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Is it Time for a Family Car?

Sponsored by Nuffnang

When we first see that faint blue line on a stick, we know life is going to change. Many of these changes regard practical things like clearing out the spare room to become a nursery, surviving maternity leave on one pay and upgrading to a *ahem* family vehicle. Or in our case, downgrading, as we went from a luxurious single person car to a cheaper, smaller buzz box thanks to the joys of living on one income 🙂

Therefore, you can imagine our excitement then when Honda loaned us a lovely, roomy, brand sparkling new Honda Odyssey to test drive. And test drive it we did, picking up extended family and heading off into the wilderness for a family picnic, well not wilderness exactly, more the outskirts of the Perth metropolitan area but you get the idea. So here is our list (as compiled by Dad 101 and myself as we both took turns driving) of eight reasons why the Odyssey makes for a great family car…

1. The Honda Odyssey is a seven seater with three rows of seats and has obviously been designed with leg room in mind as there is plenty of it, whichever row you are sitting in. If only they could work out a way to offer cabin service down the back, LOL.

2. The seating arrangements are really flexible with the third row seats folding up or away very easily. I imagine this would be a real bonus if you have school aged children and are regularly chauffeuring them and their friends between social engagements.

3. Despite it’s spacious interior, you don’t feel like you are driving a family wagon at all. I personally prefer not to drive big cars but the Odyssey may have converted me as it was so easy to handle.

4. The Odyssey’s clever design has resulted in great visibility for the driver.

5. Honda has included all manner of creature comforts – cup holders front and back, arm rests and air conditioning vents for the front, middle and rear rows which can be controlled from the front. It even has a power point (auxiliary jack) for a portable DVD player on long family car trips.

6. Dad 101 noted was how easily accessible everything was from the driver’s seat. The steering wheel includes controls for the CD player/radio and cruise control and everything else is within easy reach.

7. More important boys male observations from Dad 101: the Odyssey is responsive and powerful and yet maintains great fuel consumption and the cruise control is the most accurate he has ever seen. Also, despite all of that power, it is really quiet to drive and I didn’t have to shout back to Aunty A sitting in the rear row once!

8. Honda has made safety a priority with front, side and full-length curtain airbags (fortunately we didn’t need to test those) and a host of other world class safety features which you can read more about here.

Now it is your turn to “Fit your perfect family day into the Honda Odyssey”

Honda is giving you the opportunity to win $500 and the loan of a new Honda Odyssey for a day. To enter;

  • Leave a comment below describing how you would fit your perfect family day into the Honda Odyssey.
    The most creative (yet practical!) response across all 8 blogs will win the car for 24 hrs as well as $500 to spoil the family.
  • Entries close 30th May, 2010.
  • The winner will be chosen by Nuffnang and Honda and announced on the Nuffnang blog shortly after the closing date.
  • Only one prize will be awarded to one reader across the eight blogs involved in the Honda campaign.
  • Competition open to Australian residents only.

Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

Filed Under: Sponsors

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Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Mayhem and Moxie says

    May 11, 2010 at 2:02 PM

    I was so excited when I read this post. And then I got to the last line about being open only to Australian residents.

    It's a sad, sad day here in California. :)

    Glad you got to enjoy the car, though. Looks like great fun.

    -Francesca
  2. littlewondersdays says

    May 11, 2010 at 6:32 PM

    We have an Odyssey now and love it. I was always resistant to a minivan until the twins. My husband gave me diamond earrings for our first born and the Odyssey for the twins. Guess what I wouldn't give up? The van!! The sliding doors and trunk alone are worth it. We call it the moving family room!
  3. Kelly says

    May 12, 2010 at 1:03 AM

    I was looking and looking at the pic of Immy in her carseat and couldn't figure out why it looked funny... then it came to me... there is no chest clip on the straps! Are all carseats like that in Australia?
  4. BeautifulGifts says

    May 12, 2010 at 1:12 AM

    Well if had Odyssey my Saturday would go somewhat like this..... 6.00am start for me as I load up the car with my shopping trolley and bags and head off to the Vic Markets to purchase my weeks fruit, vegies, meat and flowers, plus a new goldfish as the last one died! 8.30am Loading the car back up and making it home to unload weekly groceries, my husband and I a swap, and at 9.10am he takes our son and daughter down to Auskick - via picking up two little mates enroute! 11.30am Upon completion of game, drop off kids, pick up another child and back home to change. Mum has unpacked groceries so it is now time to head to the movies at 1.00pm! 3.30pm Lunch and movies done by mid afternoon, drop off kids, go home to start dessert for friends dinner party. 5pm, leave house with a fabbo meringue, pick up another family enroute to BBQ... 9.30pm back home with family of four (others stayed to carry on!) and put the kids to bed! Lost mum somewhere..... found her asleep in the car on the back seats!!!
  5. BeautifulGifts says

