Some rare features can make some cars extra valuable, like a manual transmission, rare colors, or performance packages. This is simple supply and demand. As long as I have been a car nerd, I have never heard of a car being more desirable because it had a home appliance option. Well, that’s exactly what’s happening with the 2022 Honda Odyssey and its lost feature; the built-in shop vac. 

The Honda Odyssey is the greatest of all minivans

I stand by this with everything in my being. The Honda Odyssey has been paving the way for the genre for a long time now. According to The Drive, Hondassey fans are bummed these days because due to more supply chain issues, the HondaVac is not in the 2022 Odyssey.

I know; 2021 just started. How do I know that the Hondassey won’t get the parts for the HondaVac by 2022? Well, the 2022 Honda Odyssey is already at dealerships. The reason these vans are out a year early is the same reason the vans won’t have the vacuum; there simply aren’t enough parts to go around. As a result, Honda said, “F it! Let’s just put the van out without it.” 

In an interview with The Drive, a Honda spokesperson said, “The timing of model year introductions varies from model to model for a number, some of which are out of our control. We pulled forward the introduction of the model year 2022 Odyssey primarily due to the discontinuation of the HondaVac feature in the Odyssey Elite at the conclusion of the 2021 model year based on a supplier issue.”

The announcement came from Honda on January 12 that the 2022 Honda Odyssey was rolling out. This should be joyous news, but the lack of the smartest feature ever kind of tainted the news. Honda didn’t advertise the lack of the HondaVac. The grief would be too great. Honda figured when customers come to see their new minivan, they would let them down softly. That’s just Honda being a good friend. 

So what does this mean for the lucky owners of Hondassey owners with the HondaVac?

It means they are sitting pretty with the rare, now dropped feature. In all seriousness, this will likely make trade-in values for Odysseys with the HondaVac rise. 

Don’t fret, though; the Honda Odyssey is still a killer van loaded with features. Minivans are more luxurious than most luxury cars these days. The current Honda Odyssey got an upgraded 280-hp V6 engine that pulls the van along with vigor and ease. Power isn’t a bad thing in a van. The large cabin is loaded with cushy seats and gadgets aplenty. 

Consumer Reports says the Honda Odyssey isn’t great in the corners, but what do you what from a car that typically has a vacuum in it? Nope. That is not what this thing is about. The Odyssey’s suspension is soft and smooooooth. Potholes beware; the Odyssey will run y’all down like wind. 

Although the wind noise can be heard at times, in general, the Honda Odyssey is quiet and peaceful even at highway speeds. Consumer Reports says the interior is nicely-equipped and very comfortable but does add that it isn’t quite on the same level as the top-trim Chrysler Pacifica. 

Maybe the HondaVac will come back someday 

The Honda Odyssey will have to wait a while, and maybe even forever, until it can return to its former glory with the HondaVac. As of now, the feature has been dropped from the model, but there is always hope.