The Honda Odyssey receives many rave reviews from consumers year in and year out, most notably for its reliability. But why do people keep acclaiming an aging vehicle? Well, you have to try it to understand that the Odyssey is still the benchmark in the tough and demanding world of minivans.
Ironically, though, the Odyssey is not the most popular model on the market; both Chrysler minivans and a few other rivals post better sales figures. That's because despite its numerous qualities, the Honda has one major turnoff: the price.
On the other hand, the real strength of this minivan is the ability to offer flawless driving dynamics and exceptionally poised road manners, especially for this type of vehicle.
Lively performance
In terms of power, Honda's big 3.5-litre V6 engine is faultless. As soon as you need them, 244 horsepower are delivered both smoothly and vigorously. This mill allows surprisingly fast accelerations from 0 to 100 kph: 9.8 seconds, according to the company, and 9.9 seconds as confirmed by our road test. While not particularly aggressive, passing sprints are just as convincing and allow the driver to maintain control of the vehicle at all times.
Performance might be important to all minivan buyers, but interior space and versatility are higher on the list of priorities. Indeed, one usually purchases a minivan for family purposes. From this standpoint, the Odyssey also shines.
Actually, the main flaws of this vehicle are the ergonomics. The centre stack is a bit overloaded (especially with the navigation system right in the middle), which makes it harder to monitor and manipulate the various instruments and controls. The latter also require a little getting used to before they become perfectly mastered.
It does not help that the gear selector, mounted directly on the centre stack, is in the way of said controls when left in "Park".
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| The benchmark, year after year. |
Ironically, though, the Odyssey is not the most popular model on the market; both Chrysler minivans and a few other rivals post better sales figures. That's because despite its numerous qualities, the Honda has one major turnoff: the price.
On the other hand, the real strength of this minivan is the ability to offer flawless driving dynamics and exceptionally poised road manners, especially for this type of vehicle.
Lively performance
In terms of power, Honda's big 3.5-litre V6 engine is faultless. As soon as you need them, 244 horsepower are delivered both smoothly and vigorously. This mill allows surprisingly fast accelerations from 0 to 100 kph: 9.8 seconds, according to the company, and 9.9 seconds as confirmed by our road test. While not particularly aggressive, passing sprints are just as convincing and allow the driver to maintain control of the vehicle at all times.
Performance might be important to all minivan buyers, but interior space and versatility are higher on the list of priorities. Indeed, one usually purchases a minivan for family purposes. From this standpoint, the Odyssey also shines.
Actually, the main flaws of this vehicle are the ergonomics. The centre stack is a bit overloaded (especially with the navigation system right in the middle), which makes it harder to monitor and manipulate the various instruments and controls. The latter also require a little getting used to before they become perfectly mastered.
It does not help that the gear selector, mounted directly on the centre stack, is in the way of said controls when left in "Park".
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| The design remains up-to-date despite several years of service. |