For much of its 30 years on sale, the Honda Odyssey has welcomed families to the minivan segment with clever features and a reputation for mechanical reliability that makes it a safe purchase.
Though minivan sales have suffered in recent years, the Odyssey continues to surprise shoppers to stick with the family bus. The eight-seater is Honda at its old-school best, with a quick-accelerating V-6 engine, a refined ride, solid handling, heaps of room, and excellent practical features.
Its novel Magic Slide seat system allows you to position the second-row seats in a variety of ways—including a configuration that’ll keep feuding kiddies appropriately separated. The third row disappears into a recess on the floor to allow for more cargo space. The cabin lacks the plethora of tech features found in rivals like the Chrysler Pacifica or the Kia Carnival but the Odyssey’s infotainment suite offers more than just the necessities.
There’s an optional rear-seat entertainment system that not only keeps youngsters occupied but also has an in-car camera with a view of the rear quarters and a PA system that lets parents speak to the youngsters through their headphones or car speakers. Look out, kids; now moms and dads really do have eyes in the back of their heads.
2024 Honda Odyssey First Review
Now in its eighth model year without a full redesign, the Honda Odyssey might surprise by not just surviving but being a desirable 3-row SUV alternative. After a 2021 refresh, the 2025 Odyssey gets another update to stay competitive against the last remaining gas-fueled minivans in the U.S.: the Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Pacifica, and Kia Carnival.
2024 New Edition
Design tweaks may give previous Odyssey buyers a tiny reason to consider a new one. We expect the 2025 model to wear an updated grille, with a restyled lower front fascia. Around the side, new wheel styles may appear across the trim lineup.
Updated technology is part of the 2025 Odyssey package, and we’re hoping Honda not only advances Honda Sensing driver-assist equipment but the interior screens, too.
Sometimes, when an automaker gets it right the first time, it only needs minor adjustments to keep things fresh. That’s been the case for the current-generation Honda Odyssey, which will receive another refresh for 2025. Although the Odyssey is starting to show its age, the three-row family mobile is very spacious — an important place to start for a minivan.
What makes the now eight-year-old Odyssey rise above is the way it complements those traits with quick-for-a-minivan V-6 acceleration and best-in-class crash test safety results.
Add in the expected resale value that often accompanies buying a Honda and you can see why the Odyssey remains appealing for buyers seeking a minivan for their people-hauling needs. Where the 2025 Odyssey falls short is with fuel economy, driving range, AWD availability, and technology.
We don’t expect the new model to offer an AWD variant like the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica, two alternatives that incidentally both have hybrid variants. Even so, with the 2025 Odyssey’s updated tech, it should be ready for another couple of years of minivan battle before a redesign we hope is on the way.
Our Picks on Honda Odyssey
Here are a few picks on the Honda Odyssey. Let’s take a look.
1) Engine & Efficiency
The only engine available in any Odyssey is a 3.5-liter V-6 making 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Modest numbers for a 4,500-pound hauler, but Honda engineers tuned the ten-speed automatic to provide the best reflexes.
The result is a fleet-footed, efficient, and polished sweetheart that drives contentedly. The Odyssey even changes direction with such crispness that drivers might forget they’re piloting a three-row people box. We wouldn’t mind a bit more feedback from the light yet direct steering, but the Odyssey remains the best-driving entry in the segment.
Every Odyssey we’ve tested delivered a comfortable ride, but we felt the 18-inch wheels fitted to an EX-L trim we tested gave us more isolation from bad pavement than the 19 inches on the top Elite trim.
2) 2024 Honda Odyssey Interior
The Odyssey has a lot of what parental units need. A quiet cabin helps maintain a parental calm, the available in-cabin camera and PA system help maintain parental control, and the household power outlets and HDMI interface keep parental options open.
The Odyssey’s second and third rows are among the roomiest in the class. Those Magic Slide seats in the second-row are far more comfortable than the Pacifica’s Stow-and-Go second-row seats, and the Honda’s chairs can move both side-to-side and fore-and-aft, allowing for multiple configurations that keep the peace when sibling rivalries escalate.
