It’s been well established that mini-vans stand for affordable practicality. It’s the natural choice for either a large family or those who need to move large items once in a while. The trade-off for this practicality is raw performance. The common notion in the market is that if you want the capacity of a mini-van and you still want some driving enjoyment, go get yourself an SUV instead. Honda wants to change that with the Odyssey. On its Canadian website, Honda touts the Odyssey as “the sports car of minivans.” I wanted to see if it lives up to this bold claim.
Powered by a 3.5 liter V6 engine, the Odyssey does have decent power, especially if you have no problems with flooring the gas pedal. The engine smoothly delivers plenty of go-forward power without making the vehicle feel unrealistically light. Many mini-vans feel like they are made of paper—in both perceived weight and sturdiness—when you step on the gas; but the Odyssey does give you the feeling that the engine is working with a believable amount of load and the vehicle feels solid. The steering doesn’t feel disconnected. However, it’s still on the light side and it is not totally linear. On the upside, the steering is effortless.
The engine is mated with a competent 5-speed automatic transmission, and the suspension is hallmark Honda-style. For a mini-van, the Odyssey corners fairly well, keeping the body lean under control. Its turning radius is sufficiently small that turning into a parking spot does not present much of a problem. Obviously even this marvelous minivan is not without limits. Traveling down the winding Don Valley Parkway in Toronto, the response from the tires becomes vague, and I had to exercise more caution in tight curve sections when the speed was over 110 km/h. The braking performance was reassuring when going into a tight curve.
On the practicality front, which is the raison-d'etre for the minivan’s existence, the Odyssey does not disappoint and there is plenty of interior cabin space to haul people or cargo around. With three rows of seating, the Odyssey EX can easily accommodate a driver and seven additional passengers. To haul large items, the second and the third row seats can be removed. The cloth seats in the EX model are very comfortable, and this would be a great vehicle for long distance travel. The centre console layout is straightforward. The straight-gate gear selector is part of the centre console, right beside the climate and audio controls. The EX model has powered sliding doors on both sides, making entry a breeze.
The LX adds some niceties such as body-colored side molding, roof rails, tinted glass, and an additional eighth passenger seat. The EX model adds body-colored door handles and side mirrors, power sliding doors, 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a much more elaborate climate control system, an improved sound system, aluminum wheels, ambient cabin lighting, auto-off headlights, and a security system. I think the addition is well worth the $5000 or so over the DX, especially with power sliding doors included in the package.
Moving further up, the EX-L and the Touring models are equipped with a slightly different version of the engine. This engine makes the same power, and only slightly more torque than the standard version, but it has Advanced Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) which turns off the rear 3 cylinders when not needed, to improve gas mileage.
Besides having a different engine, the EX-L is also equipped with a reverse camera, automatic day/night rear-view mirror, power tailgate, XM(TM) Satellite Radio, active noise cancellation, power-adjustable passenger seat, heated front seats, and leather interior. All these additions bump up the MSRP to $34,800, which is getting close to a whole 10-grand above the DX. The Grand Touring model receives 17-inch wheels, parking sensors, a satellite-linked navigation system with Bluetooth, an elaborative display system, DVD playback, and an even better audio system with sub-woofers.
The Honda Odyssey is a versatile passenger and cargo mover, and its performance, while not totally without fault, has successfully eliminated the common notion of “minivan driving performance” being an oxymoron. Honda has spanned the Odyssey over a price tag delta of nearly $10,000 to attract buyers from different segments. The tested EX model falls in the middle and it has a very good set of ergonomic and convenient additions over the base model which are worth considering. The accolades and success enjoyed by the Odyssey are certainly no accident.
Specifcations:
244 bhp@5750 rpm
240 lb-ft@5000 rpm
5-speed automatic transmission
Fuel consumption (city/highway): 16/23 mpg
Price as tested: CDN$32,990
