If you have a growing family, or just started one, the thought of getting a bigger car, like an SUV, has likely crossed your mind. And while we love SUVs as much as anyone else, we can’t help but recommend a minivan like the venerable Honda Odyssey to anyone looking to expand their brood. Sure, there’s still that faint “minivan stigma,” but if you could get a fully-loaded Odyssey with low miles and a great price, would you buy it?

The Honda Odyssey was fully redesigned for 2018

You might be wondering why we’re trying to convince you to go with a 2018 model when almost any Odyssey model will likely suit anyone. For starters, the Honda Odyssey was completely redesigned for the 2018 model year, which meant that it was given a new look, a stronger engine, and more features than the previous models. Above all else, the Odyssey hasn’t changed much since then, so value-wise, it would be smarter to go with a pre-owned model since you can get a fully loaded 2018 Elite trim model for the starting price of a new one. But we’ll get to that later.

For the 2018 model year, Honda gave the Odyssey a much-need interior refresh that included a large touchscreen infotainment display, a digital instrument panel, and a couple of new family-friendly features called the “second-row Magic Seat” and the “Cabin Watch.” The second-row Magic seat allows the second-row seats to be slid side-to-side in order to bring the seats closer to the driver, like when easier access is needed to get ahold of a child seat. The Cabin Watch feature allows the driver to access a camera from the front touchscreen display in order to see what all the rear-seat passengers are up to. Think of like playing “big brother” to your family.

What else does the Honda Odyssey Elite come with?

Aside from those two main features, opting for the Odyssey Elite trim level comes with a wealth of tech-savvy and convenience features that you probably won’t find on any SUVs in the same price range. You’ll get heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, and the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features. If that’s not enough for you, then you might also enjoy the luxury of having full-leather seats, a rear-entertainment system with a 10.2-inch screen, a 550-watt premium sound system, the HondaVac, and the Cabin Talk feature, just name a few more.

That last feature allows the driver to talk to the rear rows without having to raise their voice too loud and the HondaVac is a vacuum cleaner located in the rear cargo area that can stretch all the way to the front of the van and clean up any messes. Under the hood, the Odyssey Elite comes standard with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque and can achieve up to 19 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

How much does a used Odyssey Elite cost?

Now that we have probably convinced you that the 2018 Honda Odyssey Elite is practically a mobile living room and you would be remiss to still consider any SUV over such a luxurious minivan, let’s talk about price. For reference, a brand-new 2020 Honda Odyssey Elite currently retails for around $47,000, and that’s about what the 2018 model was priced at when it was new.

On the current used market, we’ve seen 2018 Odyssey Elite models priced around $30,000 to $32,000 across the nation depending on the car’s mileage and location. Keep in mind that the 2020 Odyssey LX base model currently costs the same amount. So which would you rather choose?