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Michael SimariCar and Driver
For families with young children, particularly three or more of them, a minivan is the obvious choice. In fact, other than a jumbo SUV such as a Chevrolet Suburban or Ford Expedition Max, both of which are far more expensive, it’s practically the only three-row vehicle that has a generous amount of cargo space when its third row is in use.
That’s partially why Honda sees minivan sales staying strong, despite the declines of most other non-SUV segments. That seems to be the consensus opinion, as Toyota is about to launch a new Sienna this year—now offered only as a hybrid—Chrysler is substantially updating the Pacifica and adding all-wheel drive, and Kia is readying an all-new Sedona.
For 2021, the fifth-generation Odyssey, which launched for the 2018 model year, gets a light overhaul. The front end is now a cleaner execution, with a chrome strip that runs across the top of the grille rather than dipping down through the middle of it and back up either side. The rear end trades a chrome spear between the taillights for a gloss-black one with a small chrome inlay, and there are new wheel designs. Starting with the 2020 model year, all Odysseys get Honda’s excellent 10-speed automatic transmission, and as before, they’re powered by a 280-hp V-6 and are front-wheel-drive only.
That means, not surprisingly, this 2021 Odyssey turned in similar test numbers to our 2018 long-term example, accelerating to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, stopping from 70 mph in 182 feet, and hanging on for 0.76 g on the skidpad. The Pacifica offers higher-grip tires and less overbearing stability-control programming, but the Odyssey is the swiftest-accelerating and best-driving kid shuttle. It’s also the quietest when cruising at 70 mph.
The most noticeable change while driving the 2021 Odyssey is its brake pedal feel, as the stroke of the previously soft pedal has been shortened by 20 percent. Although the brakes never had an issue in actually delivering stopping power, the new setup feels more confidence inspiring. Also, the adaptive-cruise system can now handle stop-and-go driving, rather than shutting down below about 20 mph. But we found the new system to be slightly too abrupt on the brakes when it initially sensed a car ahead.
While not necessarily the point of minivans, superior dynamics has been a longstanding thread through the Odyssey’s lineage, one that we champions of driving have celebrated time and time again. But the real duking it out in this segment involves the one-upmanship of practicality and features that we (reluctantly) admit probably matter more to the majority of buyers.
For example, the Sienna has been the sole purveyor of an all-wheel-drive option for some time, but Chrysler is adding that to the Pacifica for 2021. Assistant vice president of Honda’s product planning, Gary Robinson, says that they’ve also studied adding all-wheel drive but weren’t happy with the required compromises to rear-seat space and believe it’s a niche desire among minivan shoppers. Our opinion is that snow-state buyers would be better off mounting a set of good winter tires than opting for all-wheel drive, anyway.
Chrysler must think Honda was on to something with its CabinWatch rear-seat video feed that debuted in the 2018 Odyssey, as the Pacifica is adding a similar feature for 2021. The latest Odyssey gains a rear-seat-reminder feature, something that’s spreading across the market, but with a slight twist: The Odyssey automatically switches on the rear-seat camera when the warning pops up, so you can give the rear-seat area a quick visual without even turning your head.
There remain five Odyssey trim levels, from the $32,910 LX to the top $48,940 Elite like our test car, which has very few stand-alone options. The price of most trims are up by $400 for 2021, with the only exception being the Touring model, which drops by $2560 and loses the built-in vacuum and hands-free power liftgate. At $43,620, the 2021 Touring model is now positioned more equally between the EX-L and Elite. Also, half of the eight available paint colors now cost $395 extra.
The Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features is now standard on the Odyssey’s base LX model, making it present on every model, as is becoming the norm with Hondas and in general. EX trims and above get new multicolor floor mats that better hide dirt, an issue near and dear to every minivan owner with small children. Elite models also get piping around all three rows of its leather seats to make them look more luxurious, and EX-Ls and above get contrast stitching and a lumbar adjustment for the front-passenger seat. But that seat still lacks a height adjustment.
There are also a handful of small, smart additions. The back of the third-row seats now have hooks for grocery bags, and there’s a little spot to run a phone-charging cord up and out of the center console so it doesn’t get pinched when the lid’s closed. There’s also a new USB port in the third row (on Touring and Elite models only), mimicking the Pacifica, which brings the total to five.
By a small margin the Odyssey has the most second- and third-row space amongst minivans, and the seats in all three rows are comfortable for even taller adults. The Odyssey retains its second-row seats that slide fore and aft as well as side to side. The seatbacks on the second-row buckets now have pockets on the back and fold flat to make them less awkward to remove, while also enabling additional storage possibilities with them installed. But they’re still heavy and clumsy to take out. The Pacifica’s fold-into-the-floor second-row Stow ‘n Go seats are an incredibly compelling feature for those who regularly switch between maximum people and cargo hauling.
Competition benefits buyers, and the 2021 Odyssey is but the first of what surely will be several new excellent choices for those in need of seriously versatile passenger and cargo space. Long live the minivan.
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Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com
