By Karl Peskett.
Drive around south-east Asia and you’ll come across two kinds of people movers. There are the cool ones – sleek, low, blacked out windows, neons underneath and blinged up wheels. Then there are the purely functional devices, the uncool ones – plain, white, tiny wheels and effectively acting like taxis for families.
The Honda Odyssey definitely fits into the former category. Straight off the showroom floor, it doesn’t need any extra done to it and it already looks cool. Forget the neons, the dark tint and the booming subwoofers, the Odyssey has plenty of personality without doing a thing.
Just have a look at it. The angular front end, the swooping roof line, the lashings of chrome and big wheels – yes, it has a job to do, but it’s not so serious that it can’t enjoy itself.
The Odyssey goes up against the Kia Carnival, Toyota Tarago, LDV G10 and Hyundai iMax, and we’re sure you’ll agree that it’s definitely the best looking of the lot. And that’s before you step inside.
Thankfully we had plenty of running around to do in the week we collected our test vehicle, and we had six people on board the whole time. Two of them were elderly, which meant that it was the perfect test for getting in and out.
Compared with an SUV, the Odyssey has a much lower side sill, and there’s also a grab handle for the rear passengers, so it makes entry and exit very easy. Not only that but the side doors slide open rather than swing open, so even in tight parking spots you can get in and out simply.
Entry to the third row is quite good, with the second row sliding forward enough for most folks to step in behind the forward-folded seats to settle in the back. Two adults will fit in the third row, but you can also have a small child in between (or even three kids in the back) thanks to an extra seatbelt which comes down from the ceiling. And if you don’t want the third row, it easily stows away under the boot floor.
The second row is by far the place to be when you’re in an Odyssey. The two seats are captains chairs which both have armrests that fold down on each side, and if you’re not on friendly terms, you can slide them sidewards away from each other, creating a walk-through in the centre. The padding is excellent and the leather is very nice as well.
The front seats also get armrests, creating a snug, cockpit-like ambience and with a centre console that slides up and outwards, there’s a handy place to put your mobile phone with a hidden pair of cupholders underneath.
Then, went you want some more room, you can put it away, giving you space between the seats to store a bag or long items.
It’s quite a flexible interior being either a four seater or a seven seater, and the build quality is up to typical Honda standards as well. The infotainment system isn’t quite as modern as it needs to be, though, with no Apple Car Play or Android Auto. You can connect an iPhone 5 or later, using a specific cable and then you can operate Siri voice commands, but for most people the Bluetooth streaming should be enough. We’d also like to see DAB as standard, and the sat-nav is a bit tricky to figure out as well.
While we’re on the topic of bugbears, we noticed that the tailgate isn’t electric, while the sliding doors are. That means as the driver, you can open the sliding doors for the elderly passengers but you have to get out to get their bags from the boot. If the tailgate was electric, the driver could stay in the vehicle while everyone else got their gear out, then the driver could shut all the doors themselves. First world problems, apparently…
So how does it drive? Fairly well, but there are some flaws. The engine is fine if you’re just loping around the city, but ask it to move briskly and the CVT transmission makes the engine flare and it buzzes its way to the redline, not seeming particularly smooth.
The engine is Honda’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol, but there are no turbochargers in sight, so there isn’t a huge amount of torque – sort of a prerequisite for people movers. With 129kW and 225Nm, you can tell that when seven people are aboard, it’s going to take some time to get to the national limit.
Then there’s the suspension, which on the VTi-L’s 17-inch wheels should give a nice comfortable ride. Instead, it gets a bit thumpy over broken or rough surfaces and the road noise is also noticeable as well.
Thankfully, the steering has enough feedback and the Odyssey actually handles better than you’d expect from a people mover.
The Odyssey is a nice machine, with plenty of included equipment, great seats and enough room. It’s also the best looking MPV around. The drive experience lets it down somewhat, though.
If it’s a smooth ride you’re after, we’d suggest going with the Carnival, but if you’re happy to endure the crashy springs, then the Odyssey rewards with admirable styling, plenty of storage and the best seats you can get in this category.
Just don’t put any neons on it, please.
