Welcome to the 21st century, where you can comfortably haul eight and still get over 20 mpg. The Honda Odyssey makes this experience a bit less appliance-like which may help curb a mid-life crisis. Overall, Honda values dependability and practicality, however, they also value driving dynamics which other reliability champs may not. This explains why Honda made their purring 3.5L V6 standard on all trim levels.

The Odyssey’s styling is distinctive enough to catch your eye but isn’t grossly overdone. On the interior, the Odyssey receives the odd dashboard-mounted gear shifter present in many other minivans and SUVs of this era. A facelift in 2014 brought a revised exterior and Honda’s dual-screen infotainment system, separating media controls from HVAC controls. The facelifted Odyssey is available in an Elite trim level, offering all the bells and whistles. One nifty option is Honda’s LaneWatch system, featuring a passenger-side mounted camera that acts as a blind spot monitor. This most definitely helps when navigating a large vehicle filled with screaming kids. Speaking of screaming kids, if you have enough to start your own basketball team, you’ll want to find an Odyssey with a second-row bench seat. The captain’s chair option reduces the maximum seating capacity from 8 to 7.

You’ll have no issues channeling your anger into your driving with the Odyssey. As a rule of thumb, six-cylinder engines offer more even power output throughout the RPM range compared to four-cylinders, which provide more power as you get closer to the redline. This means you’ll smoothly and easily be able to pass the other soccer moms in your way. Thankfully, the 3.5L deployed in the Odyssey is extremely similar to its siblings, the Honda Pilot, Honda Ridgeline, and Acura TL, resulting in a nearly bulletproof power plant. Oodles of high-mileage Odysseys running strong are on the market, some clocking in at almost 400,000 miles.

Issues reported on this generation Odyssey remain in the “annoying” range rather than the “want to pull your hair out” range. Owners report issues with brake rotors wearing prematurely. Drivers with this issue have reported that Honda dealerships do not take responsibility for any sort of design flaw and instead blame driving habits. I would also stay clear of a white Odyssey, as many Hondas of this era painted white have had issues with paint chipping on the hood and roof. While paint chipping won’t affect your vehicle’s drivability, it is unsightly and quite an expensive fix.

Just because you had a whole litter of children, doesn’t mean you have to forgo every aspect of your personality. You can still have some fun behind the wheel of the smooth and powerful Odyssey, and maybe use the money you save on repair bills to take up a new hobby.