The Odyssey is one fashionable minivan.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
Crossover-SUVs is perhaps sizzling sizzling sizzling, however do not low cost the minivan. What as soon as was a nerdy mode of household transportation is now a classy solution to haul youngsters and equipment. Case in level, the refreshed 2021 Honda Odyssey.
LikeLots of normal featuresPeppy V6 energy
Don’t LikeNo all-wheel driveNo hybrid powertrain
If you are significantly out there for a minivan, I do not think about driving dynamics are your fundamental concern. Instead, you are probably extra within the tremendous cozy entrance seats, or the three-across second row with a detachable center part. Without that center seat in place, the outboard chairs can slide back and forth. This makes stepping into the third row even simpler, and means dad and mom can separate their bratty youngsters if they begin preventing. The third row has room for 3 youngsters or two average-sized adults.Regardless of the place your youngsters are seated, you’ll be able to control them with the accessible CabinWatch function, which shows a video feed of the rear compartment on the entrance infotainment display. It even has evening imaginative and prescient so you’ll be able to see your youngsters at midnight, and now works with the rear seat reminder to not solely inform you should you left a child within the automotive by chance, however present you which of them one. What a world. Additionally, the CabinTalk tech makes use of a microphone to mission the motive force’s voice by way of the rear headphones and audio system.
Admittedly, I did not have any cause to make use of the kid-monitoring options. But I did get to check out the vacuum cleaner. It works as marketed.
Infotainment tech in my absolutely loaded Elite tester is managed on an 8-inch touchscreen with commonplace Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, however the base mannequin will get a 5-inch unit with out smartphone integration. Still, even the bigger Display Audio software program is not my favourite, since there appears to be one further step for each perform. Not nice.
In again, the Odyssey Elite has a 10.2-inch dropdown display with two wi-fi headphone units. Second-row kiddos get one HDMI port and two 2.5-amp USB-A shops. The third row has two headphone jacks (sorry, no wi-fi models for these unfavorites), in addition to one 2.5-amp USB-A port and a 12-volt, 800-watt outlet. Up entrance, mother and pop are flush with charging choices, too, together with a few USB-A ports, a 12-volt outlet and extra.
The Odyssey’s cabin is sweet, however the Display Audio infotainment tech is getting previous.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
As for cargo-hauling — youngsters at all times include cargo, proper? — the area behind the third row has as much as 38.6 cubic ft of area. I dig the low, wide-load space that enables the third row seats to fold flat, and as soon as they’re stowed, cargo space will increase to 91 cubic ft. However, if I need to unleash the Odyssey’s true hauling potential, I’ve to take the second row seats out, which is not any straightforward activity. Each seat weighs about 70 kilos and simply has me craving for the Stow-N-Go seats discovered within the Chrysler Pacifica. Sure, the Odyssey has extra space as soon as the chairs are eliminated, however I’ll take a barely smaller space for easy-peasy stowing. When it comes time to really drive, the Odyssey does not disappoint. The 3.5-liter V6 and loads of zip for merging onto the freeway. The engine is paired with a 10-speed automated transmission that routes energy to the entrance wheels. All-wheel drive isn’t accessible, which stinks as a result of the Pacifica and Toyota Sienna now supply this function. There is, nevertheless, a snow mode that recalibrates the traction management parameters to deal with the slick stuff.Good because the Odyssey’s V6 is, different minivans supply electrified choices.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
The Odyssey returns an EPA-estimated 19 miles per gallon within the metropolis, 28 mpg on the freeway and 22 mpg mixed. During every week of testing I truly beat the EPA, averaging 24.6 mpg mixed. However, households who’re searching for even higher gasoline economic system ought to take a look at the hybrid powertrains within the Pacifica and Sienna. The Sienna will get as much as 36 mpg mixed whereas the plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica has 32 miles of all-electric vary and will get 82 MPGe.The Odyssey behaves higher than you’d count on on curvy roads, but it surely actually excels at on a regular basis driving. The experience high quality is superb, it by no means feels harsh or jarring and the cabin is quiet all of the whereas. New for this 12 months is an electrical brake booster, which improves brake really feel and affords a shorter pedal stroke.All of right this moment’s trendy driver-assistance options are right here, and most are commonplace. Blind-spot monitoring doesn’t grace the entry-level LX trim, however different driving aids are commonplace. It’s good to see that adaptive cruise management now has low-speed following, as a result of in earlier years, it will disengage under 22 mph, making it ineffective in stop-and-go site visitors. Also new for this 12 months are traffic-sign recognition, which works prefer it ought to, and pedestrian emergency braking, which I thankfully have not skilled. The lane-keeping help largely works nicely, however it may be somewhat iffy at instances. A great reminder to maintain your palms on the wheel.The Odyssey stays a strong minivan providing.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
While the 2021 Honda Odyssey begins at $32,910 together with $1,120 for vacation spot, my prime Elite tester comes out to $49,335. The candy spot within the lineup is the EX-L for $39,580. The EX-L is well-equipped with heated entrance seats, 4 USB-A ports and three 12-volt shops, the 8-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and tri-zone automated local weather management. I lose ventilated entrance seats, CabinWatch and CabinTalk, in addition to the rear-seat leisure system, wi-fi charging, a Wi-Fi hotspot and the vacuum cleaner, however I’m unsure these options are definitely worth the $10,000 upcharge for the Elite.The refreshed 2021 Honda Odyssey is a superb selection for individuals who must haul youngsters and equipment, however do not need to get into the three-row SUV market. The Pacifica and Sienna do supply electrified choices and all-wheel-drive functionality, making them significantly fierce rivals, however the Odyssey at the very least has plenty of family-friendly options and a peppy V6 besides.