2021 Honda Odyssey Reviews, Pricing & Specs

With a styling theme that dates back a decade, the 2021 Honda Odyssey has a familiar look that has been tweaked for the new model year. The grille and front bumper are new, every trim level gets standard LED headlights with automatic high-beam operation, and a new gloss black spear with a chrome insert stretching the width of the taillights. A new 19-inch wheel design also debuts for the Touring trim level. Essentially, these minor modifications serve to modernize the Odyssey by reducing brightwork.

Buyers select from four trim levels: EX-RES, EX-L Navi, EX-L RES, and Touring. Base pricing ranges from $44,645 to $55,845 (including MSRP plus a $1,840 destination charge), and Honda has decided that if you want your new 2021 Odyssey painted in any colour but grey or silver, you’ll need to pay $300 extra.

Our test vehicle was Lunar Silver Metallic and came with U.S.-exclusive Elite trim, which is roughly equivalent to the Honda Odyssey Touring available in Canada. The new-for-2021 perforated leather upholstery with contrast stitching and piping shown here is offered in Canada’s Touring trim, as is the new dashboard ambient lighting, for a decidedly upscale look and feel. Most 2021 Odyssey models get seating material and design improvements this year, and new tri-colour floor mats better hide the dirt that inevitably befouls a minivan.

With its handsome new 19-inch alloy wheels with Shark Gray paint and machined surfaces, toned-down chrome, and a more luxe interior, the Odyssey Touring is closer than ever to credibly serving as the Acura of minivans.

Equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission powering the front wheels, the 2021 Honda Odyssey’s drivetrain is identical to last year’s model. The engine makes 280 horsepower, and the transmission includes Normal, Sport, Eco, and Snow driving modes as well as a set of paddle shifters that few people will use.

Supplying smooth, effortless power, this V6 and automatic transmission are a terrific combination. The engine includes variable cylinder management, a fuel-saving technology that allows it to operate on fewer cylinders under certain driving conditions, thereby conserving fuel. Natural Resources Canada says the 2021 Odyssey should use 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving, and we averaged 10.8 L/100 km on our testing loop.

All-wheel drive (AWD) is unavailable. With both Chrysler and Toyota offering AWD in their 2021 model-year minivans, this puts the front-wheel-drive (FWD) Odyssey at a disadvantage in Canada where snow and ice are a regular occurrence.

Honda has, however, added a new electronic brake booster to the 2021 Odyssey, saying that it supports a new stop-and-go low-speed following capability for the adaptive cruise control in heavy traffic situations. The company also claims improved brake pedal feel and response and, based on our driving, that is true.

Historically the most enjoyable vehicle in its segment to drive, the Odyssey behaves like other Hondas in that its ride and handling qualities, while not overtly sporty, nevertheless contribute to a pleasurable experience from behind the steering wheel. The steering is perfectly weighted, the ride is on the firm side but not uncomfortable, and body motions are expertly managed. The Touring trim’s 19-inch wheels with a more aggressive tire also help in the handling department, as well as the aforementioned brake modulation upgrades.

However, as was true of last year’s Odyssey, the brakes do not withstand much in the way of abuse. Tested during a heatwave, they quickly heated up, and began to rumble and vibrate, and ultimately suffered a bit of fade while coming down a mountain grade. Given the number of passengers and amount of cargo the Odyssey is designed to carry, a braking component upgrade appears to be in order.

When you get into the Honda Odyssey, you’ll enjoy legible instrumentation, logical controls, and lots of storage. There isn’t a tuning knob for the stereo, which is difficult to understand, and on more than one occasion, I pressed the wrong transmission gear button and lifted my foot off of the brake pedal only to have the Odyssey creep forward.

A 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat is standard in all but the base trim level. The seat is mighty comfortable and includes inboard adjustable armrests. Heated front seats and outboard mirrors are standard in Canada, and the EX-L Navi trim includes a heated steering wheel while ventilated front seats are included with the Touring grade. All that’s missing is a greater range of height adjustment.

At least the driver gets a height adjuster, which is missing from the front passenger’s seat. For what it’s worth, passengers riding there didn’t complain about this omission because thigh support is good and the seat doesn’t make its occupant feel like he or she is sitting too low in relation to the dashboard and side window glass.

Storage space is excellent, as is expected of a minivan. However, the Touring’s wireless smartphone charger does take up some room on the centre console’s top tray. Even the front doors have shelves to make extra space for various items.

All Odysseys include Honda’s Magic Slide second-row seat layout. Two outboard captain’s chairs slide forward and back and side to side, and a middle section adds three-person seating across the van or is removable to leverage the Odyssey’s various seating modes. Wide Mode is defined by Honda as separate captain’s chairs with a pass-through between them. Buddy Mode places the two captain’s chairs together closer to the middle of the minivan, adding more crush space between passengers and the sliding side doors in a side-impact collision. Super Mode places one of the captain’s chairs even closer to the centre of the vehicle, creating a larger pass-through to the third-row seat.

Like the front seats, the second-row seats offer plenty of support and come with armrests on each side. However, the armrests aren’t adjustable for height, and for my lanky 11-year-old, this was gravely disappointing. The third-row seats accommodate both children and adults with ease.

