The 2011 model year is rapidly shaping up to be the Year of the Minivan. First we had the debut of the excellent new 2011 Toyota Sienna. Next came the announcement that the Ford C-Max compact minivan will be coming our way. Mazda will be introducing an all-new version of the Mazda5 compact minivan as well, with seating capacity boosted to 7, rather than 6. Finally, there are rumors persisting that Nissan will re-introduce a new Quest minivan sometime soon.

Into this fray, Honda has officially pulled the wraps off the 2011 Honda Odyssey minivan, and as expected, it hews closely to the concept minivan the company showed off at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show earlier this year. Gone is the current Odyssey's frog-eye headlights and contoured sheetmetal. In their place are smooth flanks, a nose that's clearly inspired by the 2010 Honda Crosstour (but in a good way), and a wider and lower stance. However, the styling feature that will undoubtedly become the Odyssey's signature element is the "lightning bolt" window line, which dips down at the rearmost side windows. It's distinctive, and a little bit jarring, but Honda insists that it improves rear visibility.

However, minivans are rarely bought for their sultry looks. Instead, they're beasts of burden, designed around and for families. Now, we finally have a look at what those families can expect when they step inside the 2011 Honda Odyssey. Click Read More to find out how we think the Odyssey stacks up, and for more photos inside and out.

The 2011 Honda Odyssey's dash is a minivan interpretation of interior design themes found in the Accord and Crosstour. Dominated by a large central hood that houses the navigation screen, the Odyssey still retains many of the touches that made the 2005-2010 van such a success, and from all appearances, builds on that success in many ways.

The controls for the climate control and audio system appear cleaner and more neatly integrated, with toggles for temperature replaced with knobs. The gauges and other instruments have been given a new, white faces, and a new multi-information display is tucked between them. The shift handle is still located on the dash next to the audio controls. This leaves a huge amount of floor space, but doesn't force drivers to contend with a fiddly column-mounted shifter.

Honda points out several new features targeting families and the carrying capacity of the new Odyssey. While Dodge and Chrysler have seats that either fold into the floor or turn around to face backwards, and Toyota has invested in optional Barcaloungers for the second row, Honda's second-row seats still need to be removed the hard way, by lifting them out and leaving them in the garage. However, that doesn't mean that the 2011 Honda Odyssey doesn't have a second-row trick up its sleeve.

The 2011 Odyssey is wider than the 2010 model, and Honda has put that extra width to good use. While many minivans now come with an available multi-configurable bench in the second row, the 2011 Honda Odyssey actually allows you to spread the seats out. This means that the LATCH positions in all three seats can be used simultaneously. Combine that with the two that are located in the third row, and you have a total of five LATCH positions for child seats. Alternatively, if you have a big load to haul and have three kids that need to be in LATCH-equipped seats. you can fold the third row -- a one-strap operation in the 2011 Honda Odyssey -- load up the cargo, and put the kids in the second row. Since we roll with some of the widest booster seats on the market, we're curious to see just how far Honda's new setup can be stretched.

Other features are more in line with many of Honda's competitors, with Honda catching up in a few ways. For example, the new Odyssey will have a 16.2-inch wide screen that can play either a widescreen movie or two separate video feeds simultaneously, similar to the 2011 Toyota Sienna, but the Odyssey has an HDMI port for high-definition inputs, so you can take your BlueRay player or high-def came system with you. The Odyssey's front-row center tray has been banished, replaced by a removable console with a hidden bin. One cool feature -- literally -- is a new cool box in the center stack in the dash, which will keep items cool when the Odyssey is running.

One last thing that really caught our eye was the new Odyssey's fuel economy numbers. We were pleasantly surprised by the 2011 Toyota Sienna's fuel economy, especially with the four-cylinder model. However, Honda projects that its 3.5-liter V-6 engine will get 19 mpg in the city and a whopping 28 mpg on the highway, actually beating the Sienna four-cylinder. Time will tell if these preliminary numbers hold up after the 2011 Honda Odyssey is put through the EPA's test cycle, but if they do, there's going to be a lot of midnight oil burning at Toyota's headquarters.

2011 Honda Odyssey Exterior Gallery

2011 Honda Odyssey Interior Gallery