You should not play around with the 2019 Honda Odyssey Elite. Few, if any, competitors can equal it because Honda spent several model years perfecting it. The Odyssey just shines in every category, including comfort, capability, safety, and ride quality.
Do you think the rise of crossovers will lead to the demise of minivans? Reconsider your position. Each year, more than 500,000 of these adaptable family haulers leave dealer lots. The Honda Odyssey was completely redesigned for 2018 and debuted with a more fashionable look in an effort to win over customers and compete with the attractive and very adaptable Chrysler Pacifica. The entire family, including those seated in the third row, will feel at home in the spacious, peaceful, and comfortable cabin. Along with the standard infotainment and rear-seat entertainment amenities, there are a ton of innovative choices available, like an onboard vacuum, a video baby monitor, and an in-cabin intercom system.
With the exception of the base LX trim level, Honda is now delivering its suite of driver-assistance systems, such as automated emergency braking and adaptive cruise control, as standard equipment. The result is a persuasive substitute for the common crossover for transporting people, things, and family.
2019 Honda Odyssey Elite: Design
Although one’s perception of beauty is subjective, it is difficult to argue that the Odyssey is traditionally beautiful. In truth, it has a somewhat odd appearance, much like many of Honda’s modern cars. The character lines on the side of the vehicle are the only aspect that disrupts the overall design balance. There are two, one above the front wheels and the other low in front of the back wheels. Both individuals spin in opposite directions along the van’s side, enclosing the doors and handles.
These kinds of character lines are typically used to highlight whatever the designer wants to accentuate visually; however in the Odyssey, they serve no purpose, and the design would be better without them. Honda has been accused of blacking out a D-pillar section to create a “floating roof” design, a highly exaggerated feature in contemporary automobiles.
Even if we may not like the appearance, it is functional. The Odyssey’s window line ascends from the bottom corner of the A-pillar and descends just before the C-pillar.
The Odyssey is all business on the interior. The interior is put together rather than specifically planned to be as practical as possible. Our test car’s interior color scheme of pale beige was the only reference to aesthetics. The cabin would be a range of grays and blacks without that.
The interior of the Odyssey appears high-tech otherwise. On the back of the steering wheel, there are no analog gauges. Instead, you get a digital tachometer that shows your speed both graphically and numerically.
The U.S.S. Enterprise features a gear shift with a push-button selector and a center stack of physical buttons, resembling an ensign’s control panel.
2019 Honda Odyssey Elite: Comfort
The Odyssey is the definition of ease. This monster seats seven people, and there isn’t a poor seat in the house. The front seats, in particular, support a pain-free posture for relaxing long-distance driving. The chair’s hip point, which is the height of the seat cushion relative to the hips when standing outside, is ideal for average-height individuals. Last but not least, even grownups can legitimately enjoy the third row. As previously mentioned, the windows are sizable, making it feel less cramped, and head and legroom are sufficient for average-sized persons.
The Odyssey, a minivan, has great freight-carrying capacity as well. The Odyssey’s third row, which Honda calls the Magic Seat, is among the simplest to store among vehicles with three rows, even those with a motorized folding function. The 60/40 split Magic Seat may be stored on either side by just lifting one strap from the upright position, allowing gravity to do the work of flipping the seats backward into the deep hole where they disappear, leaving only a flat cargo floor.
The second-row seats must be pulled out the traditional way, which is not as simple to do. However, they do have a special sliding function that allows you to either draw the outboard seats out or move them closer to the center. When trying to cram three car seats into the second row, this feature comes in handy. What is its name? Of course, Magic Slide
Cargo
The cargo space resembles a blimp hangar when all of the rear seats have been either folded up or removed. A 4×8 sheet of plywood can fit in the space. The tape indicates that Honda’s Odyssey can efficiently transport 158 cubic feet of freight in this configuration, comparable to a Ford F-150.
The Odyssey receives a perfect grade in this category due to its suspension and sound isolation. The suspension keeps body motions in check and separates passengers from road disturbances while providing a reasonably pleasant ride. The Honda’s build quality is evident in its absence of squeaks and rattles, and its backseat conversations are unaffected by road, wind, or engine noise.
