2025 Honda Odyssey Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Nobody buys a minivan for its styling. That’s particularly true of the 2025 Honda Odyssey, to which you can draw a straight thematic design line from the fourth-generation 2011 Odyssey. In other words, it has a been-there, done-that aesthetic that’s as tired as a typical Dad joke. That’s true of the interior, too, where buttons, knobs, and physical switchgear are the rule. We are not complaining about that, though. In this respect, Honda’s old-school approach is a blessing, and the controls feature bright white markings on matte black backgrounds to make them easy to find and use.

In Canada, the 2025 Odyssey comes in Sport, Sport-L, Touring, and Black Edition trim levels. Fortunately, with a slightly defeatured Sport version being the entry point instead of the 2024 Odyssey’s EX-L trim, the base price drops by $2,000 to $53,056 including destination charges and other fees. The most expensive 2025 Odyssey in Canada is the Black Edition, which costs $63,256 including fees.

Our test vehicle the U.S. equivalent of Touring trim. (The Smoke Blue Pearl paint colour and black and light grey interior shown are not available in Canada.) Inside, its leather seats display the typical high-quality materials we expect in a Honda. But again, nobody buys one of these things for the styling.

Driving enjoyment isn’t high on a minivan buyer’s list, either. But here, the Honda Odyssey proves rewarding, at least as minivans go.

Under its stubby hood, you’ll find a tried-and-true 3.5-litre V6 engine making 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission delivers that motive force to the Odyssey’s front wheels. You cannot get AWD or a hybrid powertrain in this Honda, features available in other minivans.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the 2025 Odyssey should get 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. Our test vehicle returned 13.2 L/100 km on the evaluation loop and averaged 9.8 L/100 km during a week of travel that included an eight-hour road trip mostly on highways.

Comparing the Honda’s fuel economy ratings to hybrid rivals, a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid has a plug-in powertrain rated at 51 kilometres of electric-only driving before its V6 engine turns on. Then, it averages 8.0 L/100 km combined. The hybrid-only Toyota Sienna returns 6.6 L/100 km combined with FWD and 6.8 L/100 km with AWD. The Kia Carnival returns 7.2 L/100 km with its optional hybrid powertrain. In addition, both Chrysler and Toyota offer AWD, although you can’t get it with the Pacifica’s plug-in hybrid powertrain.

People who like to drive might find the Honda’s fuel economy trade-off worthwhile. The V6 provides rousing performance, and Honda expertly tunes the ride and handling to give the Odyssey an utterly natural driving experience. It has a connected but compliant ride, responsive steering and braking, and nimble handling, no matter the situation.

Testing day was foggy and damp, requiring extra caution when driving in the mountains. However, past experiences with the Odyssey on twisty roads reveal a minivan with genuine athleticism. Historically, hot weather and mountain driving have produced some brake rumble, vibration, and fade with the Odyssey. This time, chilly temperatures and a nearly new test vehicle produced no similar behaviour.

On a weekend road trip, the Odyssey proved a comfortable and reasonably quiet space for the highway slog. The 10-speed automatic kicks down quickly for passing power, and the V6 has no trouble merging the van into fast-flowing traffic. When it’s flowing, of course. In downtown city driving, clear sightlines made it easier to navigate in unfamiliar areas. However, Honda still needs to offer a surround-view camera system on this vehicle.

The point of a minivan is to carry as many people and haul as many things as possible in the smallest and most fuel-efficient package allowable. The 2025 Odyssey definitely checks those boxes.

The Odyssey can carry eight people, and it provides up to 3,973 litres of cargo in a garageable vehicle that gets 10.6 L/100 km combined. For comparison, a Chevy Suburban offers eight-passenger seating, 4,092 litres of maximum cargo space, and, with its optional turbocharged diesel engine, returns 10.7 L/100 km in combined driving. But you’ll spend a minimum of about $30,000 more than the Odyssey to get one.

In Canada, every Odyssey comes with power-adjustable driver and front passenger seats, and power lumbar adjustment is standard for the driver and equipped on all but the base trim for the front passenger. These seats are comfortable and, in every trim but the base Sport, are wrapped in a mix of leather and leatherette upholstery. Inboard armrests, standard heated front seats, and available ventilated front seats add to the Honda’s seating satisfaction, as does a standard heated steering wheel. However, to enjoy a tall seating position, drivers with longer legs might feel a little cramped because there isn’t enough seat track travel.

In the second row, the Odyssey has what Honda calls Magic Slide seats. They offer three-passenger capacity thanks to a centre jump seat that you can remove to create two individual chairs with a pass-through to the third row. Or, you can fold the centre seat back down to create a console equipped with cupholders and a tray.

The Magic Slide seats do not offer heating or ventilation, but you can slide them together to place them closer to the middle of the van, slide just one of them into the centre of the van, and slide them forward for easier reach from the front seats. They’re soft yet supportive, and second-row passengers enjoy plenty of legroom. The standard second-row side window shades do not cover all of the glass, so you’ll need supplementary cover for infants and young children who still ride in car seats.

