Honda Odyssey 2.4 (A) Review

Introduction and Exterior
Over the years, the Honda Odyssey had taken on a range of different body styles. Initially in 1994, the car was launched as a tall large family MPV. Between 2004 and 2013, it adopted a sleeker, low-slung body that made it one of the most attractive looking MPVs on our roads.

However in 2014, the latest fifth generation Odyssey saw Honda ditching the sleek body for a more conventional boxy body similar to its earliest predecessors. Honda wanted a piece of Toyota’s success in the luxury people carrier market from their highly popular Estima and Alphard/Vellfire MPVs, and with Honda’s own Elysion already out of production, the Odyssey had to grow to compete with Toyota’s offerings.

The latest Odyssey looks aggressive – it’s anything but plain and conservative. We were both apprehensive about the new styling direction when we first saw pictures of the new Odyssey, but after seeing the car in person, its looks have grown on us. We like it.

The large shiny grille dominates the nose, a common trend amongst Japanese cars of late. Despite the boxy shape, Honda’s designers have kept the inclined bonnet and windscreen and done their best at hiding the slab-sided profile of the car.

A crease stretches from the front door to the rear bumpers, which becomes extremely pronounced over the rear wheel arch. This rather characterful crease, together with the sloping roofline, gives the car a sleeker appearance despite the van-like proportions.

Around the back, the horizontal light clusters together with the license plate area forms an inverted trapezoid with a V-shape, creating an illusory effect that diverts attention away from the car’s width.

Interior
With a bigger body, the fifth generation Odyssey has also gained a pair of sliding doors and a much roomier interior. Two different seating arrangements are available – the eight-seater model will see the middle row occupied by a bench seat for three, while the seven-seater variant will see two luxurious cradle seats occupying the middle row.

The dashboard has been refreshed to match the sharp exterior too. The infotainment system is now housed within the dash, and the climate controls updated to digital touch sensitive unit that brings the car bang up to date.

The new cradle ottoman middle row seats are fabulously plush and comfortable. They’re large and offer a plenty of support as well as adjustments. The seat back not only adjusts for tilt, the upper seat back is independently adjustable for angle too, a feature usually seen only in higher end luxury sedans like the Audi A8L.

Despite the comfortable middle row seats, access to the last row through the wide central corridor is easy, and space is generous no matter which you’re on. Even with the last row seats up, the boot offers a capacious 330 litres, and more than double that with them folded into the low boot floor. The third row seats require only a modicum of effort to fold and unfold.

For families and for VIP transport, the Odyssey’s practical and spacious interior is a virtue hard to overlook. Coupled to the premium materials and high quality of fit and finish, the new Odyssey is just about right up there with Toyota’s offerings.

Drive
Despite sharing the same engine capacity as its predecessor, the new Odyssey uses a brand new 2.4-litre Earth Dreams i-VTEC engine that produces 190bhp and 237Nm. Power is transferred to the wheels via Honda’s Earth Dreams CVT gearbox.

The engine is perky at higher revs, and pulls strongly without fuss even when fully loaded with passengers. Surprisingly, the CVT gearbox responds better than many other CVT boxes from other manufacturers. We measured consumption to be about 11km/L during our time with it, fairly light consumption for a car this heavy and large.

The Odyssey’s taut suspension copes well even when fully loaded, and steers convincingly and predictably without too much body roll. We are glad to report that there is none of the woolliness that plagues many other Japanese MPVs, and the latest Odyssey is still an MPV that handles.

Conclusion
Honda’s gamble by adopting a van-like body with sliding doors comes at the risk of losing the car’s traditional customer base, people looking for a sleek MPV that doesn’t look like a van.

However, there is no doubt that the latest Odyssey is a practical and fine people carrier, and one that is still different from its competitors. With such virtues, the fifth-generation Honda Odyssey is a very competent MPV deserving of the success its predecessors had.

Car review sponsored by: Zion Auto

Credits: Oneshift Editorial Team