Cargo space behind the third-row seat, which adds handy grocery bag hooks for 2021, measures 929 litres. Tumble the third-row seat into the cargo well to open the Odyssey up for 2,452 litres of cargo. The maximum volume measures 3,984 litres, and please note that all three of these measurements apply to the base Odyssey.

One of the least appealing things about the Odyssey is that you must physically remove the second-row seats and store them someplace in order to use the maximum cargo volume. For 2021, those chairs fold flatter than before, which Honda says increases utility when you decide not to remove them and also helps to make the seats easier to remove. Still, yanking these out of the van, and then reinstalling them, isn’t particularly enjoyable.

The Odyssey is equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system that equips the minivan with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, satellite radio, HD Radio, text-messaging support, basic HondaLink connectivity, and a Cabin Control smartphone app that gives everyone aboard in a say in the road-trip music and climate control selections.

The Honda Odyssey EX-L Navi and Touring trims add a navigation system, and the Touring grade also includes a CabinWatch interior camera that is now tied into the rear-seat reminder system, and most trims include a CabinTalk in-vehicle PA system that allows the driver to speak to rear-seat passengers without yelling. New for 2021, you can use CabinWatch and CabinTalk at the same time. Touring trim adds an 11-speaker premium audio system, multi-zone listening options, and wireless smartphone charging. Touring is offered with a Wi-Fi hotspot and HondaLink subscription plans.

In spite of it all, though, a couple of problems stand out.

First, there isn’t a tuning knob, which is the simplest and most effective way to switch between close radio stations. For example, if you’re listening to the SiriusXM 80’s station, but you want to check out what’s playing on the 60’s, 70’s, or 90’s station, using a knob is the easiest way to quickly satisfy this desire without looking away from the road.

Second, the voice-recognition technology isn’t up to the standards set by modern smartphone or smart home voice assistants. You need to follow specific voice command pathways in order to achieve success, so you’re probably better off launching Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and using those platforms for navigation.

The EX-RES, EX-L RES, and Touring grades also equip the Odyssey with a rear-seat entertainment system. It includes a single 10.2-inch screen that folds down from the ceiling, a Blu-Ray disc player, two pairs of wireless headphones, and several built-in streaming apps, including one called How Much Farther, which tells your impatient children how much farther you have to go before reaching your destination.

My own children weren’t impressed with this technology. “What? This isn’t a touchscreen?” exclaimed my 11-year-old with a hint of disgust. “No,” I replied, using CabinTalk while looking at them on the CabinWatch monitor on the infotainment screen. “Use the remote.”

Honda improves the Odyssey’s already impressive safety features for 2021. The automaker’s collection of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), called Honda Sensing, is now standard. Furthermore, Honda Sensing expands its capabilities thanks to a new radar unit and, now that LED headlights with automatic high-beam assist are standard, the Odyssey should once again earn a Top Safety Pick recommendation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Honda Sensing adds low-speed follow capability to the adaptive cruise control, allowing the Odyssey to come to a complete stop and then resume travel when you’re driving in traffic. Pedestrian braking is also new for 2021, as is a road-sign recognition system and a handy new Honda Sensing menu button on the dashboard that provides fast and easy access to ADAS settings so that you can safely adjust them while driving. In order to get blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic warning system, though, you still need to upgrade to the Touring trim.

In use, the Odyssey’s ADAS works accurately if not in as smooth a manner as you might wish. For example, as traffic conditions ahead change, the adaptive cruise control can apply too much or uneven braking as it manages a safe following distance. Also, the lane-departure warning system wobbles the steering wheel to notify the driver of potential danger, when a steering wheel vibration is often a better approach.

Since the Odyssey is structurally identical to last year’s model, expect its impressive Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ratings to carry over, aside from those for the headlights, of course. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has assigned the Odyssey top five-star ratings for every crash test assessment aside from rollover resistance, for which it earns a four-star score.

Compared to other vehicles that can’t match a 2021 Odyssey in terms of passenger comfort or outright cargo space, ranging from Honda’s own Pilot to full-size SUVs like the Chevy Suburban, this minivan is a bargain in terms of utility and practicality. Plus, it’s more fuel-efficient than the majority of similar-sized SUVs.

Compared to other minivans, the Odyssey is less compelling in terms of value.

The updated 2021 Chrysler Pacifica offers AWD, a plug-in hybrid powertrain, Stow ‘N Go seats that never require removal, and more sophisticated infotainment and rear-seat entertainment systems. And if you don’t need all of this stuff, the similar Chrysler Grand Caravan is a relative bargain.

The redesigned 2021 Toyota Sienna comes only with a hybrid powertrain, making it more efficient than the Odyssey, and also offers AWD, and next-generation infotainment and ADAS systems.

Then you’ve got the Kia Carnival, a complete redesign of the former Kia Sedona that the brand calls a “life utility vehicle.” It offers similar usability to the Odyssey for a lower cost.

Where does this leave the 2021 Honda Odyssey? Well, it absolutely deserves your consideration. But the competition is getting better and diverging from Honda’s tried-and-true recipe at the same time, offering a broader scope of choice in the segment.

And that’s nothing but good news for minivan buyers seeking to make their lives easier.