More than a family hauler, with unparalleled utility
ROAD TEST: 2018 HONDA ODYSSEY TOURING
A 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan transported my wife and two young sons for almost 10 years. For a young family, the van was ideal, ferrying everything from bicycles and lumber, to lots of little ones. It also carried so many dreams on road trips, the longest through a tornado in a March break drive from Ottawa to Florida and back. While the Odyssey wasn’t perfect, suffering its share of problems now and then, the van lived up to its namesake: My boys grew up seeing lots of this world through the windows of that silver box.
The rear windows in that 2002 Odyssey didn’t open as they do in the 2018 Honda Odyssey Touring I just drove. Nor did that old van warn me when someone was in the blind spot. The old van had no backup camera, no heated seats, no collision intervention, no tire pressure monitor, no automated cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic wipers or auto headlamps like the new model. How did we ever survive?
The Odyssey is now light years ahead of the first- generation model of 1994, now much more than a family hauler with an unparalleled level of utility. Today, the fifth- gen Odyssey is as sophisticated as any vehicle on the road, especially in the top-line Touring model, complete with eyes to watch the outside as well as cameras within to watch the little people with CabinWatch (works even in the dark) and a PA system to yell at them (CabinTalk), if they aren’t already preoccupied watching a movie from the 10.2- inch overhead screen. And it can still seat eight somewhat comfortably. Cargo space behind the third row remains usable, a deep well housing the third row seats when folded flat.
The new Odyssey looks good, too. It still blurts hockey mom, but does so with a sexier flourish, highlighted by two- tone 19- inch wheels, LED headlamps and fogs, and crab-claw LED taillamps in the Touring, the top line of six trims.
And the Touring drives supremely well. The solidity of its predecessors is still present, but a 44- per- cent more- rigid body structure over the fourth- gen makes the new Odyssey feel much tighter and more sound, although some squeaks, rattles and noises marred the ride. Around town, the van can be almost as quiet as an electric.
Handling is excellent, the big cube taking to bends and corners far better than any minivan ever has. Electric steering is a tad light, with less- than- accurate tracking, but it’s easy to wheel about.
Step on the throttle and there’s plenty of growl from the revised, 3.5- l i tre V6. And there’s plenty of accel- eration, too, at the low- and mid- ranges. Now with 280 horsepower and 262 lb- ft of torque, the front-wheel-drive Odyssey will hit 98 km/ h in 6.6 seconds, according to Car & Driver. That’s quick for something that isn’t a sports car. And it comes with paddle shifters!
Such considerable torque will tug at the steering wheel under full acceleration, but it’s good to have this plethora of power. The Odyssey never feels underpowered. With a 10- speed automatic, the marriage of engine and transmission is the best the Odyssey has ever seen. Shifts don’t hunt or linger, they just snap, snap, snap through the gears. It’s an excellent powertrain, and returned a fuel economy average of 16 L/ 100 kilometres in a week of extreme cold with lots of idling. The long- term average was 14.6.
Some fuel is preserved through the i-VTEC’s cylinder deactivation, which was never noticed. Neither was auto-stop, which shuts down the engine at long stops to save fuel. During our week, auto-stop never engaged because it was so cold the van needed power to keep itself warm. Which it was, always, but the i nterior fan was loud, even when warmed up. The heat in the front seats was fabulous, and the heated steering wheel was, of course, divine, except the small light to show the heated wheel was on only worked intermittently. And the rear seats do not have heat, odd in a van that costs $ 52,150 before taxes. The front seats in the Touring do get a ventilating function for summer.
Those middle- row seats are unique, in that either of the outer seats can slide into the middle port, as well as sliding fore and aft to make entry to the way, way back easier or to accept more cargo. Just don’t try to remove those middle seats, as they’re heavy and bulky. At least the tailgate opens automatically or with the jiggle of a foot. Transporting eight people over the holidays, no one complained about space, even the lanky teens in the third row, two of whom noted how cool the van looked inside. Teenagers noting a minivan is hip? Honda, you’re onto something.
Indeed, the interior is far out, brah, with lots of configurable, easy- to- clean centre storage, 15 cup holders, a wireless charging pad and ambient lighting to go with a well-designed array of buttons and switches. The transmission is also controlled by buttons, which are oddly shaped, especially reverse. While their engagement is simple, the PRND interface is just weird. And the driver’s seat needs more horizontal and vertical adjustment.
The main audio display that controls many of the van’s functions couldn’t have been easier, though, even if the seven- inch display lacks a secondary tuning knob to go with the volume knob. The screen also gets tarnished with fingerprints, but the interface for mapping, phone, audio, climate, vehicle settings and other functions is blessedly easy.
“Easy” certainly is a central theme of the 2018 Odyssey. And when life gets difficult with the arrival of children, a van that simplifies things is almost as precious as the cargo it carries.