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2014 Honda Odyssey Road Test Review written by Bob Plunkee

2014 Honda Odyssey Road Test Review

Edgy design presents new features

By Bob Plunkett

The assembly line at Honda's Alabama manufacturing plant in Lincoln hums as thousands of workers conspire with robotic machines to stamp and cast, rivet and weld, paint and assemble sleek new issues of the Odyssey minivan.

The revamped 2014 Honda Odyssey, tweaked in style with an edgy aero package and upgraded with new gear including Bluetooth and a built-in vacuum cleaner, provides a spacious passenger compartment with three tiers of seats for as many as eight passengers and stocks a high-tech V6 powertrain which delivers class-leading fuel economy figures.

Odyssey for 2014 is constructed on an expanded unibody structure. Overall exterior length comes to 202.9 inches as the width extends to 79.2 inches and the roof height measures to 68.4 inches.

Space in Odyssey's vast passenger compartment expands to 172.6 cubic feet.

Inside the cabin, every Odyssey contains three rows of seats.

The first row consists of two tall captain's chairs with broad seats to fit a variety of American body sizes.

Seats on the second row move around to several positions for flexibility in hauling people and cargo.

Four of the five trim grades on Odyssey ‘14 add a jump seat on the second tier to forge a 3-person bench and achieve the minivan's 8-person capacity. Three child seats will fit on second-row seats, as the middle section slides forward for easy reach from the front-row. And all second-row seats fold, tip, slide or pop out easily -- as controlled by a single lever.

Reaching second-row seats is also easy:  Just open a door, slip aboard and buckle up. Access comes from either side due to the dual sliding doors, and without bending and scooting or crawling.

Reaching the third tier's bench (wide enough for three kids or two adults) requires a little more effort, but not so to fold it flat into the floor because this thing tips and tucks into a well. Legroom of 42.4 inches on the back bench is at the top of the minivan class.

Behind the third tier is adequate storage space, but with the flexible seat system there are dozens of configurations for people and cargo. Maximum cargo room with second-row seats removed and the third tier folded amounts to a cavernous 148.5 cubic feet.

Honda constructs the 2014 Odyssey in five trims -- LX, EX, EX-L (Leather), Touring and Touring Elite.

Base model Odyssey LX contains seats for seven with cloth upholstery and manual sliding side doors, 8-way power controls for the driver's seat, front and rear manual air conditioning, power controls for windows and door locks, a tilting/telescoping steering wheel, auto-off projector-beam halogen headlamps, cruise control, a trip computer, Bluetooth Streaming Audio, Pandora compatibility and a 7-speaker audio system with AM/FM/CD/MP3/USB.

Top model Odyssey Touring Elite brings fancy features like fine leather upholstery, driver's seat with 10-way power adjustments, triple-zone climate system, blind-spot warning system, HID headlamps, power for side slider doors and tailgate, third-row center armrest, built-in HondaVAC, navigation system, dual-input widescreen (16.2-inch) backseat DVD entertainment kit and a 12-speaker 650-watt surround sound system.

The HondaVAC, a Shop-Vac vacuum cleaner on Odyssey Touring Elite, stows in the left wall of the rear cargo bay. It runs for 8 minutes on the battery or continuously with Odyssey's engine running, and it comes with a long hose plus carpet and crevice tools.

Honda equips the 2014 Odyssey with responsive handling systems and a powerful V6 engine plus an extensive list of standard gear for safety.

The aluminum V6 engine with 3.5-liter displacement, a drive-by-wire throttle and Honda's i-VTEC (variable value timing and lift electronic control) valvetrain, produces 248 hp at 5700 rpm plus torque numbers of 250 lb-ft at 4800 rpm.

Odyssey's engine features Honda's variable cylinder management (VCM) device to conserve on fuel by modifying the number of engine cylinders at work, depending on the power demand at any particular moment.

Transmission is a 6-speed electronically controlled automatic.

Brakes include a big disc at each wheel tied to an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with brake assist (BA) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD), a traction control system (TCS) plus vehicle stability assist (VSA).

Honda sets MSRP figures for Odyssey 2014 in a broad range from $28,825 to $44,450.

For more information on Honda vehicles, click here.