Honda has ramped up the Odyssey offering in 2014 by adding family oriented bells and whistles. We got a chance to drive it recently and I must say it is a far cry from the 'commercial vehicle' moniker it retained up until 2013. Now the focus seems to have shifted to the more lucrative 'family camper' category and it is indeed the way forward for Odyssey.

Style

Let's not go overboard here; this was a minivan and it still is a minivan. Honda seems to have done whatever it could to make an MPV look more stylish. As you can see above, the 4th generation 2014 Odyssey has subtle exterior style changes compared to the 2013 Odyssey. The main difference here is a slightly lower and wider look, giving it a more 'SUV' like flavor. LED taillights (standard on all trims) and a more aggressive grille help too steer it in that direction. Front fog lamps with chrome are a nice touch. Best part are the color options. I love the Obsidian Blue and thankfully the pale brown option is gone forever! Sadly, the sliding doors are still here and I recommend getting rid of them for actual doors.

Interior

Step inside and you can almost be forgiven for thinking it's Honda Pilot! Apart from the extra space, most of the look and feel is similar to a Honda Pilot, at least this is what I felt after driving the Odyssey Touring and having driven the Pilot Touring earlier. This is not necessarily a bad thing as Honda Pilot is quite family friendly and this is exactly why the Odyssey Touring has been given the same feel. Toyota Previa, a lower priced rival has it's work cut out as there are hardly any MPVs that can match the interior facilities being provided by Odyssey Touring in it's price range. Kia Carnival is the only real rival but it's interior finishing is not as good as the Odyssey.

Material and Finishing

The EXL and Touring trims are much more family focused especially in the materials department. Both trims come with leather seats and leather covered steering wheels. The Touring comes with an additional leather gear shift knob. The dashboard and trim finishing is not in the same league as say Chevrolet Suburban but it's still pretty ok for families on a budget.

Features and Options

Standard features on all trims include power adjustable door mirrors, cruise and audio controls on steering wheel, Bluetooth, Intelligent Multi Informational Display, Active Noise Control technology and electrically multi-adjustable seats in 1st, second and third row. All safety features are common on all trims, including front, side and side curtain airbags, front active headrests, 3 point seatbelts for all seats, ABS, EBD and Vehicle Stability Assist and ISOFIX child seat support.

Honestly, don't even consider LX trim with a family. For families, the EXL and Touring are the only realistic options. The EXL trim additionally gets power sliding doors (a necessity for a family), electric sunroof, rear view camera, push button start / stop, Honda Lane Watch (a right side view camera to eliminate blindspots), cooler box and integrated sunshades. Additional family features include front and rear parking sensors and outside temperature gauge.

So what do you need to keep kids quiet in the back as you enjoy a scenic trip to Salalah in Oman? Rear Entertainment, check. Wide angle rearview camera? Done. Arabic enabled navigation system? You got it. Add to that a premium sound system with 12 speakers and you have a solid family camper. The top range Touring grade has all these additional options.

There are some issues though. The rear entertainment camera flips down from the roof and once it does, it blocks the rear view to a large extent. Also, the electric sunroof is too small, in my opinion. For the next Odyssey, I recommend keeping the rear entertainment screens behind the front seats and having a large panoramic sunroof which the kids would love.

Interior Space

Honda Odyssey is a very spacious 8 seater with plenty of legroom in third row as well and good boot space with all seats upright. Yes, the image above is 3rd row, many MPV's don't have that kind of space. Compared to Honda Pilot, the Odyssey has a 225mm longer wheelbase. Compared to rivals, Toyota Previa and Kia Carnival, it's wheelbase of 3,000 mm is best among them. With 60:40 split ratio and multi level adjustment facilities, space is abundant for passengers and cargo.

Drive Performance

Engine and Power

With a standard 3.5 V6 engine, the Odyssey generates 250 horses and 343 Nm of torque which honestly is what a large MPV should have if you need a half decent experience on the road with a family. Get on the highway, switch on cruise control and enjoy the DVDs.

Handling and Suspension

Despite being a V6, don't expect the drive to be similar to a V6 SUV or a sedan. Honda Pilot has the same engine yet the drive feel is completely different. The Odyssey is longer and lower so this is an out and out cruiser with noticeable body roll all round. The Strut suspension in front ensures a smooth comfotable ride for the most part.

One negative aspect of the Odyssey drive experience is the frontal visibility. It is very hard to know what's going on in front, even after adjusting the seat height to it's maximum. This means while making turns you have to be extra cautious as you don't know how close the front bumper is to the curb or wall. The Touring grade comes with front sensors but they are not enough. I recommend having a front view camera to fix this issue since I spent quite a bit of time manuevering the Odyssey out of parking lots!

Fuel Consumption and Transmission

One of the best aspects of the Odyssey and Pilot is the Variable Cylinder Management system. Basically if you drive like a good boy, the engine will use only three cylinders instead of six, saving fuel in the process. The 6 speed automatic transmission also helps in retaining efficiency. In our test the average fuel consumption was around 12 L / 100 km which is quite ok for a minivan.

Verdict

This is a great minivan for families. It does not have the comforts of American family campers but it comes close. The fuel consumption is decent, the engine is powerful enough. The price for Touring is 170,000 AED which is overpriced compared to Kia Carnival (100,000 AED) or Toyota Previa (129,000 AED). Yes, the equipment of Odyssey is better compared to both rivals but still the price seems a bit steep.

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