2014 Honda Odyssey Rejuvinating Perception of Minivans

Back in the 1990s, large SUVs were unbelievably popular—so much so that most consumers didn’t care what the efficiency numbers were, so long as the vehicle itself was massive, with all sorts of space for passengers and the cargo that goes along with a bigger family.

As those grew more popular, consumers started to catch on that these large SUVs could, in many ways, replace the minivan as the family vehicle of choice, and that’s exactly what happened. Not only did SUVs usually look cooler, but they were easier to drive and park, as well. By the turn of the century, it seemed as though large SUVs were here to stay as the preferred family vehicle for American families.

2014 Honda Accord, Odyssey Among Most Practical Vehicles

As a brand, Honda has always prided itself on engineering and manufacturing automobiles that the common consumer would consider “practical.” While there is a model in our lineup for pretty much every automotive sensibility, they all have in common the reliability that has attached itself to these beloved everyday vehicles for decades. They are efficient, spacious and safe, which is why so many of our regular customers have remained so pleased with them.

2014 Honda Odyssey Named Among Best Family Vehicles

Ask anybody who’s ever started a family, and they’ll tell you that it’s every bit as rewarding and exhausting as everybody said it would be, but what parents don’t often find out until a few years into their tenures as breadwinners and heads of household is that a new family can often come with the need for a new family vehicle. For San Diego Honda customers, this should be an undeniably exciting thing.


With the recent release of the U.S. News and World Report list of 2014’s most family-friendly cars comes the announcement that the 2014 Honda Odyssey is this year’s top minivan for families.

While we understand that many consumers are not at all interested in the idea of purchasing a minivan because of long-held stigmas they may have for that classification of vehicle, the Honda Odyssey is not your typical minivan: this is the one that famously includes a built-in vacuum cleaner, but it also can feature TVs in the headrests, an HDMI input for a Blu-Ray player, and a cooled storage box for snacks and drinks. Plus, it’s extremely spacious, safe, and reliable, which are very important qualities for families looking for a people-mover that can push deep into six-digits on the odometer and put up with everything from soccer practices to cross-country vacations.

 It is, quite frankly, a very excellent minivan, and we here at Pacific Honda were elated to see U.S. News include it on this year’s list of top family vehicles. Minivans were invented for families, but the Honda Odyssey has helped take the minivan to a whole new level of excellence.

2014 Honda Odyssey, Civic Make Kiplinger's List of "Best Values"

It’s growing increasingly challenging in today’s world to find real “values.” In other words, when consumers spend money on something, they do so with the understanding that the amount of money spent is equal to the quality of goods being purchased. However, people want their money to do better than just “equal;” they want to find values, where what their spending is actually disproportionate to the monumental worth of the thing they’re buying.

Honda Odyssey Lauded for 1999 Redesign

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” insinuating that people who stubbornly stick to the status quo are doomed to live pretty unrewarding and uninteresting lives.

Automakers like Honda understand this all too well, which is why they put their best and most dynamic minds to work every year to update the cars, trucks, and SUVs most in need of major changes. Honda pours millions of dollars into these redesigns, so when a publication like Cars.com calls out the Honda Odyssey as one of the most improved automobiles of the last fifteen years, we can’t help but feel a little proud.

2014 Honda Odyssey, CR-V Named to Edmunds' "Best" List

It’s not exactly a secret that Honda vehicles are among the best-selling automobiles in the country, so to see some of them end up on an Edmunds “Best Of” list isn’t necessarily surprising. Still, to have to Honda vehicles featured prominently on a list titled, “17 Best Cars You Can Buy,” is pretty humbling. The 2014 Honda Odyssey and 2013 Honda CR-V should both be so proud of themselves for making the cut!

2014 Honda Odyssey Leading Charge in New Advanced Safety Tech

One of the things that Lemon Grove Honda dealers are most proud of when it comes to the vehicles that they sell is the top-notch safety technology that has gone into each and every automobile. The 2014 Honda Odyssey, for example, was recently named an IIHS Top Safety Pick+, the first minivan to have ever earned the distinction, so clearly safety is a top priority for Honda engineers.

2014 Honda Odyssey to Offer Built-In Vacuum

It’s probably safe to say that the overwhelming majority of people that purchase a new minivan are doing so because they’ve got too many children (with too much stuff) for a more traditional family sedan, and it’s also probably safe to say that the overwhelming majority of those children care little for the cleanliness of said minivan.