2012 Honda Odyssey vs. Its Competition

Bengt Halvorson Senior Editor

The Kia Sedona has now gone the longest since a full redesign; it's a strong value, with strong safety, but its handling and refinement is a step behind rivals.

The Chrysler Town & Country (and its nearly identical sibling, the Dodge Grand Caravan) have some innovative seating arrangements, as well as class-leading entertainment features, and performance from the new 4.0-liter V-6 is strong, but their interiors are a little cheap-feeling compared to the Odyssey and Sienna.

With a comfortable, quiet interior, as well as better straight-line performance, the Sienna offers just as much luxury and a comparable feature set—at a somewhat lower price—but it doesn't handle as well as the Odyssey and its seating arrangement isn't as handy as those of Chrysler or Honda.

The Toyota has one advantage, though: It's now offered in a slightly more economical (and less expensive) four-cylinder variant.

Of the non-luxury-brand minivans, the Odyssey remains the priciest, at several thousand dollars more than these other vans, in comparable trim, while the Touring and Touring Elite models are nearly as expensive as vehicles like the Lincoln MKT or Mercedes-Benz R-Class.