead the industry for easy seat removal.
It's a clever design job overall, but we did find a couple of weak points with seating. Rear-seat legroom is a little confined, and getting into the third-row seats is awkward, although a low step-in height makes entry and exit very carlike for the other positions.
We also wish that Honda had found another place to stow the spare tire. It mounts inside the van at the right rear. Even though it's well out of the way, it does limit the rear cargo area to some degree.
Up front, the instrument panel is typically Honda. Control arrangement is logical and precise - everything easy to find, reach and operate.
Something else that's typical of Honda's attention to detail is the Odyssey's small-object storage. There are two good-sized glove boxes and a center storage bin up front, plus cupholders and storage pockets built into the armrests at all the outside seating positions.
Our EX test van included a wealth of standard features that would be extra in a lot of other minivans - front and rear air conditioning, an AM/FM/ cassette sound system and power everything, to just skim the top of the list.
Major additions that go with the EX model include a power sunroof, alloy wheels and a premium sound system with six speakers. But it's hard to imagine anyone feeling deprived with an Odyssey LX, and that's the model we'd recommend.
Although the Odyssey is only one of two minivans on the market without a V6 engine option - the Toyota Previa is the other - we think the performance of its 4-cylinder engine may surprise you - unless you happen to be acquainted with the Accord.
With its internal balance shafts to damp out vibration, this is just about the smoothest 4-cylinder engine imaginable, as well as one of the quietest. The only time it made any noise is when we pushed it hard for passing and during a couple of maximum acceleration runs.
The Odyssey is surprisingly peppy during this kind of work, and its 0-to-60 mph time of a little over 12 seconds compares favorably with the competition.
In normal driving, the Odyssey is exceptionally quiet. In fact, it may be the best of an increasingly refined breed.
And its expansive glass area provides nice vistas for all on board, as well as excellent sightlines for the driver, a subliminal safety feature.
But the Odyssey's strongest suit is its handling. It's not sporty like the Mazda MPV. But it does provide the same sense of competency, control and confidence that distinguishes the Accord - as well as the same smooth ride.