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Honda Odyssey Luxury
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For the third year running, Honda's Odyssey Luxury, boasting car-like ride and handling, has outpointed the competition. Honda's latest-generation Odyssey won the 'Best People Mover' gong on debut and despite the arrival of impressive new opponents last year, retained its title. Well, this year there have been no significant new players in this segment and, apart from some minor cosmetic and equipment upgrades across the board, nothing has changed fundamentally at the top of the tree. So that means, for the third year in a row, Honda's Odyssey Luxury takes top honours. It's been said (probably too many times already), but Odyssey drivers and passengers find the experience to be particularly car-like, unlike the van-style ergonomics and dynamics of previous generations of people-movers. Odyssey is the lowest vehicle, in its physical dimensions, in its class. This means the seats are set low, which contributes to the car-like look and feel, unlike others in the category that tend to still offer high-riding seating. The Honda chairs are comfy for all occupants, even in the third row, which so often compromises on comfort and practicality. The rear two rows can be flipped and slid in various ways to provide plenty of load- and/or people-carrying options. The electrically-assisted operation of the third row seats as they disappear under the floor might seem gimmicky, but it's preferable by far to the comparatively cumbersome manual method on the lower-spec version and other people-movers - not to mention the extra space it creates. There is generous space for all occupants, but make sure they travel light because with the rear seat in use, there is precious little cargo space. Many owners will only want to move six instead of seven people, though, because inexplicably, the Odyssey fails to provide a full lap-sash belt for the passenger in the centre of the middle row. And the placement of the child restraint anchorages still disappoints. But the Odyssey's many positives got it over the line again ahead of some quality competition. Like the airy cabin with plenty of cup-holders, nooks and crannies coveted by young families; or standard equipment including heated seats, dual air-conditioning, sunroof, high-end multi-speaker sound system with six-CD stacker, curtain airbags and what many of our testers rated as the best ergonomics they've encountered. The 2.4-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine is a willing performer and works well with the smooth five-speed sequentially shifting auto, with its nifty dash-mounted stubby shift lever. While pretty easy on the unleaded, it can be very thirsty if not driven with care. For a vehicle weighing over 1600kg, it handles remarkably well thanks to Honda's favoured double wishbone suspension and thoughtful suspension tuning. The quality tyres on 16" alloys also contribute in no small way to the car's remarkable poise and balance on challenging roads. Although waxing and waning against its principal competitors in the various components of the 'Value For Money' and 'Design and Function' criteria, the Odyssey picked up valuable votes in the 'On the Road' section, collecting highest scores for handling, smoothness and quietness.
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