Pros

• Seats in the second row that can be moved are conducive.
• Full of cutting-edge technology and protection features.
• The powerful V6 engine and stable driving make it a pleasure to drive.

Cons

• Use of fuel inefficiently.
• In the third row, no seats fold down with a button.
• It is annoying when the forward collision alert system is too cautious.

The device that moves the Odyssey. The Odyssey might be the only time “minivan” and “fun” can be synonyms. Even when the car is full of people, the V6 engine has enough power to merge and pass. In our tests, it took the Odyssey Elite 7.6 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, which is typical for a minivan with a V6 engine.

The Odyssey is safe to drive on the highway and more minor roads because it has accurate steering, consistent braking, and good handling. The Odyssey is a ship that is in good shape. It doesn’t, no. It is still well-organized and fun to drive, though. There are no problems.

The smooth 10-speed automatic gearbox makes choosing the best gear for the driving conditions easy. Manual changing is easy with the paddle shifters that come standard on the steering wheel. Engine stop-start technology, which turns the engine off at stoplights to save gas, is a little bare, but it can be turned off if you want to.

What’s the size of the Odyssey? The front seats of the Odyssey are great for long trips. Both children and adults can sit in the second row. Even though there isn’t much room in the third seat, two people can fit there for short trips. The 19-inch wheels on our Odyssey Elite made the ride rougher than smaller wheels since smaller wheels tend to have more flexible tire sidewalls. But the Honda can usually handle most bumps without too much trouble.

The Odyssey has no wind or road noise you can hear. The intercom device in the cabin is also very cool. A microphone records your words and sends them to the back of the car through the rear entertainment system’s speakers or headphones. You no longer have to turn your head to say, “Stop touching your sister!”

How does the inside look? The Odyssey does what a minivan should do: it makes your life easy. Sliding rear doors are always better than regular doors for letting kids get in and out of a crossover SUV. The height of the first two rows of seats makes it easy to slide into them. The second-row seats can easily be moved back and lowered, making getting to the third row easier.

Because the steering column and driver’s seat can be changed in many ways, finding a comfortable driving position is easy. People with longer legs may wish the bottom cushion offered more thigh support. Our biggest problem is that we can’t see out the front and over the shoulder. The side mirrors, and roof beams on the windshield are very big. It would be best to have cams all around, but rearview cameras are fine. Honda doesn’t offer any.

How good is the tech? The Honda entertainment system has big virtual buttons that respond quickly. You can change where the fake buttons are on the screen. Compared to more modern designs, however, the images and options for navigation based on Garmin need to be updated. Also, it can be hard to understand how to use some features, especially voice prompts. We used the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto apps during our tests.

The Odyssey’s hardware is hit or miss. The interior intercom and back camera monitor are better than the sunglasses mirror. But some of the most modern driver aids, like adaptive cruise control, take a long time to work and can make mistakes. We didn’t do anything with them.

What about putting things away? Cars are good choices. The big area under the third row is a great place to put grocery bags. The third-row seats must be raised and lowered by hand, which takes some strength, but the strap handle system is easy to use. When the third row is pulled down, and the second-row seats are taken out, the Odyssey can hold a whopping 144.9 cubic feet of stuff. The second-row seats are big and complex to take out, but you can use the space between them to store things if you don’t need a flat floor.

When putting car seats in, the Odyssey is the best. Children of the right age will find it easy to put on their seat belts and get to the lower car seat mounts.

How well does it use gasoline? According to the EPA, the Odyssey Elite we drove gets 22 mpg in both city and highway driving. This is how a car is usually made. We got 21 mpg on our real-world test route, mainly on the highway. This means the Odyssey might do better than the EPA thought it would.

Is it wise to buy the Odyssey? We tried the Odyssey Elite trim level, which has a high price tag. But the essential parts of the Odyssey can be purchased for much less. The Odyssey’s best features, like smooth power, soft seats, and an open, airy cabin, are included even in the base model. Most of Honda’s competitors offer essential coverage for three years or 36,000 miles, and coverage for the engine for five years, or 60,000 miles. Roadside assistance comes as a standard feature and is covered by the basic warranty.

The flexibility of a minivan as a car for kids is unmatched. The Odyssey is almost as big as a car for five or six people to take on a road trip. It also has a big, lockable storage area for all the tools you use on the weekends to fix things around the house. Do you still need to think it’s cool? It also has chairs that can be moved, many USB ports, and electronics inside the cabin to amuse everyone. It even drives like a car.

The essential Honda Odyssey EX is the best deal on the market in terms of value. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t, but if your budget allows it, you might want to upgrade if you wish to one of the many upgrades offered on more expensive Odyssey models. But we would keep driving the cloth-lined EX and save the money for long road trips.

Models of the Honda Odyssey

Minivans with room for eight people, like the 2024 Honda Odyssey, come in EX, EX-L, Sport, Touring, and Elite trims. A 3.5-liter V6 engine with a 10-speed automatic gear drives the front wheels. Power and torque are 280 and 262 lb-ft.