Not so with the Odyssey. For some reason, it doesn't always seem to end up in Drive, but in D3 or D2 instead. It's a little persnickety. The Odyssey has plenty of room inside. Headroom is fine, though we wish the bottoms of the seats were a tad bit longer.
Storage is excellent, particularly with the rear seat folded out of the way.
Like all vans, visibility in the Odyssey is superb. You're up high and there are no wide pillars to interfere with the view. As with all vans, however, you do lose some visibility on the sides. We can't say that we felt particularly safe or unsafe in the Odyssey. It's certainly large enough, and you're up high enough, that you have the sensation of being safe.