Soon after I learned that I was going to be a father again, I had this conversation with my wife:
Me: “Now that our family’s growing we’re gonna need a bigger vehicle.”
My Wife: “Like a minivan?”
Me: 😂
My Wife: 😐
Me: “….wait, you were serious?”
Nothing about fatherhood hits you quite like the realization that a minivan might actually be a viable vehicle option for your family. I don’t know where along the line of automotive history that minivans became synonymous with “soccer moms” but there is no denying that this particular type of vehicle is targeted to drivers in a specific stage in their lives: parenthood. I still feel like a new dad with every new stage my daughter enters and now that I’ll be a dad of two, I’ve been looking at minivans in a very different light.
So, when the newly redesigned 2021 Honda Odyssey pulled into my driveway for a review, I immediately put my Dad Driver hat on, jumping at the opportunity to review it from a parents point of view. The biggest question on my mind: Could this beast of a vehicle turn that laughing emoji into a heart emoji?
What This Dad Digs About the 2021 Honda Odyssey
Fun Stylings – Only a few minivans exist on the market and of all the available options, Honda created the one with the most vibrant styling with it’s Odyssey. It makes the best use of the long, squatty stature of minivans with carefully placed body lines that create engaging movement across the side and an aggressive aerodynamic feel to the entire vehicle. From a profile view, the Odyssey almost looks like an elongated Accord, especially now that the headlights have been updated to match Honda’s sedans. The new minimalist grill and subtle improvements towards a more modern tail end, give the Odyssey an edgy quality. Not to mention, I’ve always been a fan of the “lightning bolt” shaped window panel running along the side of the van – it’s just quirky enough to be unique but subdued enough to be taken seriously. When compared to the competition, the Odyssey simply looks like it’s designers had fun with the styling which, for visual people like myself, can make all the difference.
Magic Slide Second Row Seating – You buy a minivan for the seating oppositions, but you buy a Honda Odyssey to take those seating options to the next level. Honda’s “Magic Slide Second Row Seating” is a simple idea but an innovative one, especially if your seating arrangement needs are constantly shifting. The technology isn’t complicated: the two cabin chairs in the second row of the Odyssey sit on parallel rails that allow for the seats to easily slide into various positions with just a pull of a handle. Need to push the chairs to one side, so passengers can easily climb into the third row? That’s an option. Need to keep squabbling children apart before they drive you crazy? There is a configuration for that. Or conversely, do you have two children that can’t get enough of each other and need to be within arms reach? Honda lovingly calls this the “buddy” configuration. These configurations are not only versatile, but I found they came in extremely handy. For instance, I was able to strap my daughter into her car seat comfortably standing outside the Odyssey’s and then easily slide her into the middle section of the second row where she’ll be the safest. It’s one of those strokes of genius that you can’t imagine living without. The Magic Slide Second Row Seating comes with all trim levels of the Odyssey – except for the base level LX trim – and both seats can also be removed for additional cargo space.
Cabin Watch and Cabin Talk – Every parent grows eyes in the back of their head but not every minivan has eyes in the back of the cabin the way that the Honda Odyssey does. Cabin Watch and Cabin Talk are two technologies in the 2021 Odyssey that do exactly what their name implies: watch and talk. Cabin Watch uses a camera strategically placed just behind the driver and passenger seats to offer a high, wide view of the second and third rows directly on the infotainment screen. No more straining your neck to see what the kids are up to because they are too damn quiet back there. Simply press a button and check out the video feed. This feature works so well, even at night with crisp night vision, that I found myself constantly checking on my daughter in the back seat just because I could.
Cabin Talk uses microphones near the driver and front passenger to broadcast whatever stern warnings your heart desires to the entire car through the Odyssey’s speakers. Is your kid engrossed in the movie they’re watching on the second row screen using Honda’s wireless headphones? Your Cabin Talk message gets directly piped into those headphones as well, like the voice of God. It’s a nifty feature that I even found useful with my elderly parents who at first had a difficult time hearing me while seated back in the third row until I used Cabin Talk.
Don’t Forget the Kid or the Groceries – New for 2021 is a rear seat reminder system that utilizes the Oydessy’s Cabin Watch technology. If the vehicle detects someone or something in the rear seats when the driver turns off the car, an audible alert sounds and an automatic view of the cabin appears on the infotainment screen. Rear Seat Reminders are nothing new in modern vehicles but this is the first time I’ve come across a vehicle that utilizes video. A fantastic feature for parents and forgetful drivers who might not remember they have groceries sitting in the back.