    May 12, 2010 at 1:12 AM

    Well if had Odyssey my Saturday would go somewhat like this..... 6.00am start for me as I load up the car with my shopping trolley and bags and head off to the Vic Markets to purchase my weeks fruit, vegies, meat and flowers, plus a new goldfish as the last one died! 8.30am Loading the car back up and making it home to unload weekly groceries, my husband and I a swap, and at 9.10am he takes our son and daughter down to Auskick - via picking up two little mates enroute! 11.30am Upon completion of game, drop off kids, pick up another child and back home to change. Mum has unpacked groceries so it is now time to head to the movies at 1.00pm! 3.30pm Lunch and movies done by mid afternoon, drop off kids, go home to start dessert for friends dinner party. 5pm, leave house with a fabbo meringue, pick up another family enroute to BBQ... 9.30pm back home with family of four (others stayed to carry on!) and put the kids to bed! Lost mum somewhere..... found her asleep in the car on the back seats!!!
  6. Kathy says

    May 12, 2010 at 2:28 AM

    Well, this is very timely for us, as we are currently in the market for a people-mover and I would LOVE the Odyssey!

    If we had an Odyssey for a day, we would use it to pick up my elderly mother-in-law (who we now can't fit in our standard station wagon, if all five of us are in it) and take her out to visit her 95-year-old sister in the outskirts of the city. We'd take both the old ladies out for a lovely Devonshire tea in the Dandenong Ranges, and return them home in comfort and style.

    Then we'd drive to Geelong in the dusk, watching the sun set as we listen to soothing music, and eat fish & chips on the waterfront, watching the lights twinkling over the water. We'd continue on down the Great Ocean Road to Anglesea, staying the night at a friend's house, before returning the next morning to visit the Queen Vic market and put the car through its grocery-toting paces.

    We'd really love this opportunity!
  7. Ane says

    May 12, 2010 at 4:58 AM

    I have wanted an Odyssey for a while. We ended up with a SUV gas guzzler. As a family we would definitely take a short trip to Park City, Utah for some shopping and then we'd visit some of the Olympic sites up there. We would end our day at one of the lakes nearby.
  8. leechbabe says

    May 12, 2010 at 5:53 AM

    I've already entered over at Planning Queen / Nicoles blog.

    But I will very much enjoy reading the comments here about perfect days out. Sometimes an imaginary outing is a very nice mini-break after a busy day :)
  9. Zoe Hamilton says

    May 12, 2010 at 10:28 AM

    I would love to take my family to the beach and see my parents who live 200kms away. My mum is going through radiation therapy as i write this and my dad is still recovering from his last stroke last year. I haven't seen my parents in months, as money is really tight with a 3 year old autistic son. I would just love to take them all to the beach and have a good day.
  10. kraftykathryn says

    May 13, 2010 at 12:02 AM

    We have 3 boys under 4 years, so fitting 3 car seats in our current Toyota Camry is a tight squeeze. We would love an Odyssey, as both of us hate big cars and can't afford the costs of big 4WD's etc. As we have a large extended family, the extra seats would be so handy, apart from separating fighting toddlers! It would mean we could pick up my nieces and nephew from school as a special treat. And think about the space we could use when our boys are teenagers! If only we could afford one for longer than a day...
  11. www.kidsinaustralia.com.au says

    May 13, 2010 at 12:34 AM

    What a treat it would be to wake up early load all 4 kids into the Honda Odyssey and Head to Mt Buller to see the first blankets of snow covering the mountains, after a drive up the Mountains we would then head to Mansfield grab a Picnic hamper from the produce store in Mansfield, then head over to the Mansfield Zoo for a Picnic lunch, and hand feeding of the animals. We would then find a cosy cottage with a lovely wood fire, for a fabulous family night of story telling and marshmellow toasting. On Sunday we will visit the Delatite Winery before a cruisy drive back to Melbourne.
  12. Mick and Cath says

    May 13, 2010 at 1:34 AM

    For us it would mean actually the whole family being able to go out for the day! We are a family of 2 adults and 4 children. We only own a 5 seater so any outings always mean someone is left behind (usually our 16yo daughter).

    Be nice to wake up and know that we will all fit in the car for a family outting with all of us. Might even pick up the mother in law on the way.
  13. CraftBits.com says

    May 13, 2010 at 2:09 AM

    I would simply pop the kids in the car, put some coffee into a flask and start driving. When the kids get restless I would stop for some take aways, have a picnic in a nearby park. Jump back in the car and enjoy the drive home. Simple,unplanned,uncomplicated.
  14. Lisa Abejja says

    May 13, 2010 at 2:26 AM

    Our family of 7 would go to araluen for a picnic then, city to spend the $500 on the kids to remember the day with!
  15. Domilee says

    May 13, 2010 at 3:56 AM

    How would we cram a whole days worth of fun into the Odyssey??