The price for that comfort is a bit less practical and ultimate cargo space. Each Magic Seat weighs 68 pounds making removal a workout, and the sliding tracks on the floor create small obstacles for loading cargo. When we removed the Magic Seats and stowed the third row in our Odyssey tester, we were able to fit one fewer carry-on suitcase than we could in the Pacifica.
3) Odyssey Technology
The 2025 Odyssey will boast new technology to keep up with newer entries like the Kia Carnival and Toyota Sienna. We hope so, as the 2024 model’s 8.0-inch touchscreen is behind the competition. We’ve found that even though that size is perfectly adequate, a slightly larger size can improve ease of use.
The updated minivan may also have a fully digital instrument cluster like the one now found on the Civic and Accord. Before the 2025 model year, the Odyssey featured a digital screen flanked by analog displays.
Sadly, no word about the beloved HondaVac making a return. An integrated minivan vacuum is still offered on the Chrysler Pacifica and is called Stow ‘n Vac.
All Odysseys get an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system called Display Audio. The software allows for customization of the menu layout and smartphone connectivity not only via Bluetooth but also via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. Standard on both the Touring and Elite is a rear-seat entertainment system with built-in streaming apps.
4) Performance & Fuel Economy
The Odyssey is rated at 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, according to the EPA. In our real-world highway testing, our test vehicle outperformed its EPA estimate, delivering 30 mpg. For comparison, our long-term Pacifica managed 33 mpg. For more information about the Odyssey’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.
5) 2024 Odyssey Safety
For a car that originally made its debut in the 2018 model year, the Odyssey continues to impress when it comes to passive safety. The 2024 model was a 2023 IIHS Top Safety Pick+, a rating that’s not easy to achieve. Among minivans, only the Toyota Sienna matches it. And when it comes to NHTSA crash testing, the 2024 Odyssey earns a five-star overall rating.
The 2023 Honda Odyssey is a Top Safety Pick+, according to IIHS crash testers and analysts. This Honda minivan’s many safety features helped it earn all five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Odysseys received an IIHS superior rating for Honda Sensing vehicle-to-vehicle frontal crash prevention features. Pedestrian detection or a collision warning can trigger the auto brake. Collision mitigation braking can help reduce the chances of a dangerous impact and help prevent the conditions in which people can be injured.
Lane-keeping assist and road departure mitigation are additional standard features. A lane watch assist is part of the blind spot monitor.
Taking care of long trips and daily commutes, low-speed follow is a helpful part of Honda’s adaptive cruise control. Helping make parking easier, a multi-view rearview camera shows three views of what’s behind you. An available Surround View system reveals even more.
As part of the 2025 Odyssey’s technology upgrade, the minivan may receive a more advanced set of Honda Sensing driver assist features.
Does the 2024 Honda Odyssey Have Any Family Features?
Leading the entire class of family rides, Honda minivans have unique multi-zone audio controls. The rear seats can be in a quiet zone while drivers can hear their entertainment and navigation easily. Multi-zone automatic climate controls keep the air conditioning flowing throughout the big cabin.
Cabin Talk utilizes the infotainment system microphone like an intercom. This helps the driver speak to kids in the rear seats easily. Cabin Watch goes further, utilizing a camera system to allow parents to see children in the back rows.
Thanks to Odyssey Magic Slide seating, parents can move a middle seat toward them to reach a child better. They may move the seats forward or back to separate children sitting side by side. A new rear seat reminder helps caregivers remember to check for sleeping kids after parking the van.
Sliding doors are easier for kids to manage than the typical heavy doors on 3-row SUVs. Furthermore, the Odyssey EX and higher trims have power-operated sliding doors. These doors can be opened with an instrument panel switch, a B-pillar switch, the door handles, a smart key, or a car app remote.
Rear seat entertainment is available to keep kids occupied on long trips. It coordinates with App streaming for more options. The available WiFi hotspot makes it easier for parents, teens, and kids to use their smart devices.
How Many Carseats Do I Have in the Odyssey?
Parents will appreciate the ability to put infant carriers and children’s safety seats in five different positions. This is 2 or 3 more than you’ll find in most 3-row SUVs. It means parents or caregivers can install up to four baby-toddler seats simultaneously.
This is made possible by two full LATCH attachments on the center row, two on the back row, and a tether for the rear center seat. It provides the ultimate flexibility about where to position a safety seat.
