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The 2023 Honda Odyssey is still class-leading thanks to its stylish exterior, spacious cabin and refined ride. Our favourite feature of the Odyssey was the 2nd-row seating configuration which allows you to remove the middle seat and move the other seats together or keep them separate. The cabin watch and cabin talk feature on our tester were also greatly appreciated as they allow you to see your 2nd and 3rd-row passengers through the infotainment display and speak with them through the cabin intercom.
The lack of a hybrid model and no power folding 3rd-row seats were disappointing. However, if you can do without those, the Odyssey is a solid choice when shopping for a reliable and spacious minivan.
All trims come with a 3.5L V6 engine that produces 280 horsepower and is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The V6 does a good job moving this minivan and never feels weak, it took us 7.8 seconds to reach 100km/h from a standstill which isn’t bad for a minivan. Merging onto the highway or overtaking other cars is fairly easy and doesn’t require too much throttle. The 10-speed automatic transmission does a great job at providing smooth shifts and is always in the right gear. We weren’t big fans of the engine stop-start system but thankfully this feature can be disabled.
The Odyssey is hands down one of the best-driving minivans on the market, the steering wheel feels light and it handles well in the corners. It doesn’t drive like a three-row minivan, rather something smaller would be the best way to describe its driving characteristics.
You buy a minivan for its space and practicality, and the Odyssey provides just that. The cabin feels open and spacious, with a lot of storage space in the front. It gets even better in the second row thanks to the removal middle seat and slidable seats that take versatility to the next level. Once you remove the middle seat, you can slide the other seats from left to right for optimal passenger comfort and easy access to third-row seating. The Odyssey also has the roomiest third-row in the class and most adults should have no issues with legroom.
The leather seats in the Odyssey are comfortable and good for road trips. The driver seat in our tester had 12-way power adjustment including 4-way power lumbar support while the front passenger seat had 8-way power adjustment with 4-way power lumbar support. At night, you get blue ambient lighting across the instrument panel, in the front door handles, and footwell.
The tri-zone automatic climate control comes with an air-filtration system and works great at keeping the cabin comfortable. On the touring trim, you also get heated/ventilated seats which are much appreciated in the winter/summer months.
Another area where the Odyssey shines is the ride quality. It has a comfortable ride and does a great job of absorbing bumps on the road. We were also impressed with how quiet the Odyssey was on the highway with road and wind noise kept to a minimum.
The Odyssey might not be class-leading in terms of tech, but it still offers a lot. The cabin is well-connected thanks to the cabin watch and cabin talk feature, which allow you to see what’s going on in the 2nd and 3rd rows through the infotainment display and speak with them through the cabin intercom. You can do all of this without ever having to turn back which is a major win when it comes to safety and convenience.
All Odysseys come with an 8″ touchscreen infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. We have always been fans of Honda’s UI thanks to its simplicity. However, we did notice a little bit of lag when interacting with the touchscreen.
Honda excels at offering safety and driver-assist technologies even on the base models. The Honda Odyssey Touring comes with:
When it comes to cargo space and storage, there aren’t many vehicles better than a minivan. There is 929 L of cargo volume behind the third row thanks to a deep storage well. With the third-row seats down, there is 2452 L of cargo volume and with the second-row seats down, you get 3973 L of cargo volume.
There is also ample storage space for smaller items in the front, thanks to a large compartment in front of the gear shift and the deep center armrest bin.
The Odyssey might not be the most fuel-efficient in the segment, however, the fuel efficiency is average for a minivan. The Odyssey is rated at 12.2 L City and 8.5 L highway with 10.6 L/100km combined. In our test, we averaged 10.9 L/100km with both city and highway driving.
Honda also offers an ECON drive mode which works well and can help you save more at the pump, but you will notice a little decrease in performance.
Umer Junejo is an entrepreneur, writer, and lifelong car enthusiast. Umer founded Lease Marketplace in 2020 with the purpose of helping consumers find the best deals on the vehicles they want. By consolidating lease offers from various automakers, Lease Marketplace is a one-stop shop for customers exploring lease deals.