By NITISH S. RELE – motoringflorida@gmail.com
Believe minivans are dead? Think again! The Chrysler Pacifica sold well over 100,000 units in 2024 closely followed by our test drive, Honda Odyssey, at around 80,000, up from the previous year. Sure, the advent of SUVs put a massive dent in the demand for minivans, but the versatile and practical family-hauler is in no way gasping for air!
Our top-level 2025 Odyssey Elite came with a 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 engine (shared with the Pilot, Passport), which develops a healthy 280 horsepower @ 6000 rpm and 262 pounds-feet of torque @ 4700 rpm. The Variable Cylinder Management system deactivates three or four of the cylinders at lower speeds to enhance the up to eight-passenger vehicle’s fuel efficiency. The engine is mated to a 10-speed auto gearbox, resulting in a noiseless and responsive drivetrain. Suspension handled via a MacPherson strut front and a multilink rear system absorbs road imperfections with little effort. Providing excellent feedback is an electric power rack-and-pinion steering.
Honda has revamped the front fascia of the Odyssey for this year with a new grille, and larger black fog LED lamp surrounds. The well-crafted cabin is airy and comfy as is expected of any minivan, which flaunts an impressive 160.1 cubic feet of space. Get behind the wheel and you will find a clean and attractive 7-inch digital instrument cluster. Oh, and the 12-way power driver and 8-way front passenger perforated leather seats with piping are heated and cooled. A 9-inch infotainment touchscreen sits atop the dashboard through which you can blast off up to 500 watts via 11 speakers. During long family trips, tiny tots in the back can be entertained via a larger 12.8-inch screen. And lest we forget, the CabinWatch feature offers a live video feed of the young ones’ antics! Need easy access to the 60/40 third row, which also can be folded flat? Magic Slide enables the center seat to be removed thereby opening up room to slide the two outboard seats together. Bins and cubbies are scattered throughout the thought-out and top-notch interior. Other goodies include tri-zone auto a/c, heated tilt/telescopic steering column, wireless phone charger, second- and third-row sunshades, power sliding side doors and moon roof, and sunglasses holder.
Standard safety features are dual front and side airbags, driver and front-passenger knee airbags, side curtain airbag with rollover sensor, vehicle stability assist with traction control, four-wheel antilock brakes with electronic brake distribution, rearview camera, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation brake, lane keep assist/departure warning, blind spot info with cross traffic monitor, side-impact door beams, front-seat active head restraints, front/rear parking sensors, tire pressure monitoring system and daytime running lights.
If you are looking for a more-than-substantial mix of people-hauling practicality, plentiful cargo capacity and car-like handling, head over to your local dealer to test-drive the 2025 Odyssey. It may not be a “cool” pick, but this is one decision you won’t regret!
ODYSSEY (ELITE)
Tires: 235/55R19
Wheelbase: 118.1 inches
Length: 205.2 inches
Height: 69.6 inches
Width: 78.5 inches
Weight: 4,590 pounds
Fuel capacity: 19.5 gallons
City/hwy/comb: 19/28/22 mpg
Base price: $50,880
Price as tested: $52,730
Web site: www.honda.com