Odyssey LATCH attachments achieved a rare Good-Plus rating for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The minivan’s class-best spaciousness, open-wide sliding doors, and Magic Slide seats help parents install car seats easily and leave them in place, even when kids need to reach the 3rd row.
Is the Honda Odyssey Bigger than a 3-Row SUV?
The 2024 Honda Odyssey has 163 cubic feet for passengers. This allows for 40.9 inches of second-row legroom, only a Lincoln Navigator has more. Even better, Odyssey’s third-row legroom is 38.1 inches for teens and adults.
That’s 5 inches more than the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, Volkswagen Atlas, and Toyota Sequoia. It’s 1.5 or 2 inches more than the Ford Expedition, Cadillac Escalade, Grand Wagoneer, Chevy Suburban, and GMC Yukon.
At a minimum, the Odyssey cargo hold measures 32.8 cubic feet. That’s a lot more than popular 3-row SUVs, including the Kia Telluride (21 cu ft) or Hyundai Palisade (18 cu ft).
Is the Odyssey Bigger than Other Minivans?
Compared to the Toyota Sienna, Honda minivans have an extra 1.1 cubes of passenger volume. Odysseys have more cargo space than Chrysler Pacificas.
Odyssey second-row legroom is better than Sienna, Pacifica, or Kia Carnival minivans. Honda’s third-row legroom is better than the Chrysler or Kia minivans.
Odyssey’s 2nd row seats can be folded for more space. They can also be removed to achieve 140.7 or more cubic feet, depending on the trim level. The Kia Carnival doesn’t have removable second-row seats and must settle for a maximum of 101 cubic feet.
Honda Magic Slide seats are standard. This unique feature allows the 2nd row to move backward for more legroom or forward for more third-row space. If you choose to remove the middle seat, the outboard seats can move flush-left or flush-right to create more room to reach the third row. This is its most unique layout.
Furthermore, when the Odyssey’s third row folds, it folds into the floor completely. This ensures a best-in-class cargo area behind the second row. How flexible is your current ride? You can get an instant cash offer with this Kelley Blue Book trade appraisal tool.
Our View Of the Honda Odyssey
While the pricing isn’t a luxury price, there is much that is premium on the Odyssey LX base trim. Cabins are more luxurious simply because every material is high quality, and the fit and finish are excellent. Ride quality is good, and extensive noise insulation keeps the ride quiet.
A touchscreen and advanced phone connectivity coordinate with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and HondaLink. A power chair keeps the driver more comfortable.
Odyssey EX-L models have dual power chairs and two rows of leather upholstery. Sport trim levels elevate the design with red stitching, red accent lighting, and black roof pillars.
Touring trim levels move into luxury territory adding top-tier connectivity technologies, including built-in navigation. Odyssey Elite trims are luxury liners with a premium audio system, blue ambient lighting, and ventilated front seats. Standard features include CabinWalk, CabinTalk, and the rear entertainment system.
Regardless of trim, the minivan driver has plenty of power from the V6 engine. A 10-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Demonstrating its strength, the tow rating is 3,500 lbs.
Should You Buy the 2024 Honda Odyssey
US News and World Report gives the 2024 Honda Odyssey top marks among minivans. These automotive journalists call it a wallet-friendly family hauler. The 2023 Odyssey earned the Editor’s Choice award in the minivan category. US News and World Report ranked the 2023 as the Best Cars for the Money ahead of the Carnival, Sienna, and Pacifica.
Motor Trend also gives the top minivan rating to the 2024 Odyssey. In addition to its clever family-friendly features and tons of space, they point out its surprisingly pleasant driving experience. Edmunds praises it for its “pleasing levels of luxury and convenience.” Kelley Blue Book notes its spacious, flexible interior.
Beyond these compliments, these critics clearly are in agreement that the vehicle is safe, practical, and a value package. Ride quality is called refined or gentle. Handling is called nimble or solid. The Odyssey minivan is praised for its reliability and durability.
With so much to recommend, the 2024 Honda Odyssey may be the right fit for you. Schedule a test drive at Earnhardt Honda dealership, serving Phoenix AZ families.
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