Ask anyone with a family what is most important about the vehicle in which he or she transports loved ones, and safety is likely to be the answer. Beyond that, a great family car won’t bust the budget, it will be comfortable, and it will be large enough to perform tasks as widely varied as road trips to Disney World, picking up a potted palm at the local nursery, or getting Mom and Dad to a nice dinner on date night.

In selecting the 2006 Honda Odyssey as our Best Family Car for 2006, first we looked at crash-test data from the NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for vehicles with a base price under $30,000. To make the final list, vehicles had to score four or five stars in the NHTSA frontal, side, and rollover tests. It also had to get an Acceptable or Good rating from the IIHS in its offset frontal and side-impact tests. Once we verified crashworthiness, we looked at the other parameters to select our winner.

Yeah, it’s a minivan, and not very stylish for a night on the town. But with kids, who has time for that anyway? With base prices starting in the mid-20s, the Odyssey LX gives a family everything they really need in a useful transportation device. Dual-stage front airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-curtain airbags, ABS with brake assist, and stability control are all standard. Other goodies include front and rear air conditioning; cruise control; power windows, mirrors, and locks; floor mats; map lights; dark tinted glass; and a CD player.

Stepping up to the EX adds automatic climate control, alloy wheels, a power driver’s seat, sunshades for the second-row seats, a CD changer, and a cool convex mirror that allows the driver see each of the seven passenger positions. Leather, a DVD entertainment system, and a navigation system are options on the EX. Top-level Touring trim includes leather and DVD entertainment plus parking assist, run-flat tires, a premium sound system, and a handy 115-volt electrical outlet. Navigation is optional on the Touring.

The 2006 Honda Odyssey is comfortable for adults in any of its three rows, but it doesn’t ride as softly as most minivans. The 3.5-liter V6 engine makes 244 horsepower, and in the EX-L and Touring trims it includes cylinder deactivation technology designed to improve fuel economy from 19/25 to 20/28 in the city and on the highway. The third-row seat flips and folds right into the floor to make extra space for cargo, but the second-row seats need to be lifted out and stored in the garage – unlike with the Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Nissan Quest.

Nevertheless, the Honda Odyssey is one terrific tool, the perfect machine for a growing family on the go, and our pick as the Best Family Car of 2006. – Christian J. Wardlaw