Honda Odyssey 2.4L 2009 review

Honda has made some raucous machinery in recent times — a swag of Type R models and the S2000, plus the king of everyday supercars, the now-defunct NSX.

Its more mainstream models, however, attract less attention when driving past a bus-stop full of school kids — except the Odyssey, which may well have them preparing tickets for entry. The tickets won't stay out for long — the fourth generation of Honda seven-seater is much less bus-like than some of its immediate opposition, in a number of ways.

Body and space

For a start, it's lower-slung, sitting a little lower in overall height than the norm for a peoplemover, thanks to flat-floor engineering of the underpinnings. That makes it a little more car-like to drive, as does the useful amount of vision and the use of conventional doors in place of the sliding units on its opposition.

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• Honda Odyssey 2009 review

That's great for not feeling like a bus driver but not so good in shopping centre car parks, where the sliding side doors make life easier for rear passengers. There's little to complain about from the rear passengers — the seating is comfortable and there's ample room for a road trip involving adult rear passengers as well as rugrats.

Luggage space with all three rows in play is still a problem for peoplemovers, but the Honda is not a bad performer on this front — the specs say it has increased over the old model to 259 litres with all three rows up or just over 700 litres with the third row folded into the floor.

Fit-out

The in-cabin storage is also commendable, with versatile little touches like the dropdown table between the front seats, but the light-coloured wood-like trim in a sea of varying shades of grey plastic doesn't work.

The positioning of the shifter for the automatic takes some getting used to but in its dash-mounted position it's out of the way and allows for more console storage.

Drivetrain

The automatic transmission itself is smooth but feels as through it could use another gear beyond its current five, mainly because the engine (as is the case with most Hondas) likes plenty of revs on board before anything urgent occurs. Peak power of 132kW from the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine is up a little on the old car but torque is unchanged, not welcome news when the weight has gone up a little as well.

Driving

The Odyssey boasts a good ride quality — although it's a little thumpy over small road imperfections — and even though there's a little bit more body roll than would be ideal, the Honda can be hustled through corners with a surprising amount of confidence ... especially for a peoplemover.

Other complaints were minor — the front-seat armrests get in the way of the seatbelts on the front seats and the child capsule tether bracket arrangement in the boot is a little at odds with the rest of the car, being ugly and a little poorly executed.

Stability control and six airbags — front, side and full-length curtain airbags — The stepped gauge layout is a little odd at first but once accustomed to the look it is informative.

Parents don't seem to want to drive peoplemovers — SUV sales suggest the big seven-seater 4WD is the preferred option with a less sedentary image and even the luxury SUV segment has more sales than peoplemovers. But if you're looking to cart the family in comfort and aren't fond of driving a truck, the Odyssey is a useable and versatile machine.