To maximize cargo space, you must remove the Magic Slide second-row seats and find a place to store them. They are heavy and awkward to maneuver, but if you rarely require the added space, the trade-off to enjoy their configurability is likely worthwhile.

The Kia Carnival’s seats work similarly. In the Chrysler Pacifica (not the Hybrid), the second-row Stow ‘N Go seats fold into the floor, but they’re not very comfortable to sit in and lack the configurability of the Honda. In a Toyota Sienna, the second-row seats slide forward and collapse flat against the front seatbacks, preserving their comfort while ensuring easy and quick access to maximum cargo volume when necessary.

Like other minivans, the Honda Odyssey’s third-row seat is roomy enough for two adults or three children. All trims but the base model include third-row side window shades, too. Each part of the 60/40-split folding seat easily drops into the storage well behind the third row, as long as you don’t have a bunch of stuff stored there. You can also position the seat as an outward-facing place to sit.

Speaking of storage, the Odyssey offers plenty of space for stashing this and that throughout the cabin and cargo area. Parents can also easily monitor their children using the overhead conversation mirror and the standard Cabin Talk intercom feature and available Cabin Watch camera system.

Honda gives the 2025 Odyssey a light technology update. A new 7-inch digital driver display pairs with an analog speedometer, and the minivan adds a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a faster processor for quicker response to inputs. In addition, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are now standard, wireless smartphone charging is offered on the top three grades, and Honda sprinkles USB-C charging ports throughout the cabin.

Wisely, Honda retains a volume knob and radio tuning buttons. However, while the infotainment system is an improvement, it remains substandard. It still has dated graphics, the native voice recognition technology isn’t sophisticated enough to provide an intuitive user experience, and even the 11-speaker audio system on the Touring and Black Edition models is unimpressive. In addition, phones can easily move on the centre console charger pad, canceling the charge.

We had no trouble pairing an iPhone 16 to the infotainment system, running Apple CarPlay, streaming music, and using Siri to find various destinations on our weekend road trip. The minivan’s native voice recognition isn’t as helpful. It’s not conversational, so you must adhere to suggested command structures to find success when programming a destination. Also, when asking for directions to the nearest hospital, a chiropractor’s office was the first result on the list.

Honda introduced a new available rear-seat entertainment system in the 2025 Odyssey as well. The roof-mounted, single-screen setup looks anachronistic. We tasked two teenagers with making it work. They gave up after a few minutes, returning to their individual devices and Air Pods. So, your middle-aged author gave it a whirl but quickly hit a dead-end. According to the instructions on the infotainment system display, the rear entertainment system “does not include any built-in apps or features,” so you must connect a personal device via the HDMI port. We lacked the right cable to do so.

In a world where you can pair a smartphone to specific rather than all Bluetooth devices in a home or use a laptop to get internet access through a wirelessly paired phone’s hotspot, the Odyssey’s rear seat entertainment system is frustrating.

Every 2025 Odyssey has Honda Sensing, a collection of driving-assistance systems. Standard safety features include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Touring and Black Edition trims add front and rear parking sensors.

Generally, the Honda Sensing features operate smoothly and unobtrusively. However, we prefer a steering wheel vibration for lane-departure warnings instead of the Honda’s subtle steering wheel wobble. Also, when using the adaptive cruise control in moderate to heavy traffic, the Odyssey can brake too hard in response to other vehicles entering the gap ahead. When slower vehicles depart the lane, the Odyssey demonstrates a delayed reaction time to the new situation.

In safety testing performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2025 Odyssey earns impressive ratings. It also performs well in tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), with one exception. In a new evaluation for which Honda didn’t engineer the current-generation Odyssey, the van earns a “Poor” rating, performing worse than all of its rivals.

A fuel-efficient hybrid option remains unavailable in the Honda Odyssey, so ownership costs will likely be higher than rival minivans. Honda doesn’t offer the extra traction of an AWD system, either.

Meanwhile, over at Toyota, the Sienna is available at a lower price, with a standard hybrid powertrain returning 6.6 L/100 km. You can also get AWD on a Sienna. The Sienna’s second-row seats don’t require removal to use the maximum cargo capacity, either.

The Kia Carnival is another appealing alternative, with SUV-adjacent styling and an available hybrid powertrain. The Kia’s onboard tech and driving-assistance systems are undeniably impressive, and in top-spec trim, it comes with heated, ventilated, and power-adjustable second-row lounge chairs.

Additionally, Volkswagen has finally launched the long-anticipated ID. Buzz, an electric reincarnation of the beloved Microbus. The Buzz is pricey, but the added cost in exchange for the daily drive down memory lane might be worth it to people seeking a different kind of family hauler.

Essentially, Honda needs to redesign the Odyssey. It’s a great traditional minivan. But it’s not a great modern minivan.

Note: Images show a US model.