The 2018 Odyssey's redesign isn't revolutionary, but Honda still made big improvements to its power, fuel economy, ride, and cabin quietness. It offers more features to pamper travelers and keep them connected. The overall result is a premium feel.
Inside, passengers will find the front seats large and inviting, but the bottom cushion loses firmness over long trips. By removing the second-row center seat, the comfortable outboard seats can be shifted inward, opening a wider path to access the roomy third-row seats, or positioning an infant closer to parents sitting up front.
The cabin is serene except over very coarse pavement. Honda offers an intercom system that allows the driver to speak into a microphone to rear passengers for when wind and road noise intrude.
The ride approaches luxury levels of comfort, with most pavement flaws being easily absorbed. Its handling is mundane but drivers will feel secure.
The 280-horsepower V6 engine belts out healthy performance and has more than ample reserve power for merging in traffic or climbing hills. It remains well mannered even at high revs. Fuel economy has improved, with the Odyssey now achieving 22 mpg overall. Most Odysseys, including our EX-L, come with an unobtrusive nine-speed automatic transmission, which won't win any prizes for smoothness or responsiveness. Top-trim Odysseys come with a more pleasant and refined 10-speed automatic.
The infotainment touch screen is more user-friendly now, with colorful graphics and the ability to rearrange icons. Despite the advantages in personalizing the display, we still found the interface distracting at times, such as when we tried to change audio sources. However, that pales in comparison to the the most frustrating feature: the gear selector. This pushbutton setup requires frequent attention and eyes off the road to decipher, particularly when switching between Drive and Reverse while parking.
The available rear entertainment system packs several kid-friendly features. One is a cute "How much farther?" app that serves as a cartoon "flight tracker" meant to avoid a litany of "Are we there yet?" questions.
Advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assistance are bundled into the Honda Sensing package, which comes on all versions except for the base LX trim.
Among the most popular minivans on the U.S. market, the Odyssey is a compelling choice even though it doesn't deliver a knockout punch to its Chrysler and Toyota competitors.