We have already shared a more detailed post about what is new in the 2022 Honda Odyssey. This time round we are going to be sharing our thoughts on what it is like to go on a road trip and lug everything you need for camping in this vehicle. Plus, did we personally make a mistake in getting a 3-row SUV? Read on to find out!
WILL EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE FIT?
We definitely could fit all 6 of us, plus all the car seats, into the Honda Odyssey no problem. Figuring out how we wanted to configure things went pretty fast. We decided to have the younger two and our oldest in the middle row. This way our oldest could keep an eye on the younger two if needed. Our second oldest fit in the third row and we were able to fold down the other two seats of the 60-40 split. This then gave us a large amount of space to pack in.
If we were to purchase our own Honda Odyssey we would be looking into installing roof rails with crossbars so that we can use a roof box as well for packing. Did you know Honda even has a tent accessory available that attaches to the Odyssey? (Dear Honda, can we test this out next year?) We try to pack things as efficiently as possible inside plastic bins. We also use packing cubes for things like clothing. Each family member has their stuff organized in one of those. We could stack two bins high and there was still plenty of room to see out the back of the vehicle. I greatly appreciated this.
FAVOURITE FEATURE WITH LITTLE ONES
We normally use a mirror so that we can see our rear-facing kids. However, we quickly realized we didn’t need this in the Honda Odyssey with its CabinTalk and CabinWatch feature. By the press of some buttons, I can see everyone in the back two rows. The middle row is especially clear. Being able to see if my youngest was having any issues helped put me at ease for our drive to get to the camping location. It was also nice to be able to select CabinTalk and be able to communicate with the kids without having to raise my voice. They could hear me and I could hear them. If they are using the headphones while watching a movie in the vehicle, they can also hear me over that.
DID WE MAKE A MISTAKE?
Now, what you’re most likely wanting to read. Did we make a mistake in getting a 3 row SUV? If you’re new here, let me catch you up quickly. We became a family of 6 a couple of months ago. We owned a Honda CRV. Love it! The problem is we cannot fit our whole family into that vehicle and we can’t exactly leave anyone behind. All throughout my last pregnancy, we were searching for a vehicle that would fit all of us including two booster seats, a rear-facing car seat, and an infant bucket seat. The used vehicle market has been intense and we were having no luck finding anything. The thought of spending $70k or more on a new vehicle was making us sick to our stomachs, plus most vehicles have a year or two-year-long waitlists. A month before our baby was due, we finally found a vehicle within budget. We got a 3-row Acura MDX.
We’ve shared about the Acura MDX here before, we do thoroughly enjoy driving it. They are great vehicles. With 4 kids and an age gap we have realized that if we could go back in time and make our dream vehicle become available, we’d have gone with a minivan. The Honda Odyssey has since jumped way up the wishlist for a family vehicle for us. Yes, I have joined team minivan in liking them for a family vehicle. Now, if Honda comes out with a hybrid option in the future and we can make it financially happen we would change vehicles immediately.
Did we make a mistake? No, not exactly. We got what we could when we could and within our budget. If a Honda Odyssey had been available at that time, there probably would have been a lot of back and forth between my husband and me about what to go for. For now, we are thankful for a vehicle that fits us all. But, there really is something to the Honda Odyssey. So if you are looking for a bigger vehicle, don’t count it out right away simply because it is a minivan. You just might end up regretting that.
That’s the same configuration we used in our new to us 2017 Ody when we went camping this summer and agree that roof rack is being added to the “needs” list especially for travelling with 4 kids! (Our old van already had the roof racks and boy did we miss them this year when we went to pack the van!)
How do you find the car seat situation in the Odyssey? I see you went three across in the second row, so how is third row access? If you remove the middle seat in the second row, I think the outbound seats can slide left and right? That way, an installed child seat can stay put while still allowing 3rd row access?