HONDA Odyssey 2018

Body, cabin and cargo space

The 2018 Honda Odyssey adopts the sculptured lines and incisive front end styling of the most recent Hondas (think Civic). Dimensions have grown ever so slightly, while wheelbase remains unchanged.

Strangely, most interior measurements have diminished relative to 2017, including usable volume and cargo space behind the first and second row of seats. Only the third-row passengers are better off than before, especially in terms of legroom.

By all measures, however, the Honda Odyssey still one of the market’s leading vehicles for room and ease of access. It would be even more practical if its second-row seats folded into the floor, à la Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan, but that’s still not the case. In fact, the seats seem heavier and harder to manipulate than ever, which offsets their comfort.

Worse still, their cumbersome framework remains in place when you finally succeed in removing them. Combined with the slightly raised floor when the rear seats are folded, it complicates the loading of long, heavy items. Fortunately, the third row still folds into the floor in a snap.

Up front, all of our testers remarked on the comfort of the seats… and their lack of side support in turns. Most drivers can get comfortable thanks to the numerous seat adjustments. However, the centre armrest proves a bit too long for some, and the high footrest also may bother a tall driver.

Finish and convenience

Honda has made a real effort to improve the quality of materials in the Odyssey. Overall assembly also seemed more precise than in the outgoing generation, which displayed several hard and sometimes misaligned surfaces.

The redesigned instrument panel takes its cue from Civic, CR-V and Pilot, with a crisp digital display flanked by hard-to-read fuel and engine temperature gauges. The trip computer displays an impressive quantity of information but it is best to do a quick run-through before driving off.

The former model’s dual central screen gives way to a single display that is considerably more modern and better designed. The revised interface quickly erases memories of the slow, frustrating system of the other Hondas launched since 2014, but is still more distracting than that of several competing systems. A tuning dial and a few physical buttons, as used in the 2018 Accord, would peel away a needless layer of complexity.

Another gripe concerns the push-button gear selector, which offers no gain in space and complicates things unnecessarily.

Like any self-respecting minivan, however, the Honda Odyssey provides a host of storage solutions. It also offers a generous level of standard equipment, including such things as push-button start, remote starting, heated power front seats and dual-zone climate control. For neatness, the built-in vacuum cleaner launched in the 2014 Touring edition is now included starting with the EX.

Safety features

• Antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist
• Stability and traction control
• Hill start assist
• Front airbags
• Driver and passenger knee airbags
• Front side airbags
• Side curtain airbags
• Eight adjustable or retractable head restraints
• Tire pressure monitor
• Multiangle backup camera
• Forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert with road departure mitigation, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams
• Front and rear parking sonar (standard, EX-L RES, EX-L Navi and Touring; non available, other versions)
• Blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert (standard, Touring; non available, other versions)
• Passenger side blind spot monitor camera (standard, EX, EX RES, EX-L RES and EX-L Navi; non available, LX and Touring)

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: 5 / 5
Frontal impact: 4 / 5
Side impact: 5 / 5
Rollover resistance: 4 / 5

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact:
- driver side: 4 / 4
- passenger side: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

IIHS Top Safety Pick

Visibility

Generous glass surface and large outside mirrors, typical of a minivan, provide excellent overall visibility. Honda also kept the roof pillars relatively thin without compromising safety. The only exception is rearward, where the window is high from the ground.

The multiangle backup camera compensates adequately, but it quickly becomes dirty in the winter. The traditional-style blind-spot monitor system on the Touring version proves more practical than the passenger-side camera used on EX trim and up.

Headlights: The Odyssey Touring’s LED headlights received an Acceptable rating (3/4) from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; the halogen projectors on the other models were rated Marginal (2/4). An absence of reflections and automatic high-beam activation compensate for the halogen headlights’ restricted beam.

Engine and transmission

There is still just one engine choice for the Honda Odyssey in 2018, a revised version of Honda’s well-known 3.5L V6. Thanks to the addition of direct injection, power totals 280 horsepower, a 32-hp gain, and torque reaches a maximum of 262 pound-feet, delivered at slightly lower rpms and representing a gain of 12 lb-ft.

The old V6 already did a good job, but the additional power translates to more energetic and linear acceleration all the same. However, the engine seemed a bit noisier than before and to have lost some of its characteristic smoothness, especially at high rpms. We noted the same thing with the Honda Pilot.

The 2018 Honda Odyssey Touring we tested is the only model to use a brand-new ten-speed transmission. Designed by Honda engineers, this transmission is relatively quick to respond except for a certain slowness when downshifting. The nine-speed ZF-made transmission equipping all the other trims is far from proving efficient on the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX that use it. On the other hand, the version used by Acura TLX is considerably improved since 2018. Hopefully, the same will apply to the Odyssey.

We measured a fuel consumption of 10.8 L/100 km on an 800-km route composed of 75 percent highway, in cool, damp fall weather. The result more or less corresponds to Natural Resources Canada's official rating for combined driving but largely surpasses the 8.5 L/100 km announced for the highway.

It is worth noting that not once did the automatic stop-start system engage during our city trips, whereas a similar system regularly engaged during tests of the Buick Envision and Volkswagen Atlas in similar weather.

Ride and handling

Long considered the athlete of minivans, if such a thing exists, the Honda Odyssey resolutely takes a turn towards comfort in 2018. That’s good news, considering how it probably will be used. The firm damping of preceding generations is a thing of the past; now, the suspension soaks up bumps without sacrificing control of the heavy body.

That very stable handling makes for serene long-haul driving reinforced by soundproofing that finally has been improved. However, you have to get used to the transmission downshifting a gear or two to maintain speed on grades, something that is common to most transmissions with eight or more speeds.

Actually, the one thing that eliminates the bit of dynamism of the former Odysseys is the new electric power steering. Its lightness is a plus in city driving (though the turning circle increases to 12 metres, from 11.2). The downside is a total absence of road feel in turns and a certain centre vagueness at highway speed. The brake pedal is a bit spongy and requires quite strong pressure to slow this heavy vehicle in a hurry.

In closing, we would like to commend Honda for including a full suite of driver assist features on all models. Regrettably, however, the road departure mitigation is sometimes quick to intervene, and harsh, an encouragement to switch it off. The adaptive cruise control is not always fluid either, but fortunately, you can always revert to the traditional cruise control, if you want.