Even though it’s a minivan, this is the most comfortable limousine money can buy.
2019 Honda Odyssey Elite: Performance and Handling
The Odyssey’s performance is most remarkable in that there is no performance at all. Minivans often overlook features like acceleration and handling, and their merits are not thoroughly discussed or considered as potential options. But with the Odyssey, they’re noteworthy.
The Odyssey’s high-tech 3.5-liter V6 engine, which cranks out 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, is what gives it its heat. These figures aren’t the finest in class (the Chrysler Pacifica’s V6 engine produces 287 horsepower and 262 lb-ft), but they’re incredibly close.
The Odyssey’s engine is additionally assisted by a lot of technology. With a 10-speed automatic transmission and cylinder deactivation technology, it can save fuel when traveling at low speeds, like when cruising along the interstate. That’s two more gears than the Toyota Sienna and Kia Sedona, and one more than the Chrysler Pacifica. Although it may not seem like much of a benefit, the more gears a transmission has, the more probable it is that it will be able to satisfy the power or fuel economy requirements in any given situation.
Handling
The best-handling minivan award goes to the Odyssey as well. Again, strong handling isn’t something one typically associates with minivans, but the Odyssey has better handling than any of its rivals. The Odyssey’s suspension strikes a balance between comfort and stability, preventing it from rolling over and understeering at angles exceeding ten degrees. Although there is some body roll, the Odyssey’s driving manners are consistently in check. When doing maneuvers as straightforward as exiting a highway or crossing railroad tracks, it stays away from the excessive body gestures that plague many of its rivals.
Its center of gravity (CoG) might be a contributing factor. Even though we lack the equipment to compare the Odyssey’s Center of Gravity to those of its rivals, we have the impression that it is lower to the ground. This would account for it being alternately more grounded and less tippy. The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, with comparable handling, has the lowest Center of Gravity (CoG) among minivans due to its heavy extra batteries beneath its floor.
Fuel efficiency and actual MPG
The Odyssey Touring and Elite, with a nine-speed automatic transmission, have the same EPA fuel-economy ratings as the LX, EX, and EX-L, but with a tenth gear that saves gasoline. For instance, our long-term Pacifica got 33 mpg while the all-wheel-drive Toyota Sienna got 27 mpg.
Technology and Connectivity
The Odyssey’s infotainment system is at best decent, but the van’s plenty of other goodies more than makeup for it.
Honda contracts with Garmin to handle the navigational aspects of its infotainment system. Honda’s use of Garmin technology at Best Buy appears to be a wise investment, as the system functions flawlessly. The infotainment system functions well with features like music playback and phone calls, but the graphics are a bit outdated. The system has an average response time and a complex menu structure that requires physical buttons to guide users to specific locations.
Other amenities, like Cabin Talk and CabinWatch, are exclusive to Honda vehicles. The Odyssey’s Cabin Talk in-car PA system can play the driver’s voice or replace the rear entertainment system’s headphone audio with a parent’s critical message. A wide-angle inside camera called CabinWatch is focused towards the second and third rows of seats and has night vision. Parents may monitor their children while driving, even in the dark, by displaying their view on the infotainment screen. Both of these are kid-friendly technological elements that help the Odyssey stand out.
2019 Honda Odyssey Elite: Value
Minivans are a considerably better deal overall and financially than almost any crossover now available. A Dodge Caravan, equipped with more room and comfort, is available for less than $30,000, offering a new three-row crossover. The Odyssey, starting slightly above $30K, is marketed as offering the best value compared to SUVs when compared to minivans.
The Honda Odyssey is a superior choice for those frequently using the third row and large cargo space in crossovers. You might not think it’s better, in which case the subjective worth is slightly diminished. Although some individuals now find minivans to be interesting, the stereotype of the soccer mom still permeates suburban America.
Summary
The primary purpose of the minivan’s structure is to transport numerous passengers comfortably. Therefore, the inside of the Honda Odyssey is designed to make that back row as accessible as the front. The current three-row family crossovers feature more frill seats in the sixth and seventh rows than other features.
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