New for 2020: Honda has revealed the 2021 Odyssey which will hit the markets late this year. Though aesthetically, the new 2021 Honda Odyssey is more or less a nip and tuck job, it does receive some decent upgrades in terms of equipment. The Honda Sensing is now standard across the entire lineup. This includes features like emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control as well. Honda has also added Pedestrian emergency braking to the mix.
Another safety feature is the rear seat reminder that warns the driver to check the rear seats before disembarking. Touring and Elite trims even add a visual from the CabinWatch system to the infotainment screen. Other updates include a flat-folding second-row seatbacks that free up more cargo space. While not as versatile as Chrysler’s stow and go feature, it is a useable upgrade.
Aesthetically, the face is now much less polarizing. The wider headlamps flank a rather simple black grille crowned by a singular chrome strip. The bumpers and air intakes have also been redesigned.
The last time the Odyssey received an upgrade was with the debut of the fifth generation. It received a slew of new features like a full safety suite as standard, a touchscreen infotainment system, a driver voice projection system that lets the driver interact with the rear passengers through the speakers and even a rear camera to keep an eye on the occupants. But the defining feature of the Odyssey has to be the sliding captain seats. The previous generation Odyssey came with Wide Mode that allowed the rear bench to be pulled apart to accommodate three child seats. Now, Honda has taken it a step further. With the middle bench removed, the captain seats can slide sideways for up to 12.9 inches with a child seat attached.
The Odyssey has been sold in the US for over two decades. In that time, through numerous generation changes the 3.5-liter V6 has remained a constant to the Odyssey. The Honda minivan has also always featured an automatic transmission. The number of ratios, however, have always increased generation over generation. The Odyssey came with a nine-speed auto until 2019 which was swapped out for the updated 10-speed unit for the 2020 model year.
The Odyssey’s styling is polarizing, but we have to give credit to Honda for lending a box-on-wheels some visual interest. What’s less in dispute is the Odyssey’s status as the most entertaining minivan to drive thanks to its well-sorted chassis and powertrain.