From a pure hardware perspective, this new Odyssey is clearly better in every way than its predecessor. Without a doubt, it has once again raised the bar in the minivan race. But how much has the bar been lifted? And is it enough to carry this model through another 6 model years?

From a chassis perspective, it should fare pretty well. Its closest competitors were both introduced as 2004 models, and neither of them will likely be replaced for another four or five years. The 2005 Odyssey's advantage in this sense is something that is engineered into the entire vehicle as a system, so it's unlikely that minor changes to the Sienna or Quest will bring either of them entirely up to the 2005 Odyssey's level. So I feel pretty confident that the Odyssey will remain well positioned in this regard.

The drivetrain is another area where the Odyssey should be okay for quite some time. First of all, it already has more power than most minivan owners even think they need. And even if market pressures call for more power, Honda has proven repeatedly that they can deliver the goods under the hood. In fact, if 255hp isn't enough, Honda already has a 300hp version of the J35 shipping in another model (2005 Acura RL).Plus, IMA is always an option.

The only real concern I have about the 2005 Odyssey regards the feature matrix. Certain features, such as the power liftgate, are only available in the Touring model.

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The 2005 Odyssey has brought everything together to embody the best minivan to date. We hope Fujiwara-san will be cueing up We are the Champions for years to come.