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So you’ve already decided you want a minivan? You may have narrowed it down to these two popular models. What’s the difference? Leave it to a mom who has tested both the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey, to tell you the stuff that really matters.

Performance:

Torque Schmorque. The Toyota Sienna feels slightly lighter and more sporty on level turns. But it’s slow to accelerate on hills. The Honda Odyssey rode steady and never lost power on us.

Score: Honda Odyssey

Car Seat Placement:

Honda’s Odyssey gives you three places to latch a kid’s carseat, two in the second row and one in the center of the third. Toyota’s Sienna supports your brood by giving you four placements – two in the second and two in the third. This may all be moot, however, if your carseat is the style that uses the latch plus the lap belt, and the placement of the latch makes buckling the belt (or the adjacent passenger’s belt) impossible. You really do need to get yourself, your kids and all their assorted carseats to a dealer, and strap everyone in.  But hey, it’s fun to watch the salesmen’s faces when you drag four crumb strewn carseats out of your car and introduce them into the floor model!

In a nifty addition the Toyota Sienna offers a front and center seat option that allows you to pull the second row center seat, closer to the front row, which can be reassuring for parents with small kids.

Score: Honda Odyssey

Comfort and Convenience:

We found the seats in the Toyota Sienna a little stiff and unyielding. Fine for short trips but not very comfy for long rides. The Honda Odyssey seating, on the other hand, was as cush and supportive as it gets. Even after a long day of driving, there was no telltale bum ache.

Both cars were similarly equipped with automatic sliding doors and remote rear liftgate. The control buttons for the Honda Odyssey were located to the left of the steering wheel on the dash, which takes some getting used to. The Toyota Sienna places the door and lift controls on the ceiling above the center console. The price for this is moving the sunglasses storage to the left side of the ceiling, just inside the driver’s door. Either way, lefties will rejoice, righties will complain.

Both vehicles offer enough cupholders for everyone to drink two fisted. I lost count after a dozen. It’s more cupholders than anyone really needs. I’m telling you people, when you have more cupholders, you have more forgotten, leaky, sticky, smelly drinks growing weird cultures in your vehicle.

Finally the rear liftgate closes on it’s own at the push of a button when you are done unloading the Honda Odyssey. In the Toyota Sienna you will need to pull on a strap to get the liftgate to close. Pull hard, it’s not for the faint of heart. At that point, you may as well close it yourself!

Score: Toyota Sienna

Electronics and Entertainment:

Both models were similarly equipped with DVD, Navigation, Rear View cameras, Auxilliary inputs and CD and Satellite radio. The problem was getting to it all in the Honda Odyssey. The auxilliary input , DVD player and car charger location were placed on the center console below the pull out cupholders. Technically you did not need to use these cupholders, but if you do, you’ll need to get someone to ride shotgun to plug in your cell. And their cell had better be fully juiced. There’s only one jack up front.

The Toyota Sienna is also challenged. The DVD needs to be loaded into the console in the ceiling, closer to the second row than the first. It would be a challenge, even at a stoplight, to get a video loaded for your wee offspring. You’ll need someone with DVD loading experience, to sit in the second row to handle this. Fortunately most four yr olds have that skill. Unfortunately they don’t have the height to accomplish this without unbuckling! The good news, Mom and Dad can both charge their cells at the same time.

Score: Honda Odyssey

Appearance:

My test model Toyota Sienna was a dukey tan. Which has got to be my least favorite minivan color. Sure it’s practical and does not show dirt. But I’m not one to be thrilled about “not showing” how dirty I am.  I tried not to let it color my opinion of the vehicle.  The Honda Odyssey, on the other hand, was a sleek black. Sleek like Shamu, anyway. I think any way you slice it, a minivan looks like a minivan. It’s not cute, sporty or sexy. It is what it is. Neither of the two tested vehicles made me look like I’d lost ten lbs and both probably aged me at least five years. Something I was willing to accept in return for a key fob that flung all the doors open from across the street.

Score: Neither!

Cargo Space

We did not notice a difference in how many kids, grocery bags or strollers fit into either of the models tested. Both were formidable in their ability to haul our large family and mountains of stuff. Technically, according to the specs however, the Toyota holds more.

Score: Toyota Sienna

Final Analysis:

There was no clear winner in this article. Ultimately it’s up to you to choose – but knowing the “little things” like where the sunglasses cases are located – can sometimes be just the thing to swing your vote.

Related posts:

• Mommy/Daddy Drives: The 2000 Toyota Sienna
• The Minivan Wars: My Odyssey
• Conserving Gas with the 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Mommy Driver: Mommies With Style’s Whitney Wingerd on her Honda Pilot
• Mommy Driver: Mommies With Style’s Whitney Wingerd on her Honda Pilot