of the Odyssey as easy as getting in and out of--that's right--a sedan.

Bucket seats provide a comfortable chair-height driving position. Gauges

are placed directly in front of the driver, though there is no tachometer.

The stereo and ventilation controls are immediately to the driver's right.

All controls, save for the column-mounted automatic transmission lever,

in typical Honda fashion, set the standard for ease of operation. And the

Odyssey offers a plethora of storage compartments and beverage holders.

In back, the Odyssey's two variants, LX and EX, diverge. In the less

expensive LX, there's a choice of six- or seven-passenger seating. Six-passenger

versions feature two removable buckets in the middle row, while the seven-passenger

offers a folding bench. Seven seats, with a base price of $23,955, cost

$410 less than six.

The $25,945 EX is offered only with six-passenger seating and includes

aluminum alloy wheels, power sunroof, a power driver's seat, six-speaker

audio system, keyless remote entry and body-colored mirrors and side molding.

Clearly, the EX qualifies as loaded, but the LX has plenty of standard

equipment too. That's in sharp contrast to many other minivans with low

base pricing followed by trim levels that can vary the price on the window

sticker by as much as 50 percent.

Front and rear air conditioning, AM/FM/cassette audio and ABS are all

included in the base price of any Odyssey. Not to mention a fourth door,

which is optional at Chrysler and GM.

At the rear is perhaps the Odyssey's nicest touch. Rather than removing

the rear seat with the old heave-ho, one simply folds it into the floor.

What's left is a flat expanse providing almost 46 cubic feet in storage.

Given the ease with which this is accomplished, cargo is accommodated readily,

without a lot of pre-trip planning.

All seating positions offer an adult-sized area, though three is a crowd

in the middle bench. For that reason, we think we'd be happiest with the

six-passenger arrangement installed in our LX test vehicle, which includes

the added convenience that comes with the removable bucket seats.