2005 Honda Odyssey Touring Van

Our Honda Odyssey chaperoned associate editor/photographer Brian Vance on a 2000-mile round-trip trek to Moab, Utah, for a week of camping and canoeing. He collapsed the fold-flat-into-the-floor third-row seats and loaded the Odyssey with tents, food, water, and supplies. During his considerable road time to Moab, Vance's three fellow canoe-mates--while enjoying the leather seating, considerable legroom, and roll-down rear windows with integrated sunscreens--commented that they hadn't realized how nice today's minivans had become.

The night before they hit the river, Brian removed the middle seats and center console, inflated an air mattress, and slept on the floor in complete comfort. His group was thoroughly impressed and entertained by the power sliding doors and rear hatch, although it took a few attempts before they could get the doors to work for them instead of against them. Days later, when he left Moab, he loaded the gear, his three buds, and the fuel tank before setting off for home. At steady speeds of 70 mph, he knocked down 479 miles, getting 25.1 mpg, thanks to the Honda's clever cylinder-deactivation system.