We tested popular minivans from Toyota and Honda to see which is better - and the winner is clear

Again, comparing to new Odyssey to the aged Sienna is somewhat unfair, but until Sienna gets a fresh vehicle to market, this is the decision many consumers will confront.

The Odyssey is always going to appeal to owners who like a crisp driving experience, and with its new minivan, Honda hasn't compromised on that front while still updating the Odyssey's technology.

The Sienna drives fine, and in the end it will probably hold up longer and take more punishment. If you agree that fate of all minivans to be destroyed by the owners, then the Sienna will likely be destroyed more slowly than the Odyssey.

The way I like to think of it is that the Odyssey is better engineered, and it does have a fine reliability record, but the Sienna is a tank.

But the Odyssey has been well updated and represents a better overall package.

You can also make up your own mind: read the Odyssey review here, and the Sienna review here.

As with most vehicles in this price range, a host of safety features are on deck: adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, emergency braking. You are surrounded by the air bags and the Odyssey typically receives high marks for crashworthiness, although our tester model year hadn't yet been rated by the government.

The motor will turn itself on and off to save fuel and reduce emissions, but you can disable the function. In addition to a normal drive mode, there's a "sequential" mode that engages the paddle shifters. Econ and snow modes max out fuel economy (which is 19 city/28 highway/22 combined according to the EPA) and help with traction in sloppy weather.

Both minivans have second and third row seats that can be configured to max out passenger space or cargo. This one really is a tie, and that's because minivan makers get this category right.

Driver-assist features are more-or-less up to date, but back-up cameras and blind-spot warnings have been relegated to "expected" by most new buyers, who want adaptive cruise control and more elaborate collision avoidance tech. Personally, I thought the Sienna was actually advantaged by the lack of bells and whistles: some of the newer tech is distracting and intrusive.

Fuel economy is fair: 19 mpg city/27 highway/22 combined (AWD worsens that across the board). As a former minivan owner, I can say that you will be trading off MPGs for all that hauling power. But all minivans suffer from this. And to be honest, you really wouldn't want an underpowered Sienna with a smaller engine, lumbering up onramps and laboring to keep up with highway traffic.

All the requisite apps and connectivity features are present (Bluetooth, USB, AUX port), and the navigation did a dandy job of getting me to my kids' camp and back. The "Driver Easy Speak" means you don't have to holler at anyone in the third row to be heard.