Dear Honda Manufacturing of Alabama employees,

When we first received your Obsidian Blue Pearl 2021 Honda Odyssey EX-L (VIN ending in 7577) we were elated to finally have the opportunity to use a minivan for one of its many intended purposes: kid hauling. Over the last few years, our editorial team has gone through a bit of a baby boom, including a new arrival for yours truly, so we were looking forward to getting down and diaper dirty in the familiest of family cars.

We got off to a strong start by sending the Odyssey from Los Angeles to Arizona with two different staffers, in support of a baseball tournament and a couple of family road trips. MotorTrend‘s King of the Highway took it on a series of epic quests, and then our Buyer’s Guide leader took his clan on a 1,000-mile odyssey.

But after front-loading the highway miles, we hit a bit of a mid-loan lull, where nobody seemed very interested in going anywhere, except for a run up to Pebble Beach with the Loh fam, your author’s longest road trip of the loan. Ever-changing COVID conditions created strong incentives to stay at home, so by the end of 12 months, we only amassed 18,258 miles, 1,800 miles short of our goal.

Along the way, we did manage to achieve an overall fuel economy average of 19.3 mpg. This is right on target for the Odyssey’s EPA-estimated city mpg of 19 mpg and almost identical to the overall fuel economy we logged with our last long-term minivan test, a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. We do wish we saw an average closer to the EPA-estimated combined mpg (22 mpg), but the numbers make sense, as we largely schlepped the Odyssey on short trips to the beach and parks nearby and resupply runs to Target, Trader Joe’s, and Vons. The longest regular trip we’d make would be to visit our paternal grandparents, 60 miles away.

For the rookie parents, your Odyssey won us over with its smart packaging and comfortable second-row seating area (where parents often split our time). The tilting, sliding (fore, aft, and side to side) second-row seats, with an easily removable middle jump seat, were the perfect perch for a new mother to peer into a hideously expensive, rear-facing child seat and spy upon the head position and breathing pattern her napping newborn, while furiously whispering to her husband to “Slow down!” Ask me how I know.

The Odyssey EX-L-is-for-leather covered seats were not only comfortable for these spying sessions, but seemingly impervious to a myriad of newborn lotions, potions, and secretions, as nearly every horizontal surface in the car was deployed for diaper changes. Note to new parents: The huge cargo area, with its low load height, looks like a great place for changing a baby, but stooping over can be hell on the back.

You’ll want the higher working area provided by any of the seats. The pull-up shades for the second-row windows were also greatly appreciated—not only for keeping the sun off our son, but for the additional privacy for the nursing mother.

For our trips to the beach, that massive cargo area created by the disappearing third-row seat easily swallowed our largest stroller, collapsible beach wagon, sun tent, cooler, all the towels, blankets, sand toys, and diapers—with room to spare, even for long items, like a 7-foot 2-inch surfboard via the aisle created between the second-row seats.

And then there’s the feature that separates minivans from all others. If you’ve never experienced the joys of remotely triggered, sliding doors that open and close at the push of a button (key fob and inside) or tug of the door handle, you have never truly lived—or attempted to get into a car while carrying a sleeping child in his seat, along with a diaper bag and a couple of bags of groceries.

The easy access pays off in these extreme situations, but it’s the little things, too: Tight parking spaces are no match for doors that slide. Nor are odors; the ability to pop both doors and the back hatch to air out a particularly noxious blowout cannot be overstated.

While junior consistently overdelivered in that area, the Odyssey gave us precious little to poop on. Most of our quibbles were about options we wished we had selected, like Cabin Watch for baby spying, or options no longer available (HondaVac for errant puff collection).

The only specific quibble from the helm was a bit of hesitation after pushing the gas pedal. Not something you’d notice if the Odyssey is your sole daily driver, but something you pick up if you’re in and out of other cars. It’s worth noting that, once underway, the Odyssey moves briskly (quickest in class, doncha know) with a revvy engine note that reminds you of Honda’s roots. Passenger complaints were also few—on the hottest of days, adults in the third row mentioned the lack of cooling air flow, as well as tunes from the sound system.

We visited our local Honda dealership for two scheduled service appointments. The first one we wrote about extensively, because the very reasonable $92.52 oil change, multipoint inspection, and tire rotation grew by another $417.34, to repair a cross-threaded lug nut. A few of you emailed wondering why this was not covered under warranty, so we asked. American Honda’s PR rep replied, “It seems very likely that the repair would have been covered under warranty…” if we had asked the service advisor. But we didn’t, so bad on us.

Our second and final service appointment (B1, in Honda-speak), was a blissfully uneventful oil change, inspection, and tire rotation that cost us $125.79. In total, we spent $218.31 in maintenance on the Odyssey, which is reasonable in comparison to the last two minivans we tested: $276.88 for two service appointments for our 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and $364.30 for four scheduled appointments with our 2016 Kia Sedona. It’s also in line with the many three-row SUVs we’ve had in our long-term fleet, which range from as low as $0 (for brands that cover routine maintenance) to as much as $350 in a year.

As the newest parents on staff to spend time with your minivan, we’d like to say thank you and salute the Honda of Alabama employees who screwed together our Odyssey (except for the lug nut fella—he owes us 400 bucks). After getting over the initial hump of being a mom in a minivan, my wife quickly became a convert. She loved the space, convenience, and stress reduction that came with being anonymous.

Your author was 180 degrees the other direction: proudly stoked to have the ability to carry everyone and everything we needed, 24/7, no questions asked. Over time, the Odyssey became a stalwart and trusted friend. And like every good friend, we were very sad to see it go.