New York Auto Show: Honda Odyssey minivan cleans up with built-in vacuum

A built-in vacuum is pure genius for a minivan. You'll find this innovation on the 2014 Honda Odyssey, the lightly freshened version our current Top Pick minivan.

Curiously, Honda only revealed details of the changes for just the top-trim Touring Elite version of the Odyssey. Honda reps told me that so far, only this over $40,000 version gets the Shop Vac-branded vacuum built into the van's rear cargo hold. With a hose that can reach throughout the cabin, and eight minutes of engine-off sucking power, maybe this feature will entice buyers to spend the premium for this top dog van. (Or they'll just buy a $25 12-volt plug-in car vacuum from Amazon.)

Other Touring Elite changes include Honda's new dual-screen audio system, which we've found a bit convoluted on other Honda products. We'd bet that the six-speed automatic found on current top models shows up on all 2014 Odyssey models, and expect Honda's right-side blind-spot camera system show up on some higher-trim versions.

See our complete New York Auto Show coverage, plus highlights at CRCars.tumblr.com.