The replacement of the old 140 hp with the 210 hp was a good desision when the second gen Odyssey came out. However, the competition has been uping their goodies since then. The new Sienna is bigger, and more versatile. The 2004 Mazda MPV has a new face and looks very sporty for a minivan.

I test-drive all three before making my final decision. The odyssey has 240 horses now, upped 30 horses. Yet, it is no sport-car. It feels powerful, but not until... during test-drive on I-280, I was tailgated by a big SUV Yukor and was out-powered by that SUV. That guy properly wanted to show off his SUV. The weight of the Odyssey really offsets the increased power.

The 2003 vs 2002 is that the 2002 felt more nimble and had better feedback from the suspension, the 2003 is a lot softer and feels like a Toyota Camry to me. Odd!

The Odyssey also steals the third-row disappearing seats from the Mazda MPV of 1999. And the new Sienna has the same gadget too, so it is a tie for creative seat removal. However, the MPV's second row seats are caption chairs and can be separately removed, which is a plus.

The Odyssey's second row seat windows are fixed, I cannot imagine seeing my kid's happy face from outside since it is darkened windows. The Sienna and Mpv both have 4 big row-down windows. And the 2004 Sienna steals the idea from the 1999 MPV.

When it comes to cornering, man, the Odyssey lacks feedbacks. The Sienna feels a bit on the heavy side, but body-roll is still acceptable. The MPV is rolling here; it is the most nimble in the group, although it is not as big as the Odyssey and the new Sienna.

For the look, my wife helps me decide on the winner - the 2004 MPV. The 17 inch alloy as standard, the disc brakes at four corners, the 200 watts subwoofer and 6 CD changes, the DVD player, the extended body panels, the HID-look headlights, the spoilers, the 14 cup and bottle holders, the large glove box, the silver accents, the porforated leather seats, the rear electric outlet, disappearing seats, roll-down windows, remote electronic sliding doors, the fold-down table in-between front seats all add up to a very nice package. The side of it is like comparing a 3-series sedan to other bigger, but less nimble sedans.

In a word, the MPV is the most fun-to-drive. The 0-60mph in 8.4 seconds also wins my heart. The look wins both mine and my wife's hearts. Yet, I will still look at Honda, Toyota and Mazda again in three years when I purchase my next minivan. This time, it will be for myself.

Amount Paid (US$): 27000