2018 Honda Odyssey Very first Review: The Best Family Car in the World
Max Capacity: eight passengers
Engine: 280-horsepower V6
Fuel Economy: twenty two mpg combined
In Brief: Honda raises yet another bar in yet another segment
We’re not truly going out on a limb in calling the redesigned 2018 Honda Odyssey the best family car the world has ever seen. Frankly, it’s a declaration about as bold as just staring at the tree from a safe distance while seated in a sturdy lawn chair.
American-market minivans are already the most accommodating, most family-focused people movers on the planet, and even in its seventh model year the outgoing Odyssey remains a top pick.
But this fresh one is almost something else entirely. It drives like a smaller vehicle, and with buttery smoothness. It’s quieter and more nicely appointed inwards. And overall practicality has been taken to another level with a long list of clever fresh features and tech.
Not only is it packed with refinement and innovation, we’ve yet to identify any meaningful weaknesses. Granted we’ve only driven the top-line Odyssey Elite trim, and only on some of the most pleasant roads Hawaii’s Big Island has to suggest, but any relative shortcomings that remain to be uncovered with extended exposure are likely to be accompanied by still more pleasant surprises.
Spoiler Alert: Minivans aren’t as puny as the name might imply. You might have noticed they’re rather big and tall, in fact, neither of which does much for driving enjoyment. And while nobody ever bought a minivan for the joy of it, good steering and pedal feel and responsive manners improve the day-to-day driving practice of any vehicle. Nuanced driving satisfaction has long been a Honda hallmark, but the well-regarded outgoing Odyssey drives like a cargo van compared to this fresh one.
The two thousand eighteen Honda Odyssey is slick off the line and glides through gears. On city streets and in parking lots it switches direction with the ease and preparedness of a smaller vehicle, and stops in the same manner. On the highway it is quiet, convenient and confidently managed. It’s the best-driving minivan we’ve ever driven.
But it’s worth pointing out again that all of our time to this point has been spent in the best-of-the-best Odyssey Elite trim. In addition to lineup exclusives like wireless phone charging, heated and ventilated front seats and a 550-watt sound system, the Elite includes extra sound-deadening measures, larger wheels and a brilliant fresh 10-speed automatic transmission (also found in the Odyssey Touring) that’s as clever as it is slick. While we’ve only driven what is likely the best-driving Odyssey of the bunch, however, we expect the Odyssey LX, EX and EX-L to be similarly, if not fairly identically, extraordinaire on the road. (We’ve found the 9-speed transmission in those versions to be good, not superb, in the Honda Pilot SUV.)
Honda Sensing | Fresh to Odyssey
All but the base-level Odyssey LX come tooled with the extraordinaire Honda Sensing suite of driver assist and safety technologies. Our beloved features are the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist functionalities, which can lighten both the mental and physical explosions of longer-range highway driving. Adaptive cruise control sees the vehicle ahead and adjusts speed accordingly, even in stop-and-go traffic. Lane keeping assist helps with the constant little corrections required to steer a car straight down the highway. Collision mitigation braking and road departure mitigation aren’t as sexy until they save your bacon, but then they’re downright beautiful.
Magic Slide Seats | All-New
The Odyssey’s fresh Magic Slide seating system features outboard second-row seats that don’t only stir up and back, but also side to side. Two friends can sit shoulder to shoulder without either of them having to sit on the hump, while feuding siblings can slide their seats to either side of the vehicle (this was the the preferred configuration for our 12- and 13-year-olds during the family portion of our evaluation). You can also slide a seat in toward the middle of the vehicle, and all the way forward, to open up extra-easy access to the third row. They might also be the most convenient second-row seats in the segment. It’s a clever, well-executed solution that exemplifies the fresh Odyssey’s next-level practicality.
Other rear seating highlights include a roomy, three-person third row with improved outward visibility (good for combatting car sickness), and LATCH accommodations for up to five child safety seats.
Smartphone-Inspired Infotainment System | All-New
Honda’s all-new infotainment system features a tile-based user interface with tap, swipe, pinch and zoom functionality. You can organize the tiles however you like, and there’s a favorites bar into which you can put three tiles/apps for effortless access at any time. In brief, it’s as familiar as your smartphone. It’s also impressively responsive, an area in which some other such systems have fallen down. Swiping inbetween screens is rapid and sleek. Pinching and zooming, too. In combination with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, Honda’s fresh system hit all the right notes in our very first duo days with it.
CabinWatch and CabinTalk | All-New
At the touch of a button the driver can broadcast his or her voice through the rear speakers and headsets to more clearly, securely and calmly convey the message of the moment. The Odyssey also offers an in-cabin camera that displays the activity in back on the touchscreen up front (sibling harassment victims everywhere are hoping for an instant replay function that could help prove their cases in “he/she embarked it” debates). The camera is placed in such a way that you can even see extra-little ones in their rear-facing car seats and confirm yet again, just to be sure, that your fresh bundle of joy is indeed still breathing.