    We would pick up Nanny and head out to Maleny for a family brunch picnic.
    Then we would cruise back don to the suburbs and stop by all our friends and families house to show off the Odyssey.
    If it was a week day we'd have to cruise by the school to show it off.
    Then we would cruise to the Drive In and take out the booster seats so we could fold the seats up and lay in the back and watch the movie with the kids.
    Booster seats back in and we'd cruise on home through the city so we could again show the car off :)
  16. Deborah says

    May 14, 2010 at 11:36 AM

    We have a Honda MDX and love it, but it is no longer available in Australia and we will need to find a substitute at some stage. Our ideal motoring day would involve an audio book in the CD player (say, Morris Gleitzman borrowed from the library, as we now have playing), a small friend or two in the sixth or seventh seat, soccer balls, frisbees and a picnic basket in the back, and four bikes attached to the rear. Stromlo Forest Mountain Bike Centre here we come!
  17. Georgina says

    May 17, 2010 at 1:59 AM

    Im not very creative but would love to win a new car simply because it would make things so much easier to go out. Our pram would fit along with food that we have to take for the kids as well as anything we purchase along the way. The kids would have room to sit along with the numerous books that 'have to come'. My husband would no longer be able to use the excuse "but we would have to buy another car another baby wont fit in this one' and I could perhaps be able to provide my kids with a little brother or sister they have been asking for. A nice family holiday to visit our Adelaide Family and friends that we left behind 6 months ago moving to Vic, would be an added bonus thats for sure.
    Good on you Honda for providing those who cant afford the chance to drive such a great car.
    Georgina
  18. Farah Puteh says

    May 20, 2010 at 3:30 AM

    I'm am dying for a family holiday with my 6 months bub but the last one year after married life has been very tough for both of us, no one wants to hire me for a long time because I was then pregnant, hubby couldn't apply for work since he hadn't got his spouse visa yet. We were so broke we had to rent a master bedroom only ang live with all our junks in the compact room. We use every penny we got to spend on groceries plus we hadn't eaten outside for nearly a year because we just had no money. After bub came into this world, we started to get things going pretty smooth with hubby got a job offer. Although he is working now, we barely can spend on anything.

    I want bub and us to see the beautiful side of the world or somewhere closer beside the hospital where he had been hospitalizing after birth for a month. I want bub to be able to feel the joyness of living with us.
  19. Liss says

    May 20, 2010 at 10:22 AM

    For me, having a seven seater car is our next step. We went from charade (single, to married, to married with one child) to a station wagon (add twins + triple pram!) and now we're in a 5 seater 4WD (no pram, we do more long-distance driving).

    Now we're moving into that school phase where we need the flexibility to take an extra child, take our aging parents/grandparents places without having to do 'laps'.

    We have often discussed the possibility of taking a long overdue trip to Cooma with my grandmother - who is heading up her 80's and no longer drives long distance. Cooma is her birthplace and she often tells us stories of her childhood to adulthood in Cooma - educated at the convent WWII time, her Dad the local butcher and a rich family history behind them, stemming from her ancestors being pioneers in the Monaro district.

    I would love to go with her and my family to see with my own eyes and through hers where she grew up, her experience, her life before I was born - and allow her to bring her current life to her past.

    This is something that just isn't possible in our current car/situation.
  20. justanothertragedy says

    May 30, 2010 at 9:16 AM

    Parenthood is something that is still way beyond me and living in Australia as an international student means I do not have any family members here. However, I do have a family of girlfriends who are truly heavensent and nothing excites me more than having a huge girls day out with them. My activity in Perth has been fairly restricted due to the absence of a car and my poor driver's license has been receiving a great deal of neglect.

    I have always dreamt of what I could do if I had a car to drive around, even if it is for a day. I would firstly gather my girlfriends and I up early in the morning to enjoy the early morning breeze by the beach at a flash beach-side cafe. Sipping English tea, savouring delicious pancakes and sharing a good deal of laughter. We would then go for a random car ride around out of Perth. Being geologists mean we love the outdoors and wherever that bears an interesting rock outcrop will do it for us. Maybe we'd drive for a couple hours out of Perth to a nice beach with an interesting rock cliff face. We would climb through large rock boulders, take photographs, study the geology before retiring to the sandy shore, basking in the golden sunshine.

    With a rumbling stomach, we would later drive down to the best part of the city to enjoy some exotic Asian cuisine before embarking on a wild shopping spree. Once our legs are sore from the long day of shopping, we'd make our way to Kingspark to sit on the lush green lawn to watch the beautiful sunset of Perth city, grabbing some hot chocolate along the way. We'd say our goodbyes but to meet later again in the late evening, dressed in our sassiest best, all once again nicely loaded into the 'family' car. Perhaps this time we would have to designate a male friend to become our driver for the night. And before we hop off the car, we would go for a nice spin around the city to watch and humour ourselves with the sight of rowdy drunks before we enjoy the long night ahead of us.

    Nothing is sweeter than freedom and fun with your best ones (especially with a flashy Odyssey) :D
  21. Kathy says

    June 4, 2010 at 12:31 AM

    SQUEEEEALING with excitement here, Christie, I WON! I WON! I WON! Thank you so much for the opportunity, I am beyond thrilled!
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