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Honda Odyssey Luxury
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Transport for a throng has taken a turn for the better, and the aptly named Odyssey could finally alter the perception of people movers as pariahs of Australian motoring. On-road this impressive hauler is more car than carrier. Honda's ride, handling, braking and smoothness/quietness engineers should take a bow. With a cargo of burly blokes and a challenging climb, the Odyssey's 2.4-litre heart revs eagerly and pulls strongly. The automatic behaves and there's a neat sequential gearshift as backup. Only rivals with big V6s top its performance. Clever packaging within the sleek shape liberates ample passenger space, storage and cargo flexibility. It moves people with ease. But the company behind The Power of Dreams slogan must have been napping when it came time to think about moving young children. There are five child restraint points in the most illogical places. Put infants in Odyssey's second row and the child restraint top tether straps obstruct third row occupants. Ditto for the back row anchor points which hamper boot flexibility. Any anchor points fitted above the third row should be removed when carrying tall passengers. A space saver spare tyre delivers another black mark. Those flaws detract from a vehicle that has few peers for seat comfort in all three rows. This new crowd chariot also has superb build and finish qualities. Odyssey has a decent driving layout, for the first time in years a Honda security score is competitive and it also boasts impressive value-for-money credentials. Although Odyssey cops a Best Cars standard features backhander for failing to provide a lap-sash (three-point) centre second row seatbelt, its equipment list is most desirable in the class. The Avensis Verso GLX is still Toyota's standout people mover and hardly puts a wheel wrong. After all it is better than average in 11 of 18 criteria. But it is outgunned on-road and lags behind the Odyssey in crucial comfort and environmental scores. Holden's enduring Zafira is still unbeatable in value for money calculations and can hold its own on-road. But its size and design limitations in key areas such as space, comfort, practicality and ergonomics are telling. It is a tall order to make people movers attractive but the low-slung Odyssey makes being in the family way much more appealing.
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