Built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi | All-New
Pay a monthly fee for a built-in cellular data connection and you can turn the Odyssey into a Wi-Fi hotspot and stream movie content to the rear seat entertainment system at the shove of a button. Most such functionalities can also be run through most connected smartphones, but a built-in, always-on connection makes it even lighter. In addition to a Ten.2-inch high-resolution screen and DVD/Blu-ray player, the rear entertainment system features an HDMI input and wall-type power outlet that make it possible — effortless, even — to play Xbox or PlayStation in back or stream programs from an AppleTV or Roku, for example.
CabinControl App | All-New
The Odyssey’s fresh CabinControl app permits passengers to control the front audio system, rear entertainment system and rear climate control right from their smartphones (access is revocable, of course). Passengers can also look up a destination and send it to the vehicle’s navigation system, and everyone can send songs from their phone to a Social Playlist that’s something of a modern, mobile jukebox.
“How Much Further?” | All-New
You know that flight tracker system on airplanes that shows you how far you’ve gone and how much further you have to go? The fresh Odyssey features a similar system accessible via the rear-seat entertainment system. Tied into the vehicle’s navigation system, the “How Much Further?” app counts down time and distance to the destination on an animated screen designed to inform/placate little ones in back.
Standout Sound System
Crisp highs and taut bass aren’t among the top priorities for most minivan shoppers, which is why most Odysseys will be fitted with a modest 150-watt, 7-speaker sound system. The Odyssey Elite, however, features an 11-speaker, 550-watt system that produces what must be the best sound quality we’ve heard in a minivan. Audio engineers love vehicles that suggest a lot of interior space to work with, and it sounds like Honda’s group took total advantage of the Odyssey’s cavernous cabin.
Digital Gauge Cluster
Digital gauge clusters are just commencing to make their way to mainstream models, but vehicles with traditional analog arrangements are already beginning to feel dated by comparison. Combined with the big 8-inch touchscreen standard on all but the entry-level Odyssey LX trim, the Odyssey’s digitally enhanced forward panel makes Honda’s minivan feel more like what we were hoping to be driving in 2018.
Minivans and vacuum cleaners are both about as far from sexy as it gets, but put them together and you have one of the coolest car features on the planet. With the Odyssey’s built-in vacuum you can clean up spilled Goldfish crackers or accumulated debris whenever and wherever the need arises.
Final Initial Analysis
We haven’t even mentioned cool features like the capless fueling, tire-fill assist, hands-free tailgate, walk-away door lock, HondaLink and many others. The fact is, a rolling feature showcase like the all-new two thousand eighteen Honda Odyssey takes many months and thousands of miles to work out entirely. But after a meticulously captivating very first impression, combined with Honda’s reputation for making some of the longest-lasting, most reliable vehicles on the road, we’re convenient calling it the best minivan money can buy.
That’s the view from this sturdy lawn chair, anyway.
Photo Gallery: two thousand eighteen Honda Odyssey Elite
Numbers and Details
How much can the Odyssey tow? Which trim level should I buy? Can it indeed bring peace to our morning commute? Some of those questions can be answered below, others will require further research.
$30,930 (all prices listed here include $940 destination charge)
280-horsepower Trio.5-liter V6
9-speed automatic transmission
Bluetooth and USB phone connectivity
Power driver’s seat
Auto climate control
Note: Honda says the LX will only account for about five percent of sales, and we’d steer you away from it. For an extra $Four,000 the EX includes many more safety and convenience features, as you’ll see below.
Magic Slide second-row seats
8-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Honda Sensing suite of driver assist and safety technologies
Power sliding doors
Remote-sensing keyless entry with walk-away auto lock
Integrated second-row sunshades
Heated front seats
Leather seats and steering wheel
Navigation system with voice recognition and digital traffic
Ten.2-inch rear entertainment screen with Blu-ray/DVD player, HDMI interface and built-in streaming apps
10-speed automatic transmission
Front and rear parking sensors
Built-in 4G LTE wireless capability
550-watt, 11-speaker premium audio system
Wireless phone charger
Blue ambient LED interior lighting
Ventilated (and heated) front seats
Engine: Three.5-liter V6
Transmission: 9-speed auto, 10-speed auto (Touring and Elite)
Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive
Horsepower: two hundred eighty hp @ 6,000 rpm
Torque: two hundred sixty two lb-ft @ Four,700 rpm
Fuel Economy: twenty two mpg combined (Nineteen city, twenty eight highway)
Towing Capacity: Three,000 lbs, Three,500 lbs (Touring and Elite)
Curb Weight: Four,353 lbs (LX) to Four,593 lbs (Elite)
Turning Diameter: 39.64 feet
Wheelbase: 118.1 inches
Length: 203.Two inches
Height: 68.Three inches
Width: 78.Five inches
The two thousand eighteen Honda Odyssey is the newest and greatest minivan on the market right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone. The Chrysler Pacifica’s Stow ‘n’ Go seats can be very useful for some families — there’s even a fresh plug-in hybrid version of the Pacifica — and the Toyota Sienna remains the only minivan available with all-wheel drive. Check out our Minivan Buyer’s Guide to become an instant pro on all your choices.
More Fresh and Redesigned Models for 2018