One of the nice things about working for an outlet like TopSpeed is being able to check out the various auto shows during the press preview days, long before the general public is allowed into the show. This year, all of the auto manufacturers had their press events scheduled on the first day, so it was very busy. But, that also gave me the unique opportunity to see the reaction people have toward all of the new cars making their debut. With the Detroit Auto Show being an international event, there’s never a dull moment – that you can be sure of – but I never thought I would see the day that a minivan took precedence over an SUV. More specifically, I’m talking about the Honda Odyssey.

Both Honda and Chevy had big debuts scheduled for Monday and were situated catty-corner from each other. Chevy was pulling the sheet off the redesigned Chevy Traverse pretty early on Monday while Honda was gearing up to show off its all-new Odyssey. When it came to shooting the Chevy Traverse, I had to circle back a few times to get as many shots as I could but, when it came to the Honda Odyssey, I didn’t even have a chance to get close to it the first day of the show. Come the second day, and it took me five passes to finally get a good look inside. And it was, in every sense of the word, amazing. But, as I was waiting for the opportunity to get in there on the second day of the show, I noticed something. The Odyssey was still getting tons of attention while the Traverse’s time in the limelight had come and gone. Have pigs actually grown wings?

To be honest, I think so. I made one final stop at the Honda booth Tuesday before leaving the show for the last time, and Honda was still buzzing like crazy. Don’t get me wrong; people were still interested in the new Traverse, but not like they were when it came to Honda’s redesigned minivan. It was pretty wild to see, and all of the representatives seemed to be pretty happy with the turnout. We’ll have a full review of the new Odyssey up in the coming days, but until then, keep reading to learn a little about it and to see a few pictures I took of it during my time at the show.

Honda’s New People Mover

To put it simply, Minivans would have a much larger presence on the market if manufacturers designed them like Honda did the Odyssey. It might not have the Stow N’ Go seats that the Pacifica has, but the middle seat of the second row can be removed and stored in the rear. More importantly, however, is the fact that the cabin is fitted with cameras so that front passengers can keep a watchful eye on the kiddos in back. On the outside, the van is sleek and stylish, while featuring Honda’s latest design language. It has some aggressive features up, power side doors and rear hatch, LED lighting, and strategically placed body lines in all the right place. Under the hood, sits Honda’s 3.5-liter engine – the same one found in the Honda Ridgeline – with 280 horsepower that is paired to a nine-speed or all-new 10-speed auto, depending on the trim level. To wrap it all up, the new Odyssey has an extra 32 horsepower over the outgoing model and weighs 96 pounds less than the outgoing model, something that should be enough to place the Odyssey at the top of the class as far as fuel economy goes.

I’m not a fan of minivans, but I have to say that Honda actually wowed me with the new Odyssey. If you’re in a situation where you absolutely have to have a minivan, then you should check out the Odyssey – it’s not as manly as a truck, but you won’t look of feel like a soccer mom driving it either.

Read our full review on the Honda Odyssey here.