Honda Odyssey

Those dodgy ads are right – it is the sexiest of the people movers.

• Comfort

  Good cabin for mum and dad. Can be a little compromised in the rear, especially when fitting baby seats in particular spots. Great for slightly older kids, though. Both models sport seven seats.

  

• Performance

  It's not an F1 car. The 132kW from a 2.4-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder is adequate but not that entertaining. It'll last forever and it's pretty frugal on the juice, though.

  

• Cool

  It's actually a pretty good looking device up close. A set of slightly larger alloys would set it right off, too.

  

• Quality

  Honda isn't the world's third most profitable car company by accident. Quality control is a key to its success.

  

• Handling

  Decent, not spectacular. The mother-in-law won't be sick on the way to Christmas lunch, though.

  

• Practicality

  If seven seats is what you need, and you don't have tonnes of stuff, this is the rig for you. The seats can be arranged to suit larger loads, too.

  

• Running costs

  Good. Fuel numbers of 8.9L/100km on a diet of regular unleaded helps here, as do relatively normal tyre sizes.