2021 Subaru Outback vs 2021 Honda Odyssey

The 2021 Honda Odyssey presented a familiar yet refreshed appearance, with subtle updates to its styling. The new model year introduced a redesigned grille and front bumper, standard LED headlights with automatic high-beam operation across all trims, and a gloss black spear with a chrome insert stretching across the taillights. The Touring trim debuted a new 19-inch wheel design, enhancing the minivan's modern appeal by reducing brightwork. The interior saw improvements with perforated leather upholstery, contrast stitching, and ambient lighting, giving it a more upscale feel. The Odyssey offered four trim levels, with pricing ranging from $44,645 to $55,845, and an additional $300 for colours other than grey or silver. The test vehicle, a Lunar Silver Metallic Elite trim, showcased these enhancements, making the Odyssey Touring a credible contender as the Acura of minivans.

In contrast, the 2021 Subaru Outback maintained its familiar design, reminiscent of its predecessors, yet offered a fresher interior compared to the smaller Crosstrek. The Outback's interior featured a large 11.6-inch portrait display on Premium and above trims, surrounded by polished black plastic and chrome trim. The quality of materials improved significantly from pre-2015 models, with substantial window switches, dash padding, and surface materials. The Outdoor XT trim replaced leather with water-resistant synthetic upholstery, adding durability and ease of cleaning. The exterior retained its smooth, plain styling with high grey cladding on wheel arches, sills, and bumpers. The Outback's standout feature was its lifted wagon design, offering an alternative to typical crossovers or SUVs, with adaptive LED headlights now standard.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey was equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission, delivering 280 horsepower to the front wheels. This combination provided smooth and effortless power, with variable cylinder management for improved fuel efficiency. Natural Resources Canada estimated fuel consumption at 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving, with test results averaging 10.8 L/100 km. However, the lack of all-wheel drive put the Odyssey at a disadvantage in snowy Canadian conditions. The new electronic brake booster improved brake pedal feel and response, enhancing the adaptive cruise control's low-speed following capability. Despite its enjoyable driving experience, the Odyssey's brakes struggled under heavy use, particularly during a heatwave, indicating a need for a braking component upgrade.

The 2021 Subaru Outback's base engine, a 2.5-litre flat-four, produced 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). This powertrain struggled with the Outback's weight, resulting in slow and noisy performance. The turbocharged 2.4-litre flat-four engine in the XT trims offered a significant improvement, delivering 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, enhancing the vehicle's capability to keep up with traffic. The turbo XT's fuel efficiency was slightly lower than the base engine, but the performance gains justified the additional cost. The Outback's handling was forgiving, with a comfortable ride and high ground clearance, making it suitable for rough roads. Subaru's electronically-variable all-wheel drive system provided excellent off-road capability, with X-Mode optimizing performance in challenging conditions.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey offered a well-designed interior with legible instrumentation, logical controls, and ample storage. The 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat, standard in all but the base trim, provided comfort with adjustable armrests. Heated front seats and mirrors were standard in Canada, with additional features like a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats available on higher trims. The Magic Slide second-row seat layout allowed for versatile seating configurations, while the third-row seats accommodated both children and adults comfortably. Cargo space was generous, with 929 litres behind the third row, expanding to 2,452 litres with the third row folded, and a maximum of 3,984 litres with the second-row seats removed. However, removing and reinstalling the second-row seats was cumbersome.

The 2021 Subaru Outback boasted impressive interior space, with 2,144 litres of cargo capacity with the rear seats folded and 920 litres with them raised. The cargo area was wide and flat, free of intrusive wheel arches. Ample headroom and legroom in all seating positions, combined with excellent outward visibility, contributed to a comfortable cabin experience. Storage options included large map pockets, bottle holders, and handy pockets in the front centre console. However, features like push-button start and rear console climate vents were not standard on lower trims. The Outback's standout feature was its standard roof rails with integrated crossbars, allowing for easy installation of a roof rack. The 11.6-inch touchscreen complicated climate controls, but its large icons and responsive interface facilitated vehicle settings adjustments.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, satellite radio, and more. Higher trims added navigation, a CabinWatch interior camera, and a CabinTalk in-vehicle PA system. The Touring trim offered an 11-speaker premium audio system, wireless smartphone charging, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. However, the lack of a tuning knob and subpar voice-recognition technology were drawbacks. The rear-seat entertainment system included a 10.2-inch screen, Blu-Ray player, and streaming apps, though the lack of a touchscreen disappointed younger passengers.

The 2021 Subaru Outback's infotainment system appeared dated, with graphics reminiscent of older gaming consoles. Despite this, it offered modern features like adaptive cruise control, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Subaru EyeSight, standard on all trims, included adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, and forward automatic emergency braking. The system's reliance on cameras rather than radar limited its functionality in certain conditions. The single large screen was more cohesive and useful than the dual-screen setup on the base model.

The 2021 Honda Odyssey improved its safety features with standard Honda Sensing, which included adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, pedestrian braking, and road-sign recognition. The Odyssey earned top safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA, with the exception of a four-star rollover resistance rating. However, the adaptive cruise control's braking could be uneven, and the lane-departure warning system's steering wheel wobble was less effective than a vibration.

The 2021 Subaru Outback featured a stronger chassis and standard airbags, with additional driver assist technology available on higher trims. The Outback earned a 2020 IIHS "Top Safety Pick+" award and top ratings in crash tests. The NHTSA awarded it an overall five-star rating, with four stars for the front passenger in a frontal crash and rollover test. The Outback's safety features, including blind-spot monitoring and reverse automatic braking, contributed to its high safety ratings.