2025 Honda Odyssey Road Trip Review: A Family-Friendly Champ

• The Honda Odyssey minivan is now one of the older products in the company's lineup.
• I took it on a road trip to see if it still has what it takes to work for a family.
• The Odyssey has some obvious drawbacks, but it's still the charmer that it's always been.

The last time Edmunds tested an Odyssey, it got from 0 to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds. Not insanely quick, but that's the only minivan we've seen record a time under 8 seconds, showing that the Honda has more oomph than its peers.

The bad news is that you're going to pay for those extra cylinders at the pump. During several hundred miles of driving, the Odyssey averaged just about 20 mpg combined. In the context of its hybrid competitors, that is really bad. The Sienna can manage 36 mpg combined and the Kia Carnival Hybrid can do 33 mpg. There is a reason that the Honda is the last to offer a V6 and you're looking at it. There's not even a big towing advantage, with the Odyssey matching the Sienna's 3,500-pound capacity.

Admittedly, my crew of adult friends meant that I didn't test out the Odyssey with kids — but we did make use of the van's family-friendly interior. The space in the cabin is fantastic, with adequate legroom and headroom in all three rows. And the Magic sliding seats (as Honda calls them) means that you can reconfigure the second row a few ways. We kept it in the typical three-across format, including the removable middle seat. But yanking that out allows for captain's chairs with a center pass-through, or an open space on either side of the van, when you slide them. It's a creative way to allow family versatility — something a minivan must do well.

I was bummed to learn that the Odyssey no longer offers the in-car vacuum system, which it had a few years ago. The Toyota Sienna has this feature, in addition to a cool box for the second row. It's these standout details that help sway families, and in this case, give the Sienna the edge when it comes to fun factor. Thankfully, Honda does offer rear seat entertainment to keep kids (or in my case, adults) happy. But it's an in-roof flip-down screen, which feels very 2005. Newer systems with built-in streaming, like in the Cadillac Escalade IQ, are much better.

When it comes to cargo space, the Odyssey is a champ. The front-wheel-drive layout means that Honda could dig out some extra space deep in the trunk's floor to take on all of your things. Our three suitcases and three backpacks didn't make this van break a sweat. And if you don't need all three rows of seats for people, you can drop the third row into the floor and create a flat space for longer items. Practicality at its finest, indeed.  

Lacking Honda's best tech

Now that the new Honda Passport is out in the world, we know that the company has some great tech to offer its customers. And unfortunately for those considering the Odyssey, none of that is available. The van doesn't get the new touchscreen with Google integration. Instead, it relies on an older system, which isn't nearly as good. You still get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the display itself is much slower to work with than the new system. 

The same goes for the driver aids — the Odyssey uses an older version of the Honda Sensing safety suite. You still get all of the important features like automatic emergency braking and blind-spot warning, but like the infotainment system, everything is a bit slower to react than it should be. Honda's safety features in its newer vehicles make driving on the highway with them activated much smoother. 

Is it right for you?

Within the context of Honda's entire vehicle lineup, the Odyssey is not its best product. If you're a Honda loyalist and need something for the family, consider the new Passport or Pilot before you take the Odyssey for a spin. And when you measure the Odyssey up against other minivan options, it's good, but we still rank the Toyota Sienna higher for a variety of reasons.

That said, Honda's minivan handled my road trip like a total champ. Its practicality is mostly unmatched and the old-school power from its V6 under the hood was a nice thing to have on the highway. 

Photos by Clint Simone