While the original model started with hinge doors and low horsepower, the current version offers a range of features and comforts to maximize passenger comfort and enjoyment while driving.
Honda Odyssey has undergone 5 generations of updates and improvements. While the original model started with hinge doors and low horsepower, the current version offers a range of features and comforts to maximize passenger comfort and enjoyment while driving.
Honda Odyssey: Overview of the model
The Honda Odyssey offers significant seating for up to eight passengers and a large storage compartment that can accommodate my large, unfortunate number of items. This means is the pinnacle of minivans.
Drivers often compare the Odyssey to other Honda options, such as the Pilot, but tend to notice that the Odyssey offers more gadgets. For example, the Odyssey has a second row of removable seats to accommodate more cargo, Motor Trend said.
Honda Odyssey Generation
The Odyssey was the first minivan to be introduced by Honda, according to Autolist. It launched in 1995 and was first built in Japan.
First-generation: 1995 – 1998
The Odyssey was Honda’s first minivan. Honda used the Accord’s platform to build the Odyssey and included many of the same components. The original Odyssey consisted of a 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine with 140 horsepower and a four-level gearbox. Honda updated the engine to the 2.3-litre version of the 150-horsepower car at Cars Direct in 1998.
Unlike most other pickup trucks on the market at the time, the Odyssey’s back door rotated out on the hinge just like traditional car doors rather than sliding. The first-generation Honda Odyssey can sit comfortably for six or seven passengers and has a four-cylinder engine with a four-level gearbox. Additional features include two glove containers, a standalone suspension and the second row of removable seats.
Second generation: 1999 – 2004
Motor Trend mentions that Honda produced the second generation of the Odyssey from 1999 to 2004. This repetition of the update increased engine power by converting the original four-cylinder for the 3.5-litre V-6. Other major changes to the Odyssey include larger sizes and sliding doors on the sides of the car. Production of the first U.S. models was delivered to Canada from Japan and then to Alabama about halfway through the second-generation run. Around the time of moving from Canada to Alabama, Odyssey switched from a 4-level automatic gearbox to a 5-level gearbox.
The second-generation Odyssey is much larger in size than the first generation. The door design shifts from hinge to slide, like a traditional pickup truck in this redesign. The engine size increases with the body. The 210-horsepower six-cylinder 3.5-litre engine replaced the four-cylinder engine available on first-generation models. The original four-speed gearbox was standard for the first three years, but the improved five-speed gearbox with 240 horsepower was first launched on the model in 2002.
Buyers can choose from two levels of decoration: LX and EX. Both types of equipment offer seats for seven passengers as well as electric sliding doors. Additional safety features added in 2002 include:
Traction control
Latch-style anchor hooks for car seats
Anti-lock braking
Airbag collision on the front seat
Third generation: 2005 – 2010
In 2005, Honda launched the third generation of the Odyssey, Auto Evolution noted. It remained in production until 2010. Continuing with previous updates, this iteration again increases in size. Additional features include the option of a second-row central jumping seat to add seats for passengers. This Odyssey can accommodate eight passengers.
The six-cylinder 3.5-litre engine provided 255 horsepower initially but dropped to 244 horsepower starting in 2006. Ex and Touring versions have Honda’s VCM, or variable cylinder management system, which increases fuel efficiency by allowing the Odyssey to run on three, four, or six cylinders if needed. In this iteration, the five-level automatic gearbox is standard for all versions.
Four levels of decoration for the third generation of Odyssey include LX, EX, EX-L and Touring. With seating for eight people and a sliding second row of seats, the cabin is much easier to navigate and configure. Optional features include flat-running tires, electric rear lifting ports, memory seats and adjustable pedals.
Notable features introduced in 2008 include:
Standard side curtain airbags
Stop activating cylinders for high details
Navigate speech recognition
Redesigned user interface
Five-speed automatic
4th generation: 2011-2017
Autolist said the fourth-generation Odyssey, launched in 2011, has received updated exterior styles, including a dynamic front grille, Autolist said. The base model received the same engine, the 3.5-litre V-6 with a five-speed automatic gearbox, but higher levels received a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The fourth-generation Odyssey received a mid-cycle update in 2014, in which all levels of equipment provided a six-level automatic gearbox standard. High decorative models also include a built-in vacuum cleaner. In the 2014 performance tests, the Odyssey acted similarly to the Accord, with whom Odyssey shared a platform. The onboard vacuum cleaner has been collided and can successfully reach all areas of the cabin.
Honda changed its exterior significantly in 2011 with a lower roofline and a wider body. This generation also introduces a new, leading version, Touring Elite. With this version, buyers can choose from a total of 5 versions: LX, EX, EX-L, Touring and Touring Elite.
The most advanced Touring and Touring Elite models offer a six-speed automatic gearbox. Other decorative levels continue with the five-speed automatic gearbox. All versions of the Odyssey continued to use the 248-horsepower 3.5-litre V-6 engine. Honda also added voice-activated navigation for more advanced versions along with the XM Nav navigation system.
Fifth-generation: 2018 – Present
Odyssey is now of the fifth generation. Updates to the 2018 Odyssey model year include the driver’s choice of a 9-level or 10-level automatic gearbox. Ten speeds are available for higher decoration levels such as Touring and Elite. The 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine is improved and offers 280 horsepower, more than previous generations. Like previous generations, the Odyssey now has five levels of decoration.
Five generations of Honda Odyssey have seen many changes and updates, but one thing is always true – the Odyssey is a well-designed car for comfort, safety and convenience.