Futuristic Safety Features – While we’re on safety features, Honda has beefed up the technology behind it’s safety features in the 2021 Odyssey. Called Honda Sensing, this safety suite is now standard on all Odysseys and gained the Top Safety Pick + from the IIHS, the highest safety award in the auto industry. The biggest changes this year include improved safety sensors at the front of the vehicle that allow for some nuanced features like better pedestrian detection, more efficient emergency braking, and perhaps the coolest feature: the ability for the vehicle to come to a complete stop when adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow is initiated. This means the Odyssey can actually come to a comfortable stop, all on its own, using new and improved front radars while follow the flow of traffic. It’s futuristic technology today.
Of course, Honda’s Safety Sensing comes with all the usual bells and whistles you’d expect from a modern minivan: blind spot monitor, rear traffic alerts, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and lane keeping assistance. All useful safety features for the exhausted Dad Driver on the go.
Storage and Cargo Space for Days – While I haven’t always been a fan of Honda’s interior styling choices across it’s lineup of vehicles, I have to admit that the choices made here in the Odyssey are handsome ones. More importantly, the Odyssey’s interior design is function forward, meaning that cargo space and passenger comfort are priority. Up front, I love how deep and spacious the cargo area below the center dash is and there are plenty of other storage nooks and crannies throughout the cabin. This is a minivan, so as expected there is plenty of leg, hip and head room for all passengers. Behind the third row, the Odyssey offers 38.6 cubic feet of cargo space – not a huge area but surprisingly deep for extra functionality. Lay the third row down flat and that cargo space opens up to 91 cubic feet – a configuration I can see myself using on a day to day basis. The second row seats can be removed, offering up a whopping 155.7 cubic feet of space but Honda amidst that most of its Odyssey customers don’t typically utilize this seating configuration. Still, it’s nice to know it’s an option.
I was able to fit a 65 inch television in the 2021 Honda Odyssey.
A Surprising Drive – At 205 inches long and about 4600 lbs, the Odyssey’s size fits it’s grand name but thankfully it drives like a much smaller vehicle. The 2021 Odyssey keeps the 3.6 V6 engine from last year’s model but it’s still a very capable engine so no complaints there. Along with a 10 speed automatic transmission, this engine configuration produces 280 horsepower. It’s more than enough pep to launch the Odyssey effortlessly from a stand still, and I felt little to no obvious shifts between gear. I was overly impressed with how nimble and light the Odyssey handled while still maintaining a firm grip on the ground. It seriously feels like you could be driving a small crossover. Add in a noise muffling, quiet cabin and this Odyssey could be the ultimate road trip vehicle.
What Gets This Dad’s Downvote
Riding Fancy Comes at a Price – Honda has restructured their trim levels this year in order to simplify and differentiate each trim. However, this reshuffle ends up pushing some of the most impressive features the Odyssey has to offer into higher trim levels – and these higher trim levels come at a higher cost. For instance, the immensely useful HondaVAC® is now only available on the premium level Elite trim; this trim comes with every bell and whistle Honda offers on the Odyssey, which is why it starts at $47,820. You’ll get tons of value for that trim level but the steep price may scare away some drivers.
My favorite new features on the 2021 Odyssey, the aforementioned Cabin Watch and Cabin Talk, are only offered on the Touring and Elite trims; the Touring trim level begins at $42,500. That’s still a hit to the wallet, but if the sticker price is important to ya, then the base XL trim is a good starting place – that level begins at $31,790. It would be fantastic if Honda offered some of the more premium features a la cart, like Cabin Watch, but I get why that remains a premium – and profitable – feature.
No All-Wheel Drive Available – A front wheel drive Odyssey is all Honda offers and while an “all wheel drive” option may not appeal to everyone, I can’t help but dream. The suspension and handling on the 2021 Odyssey are such a thrill already that all wheel drive would only ratchet up the experience. Toyota’s Sienna, one of only a few competitors, offers an all wheel drive option but the overall driving experience wasn’t as fluid as it was in the Odyssey. Maybe Honda will surprise one day with AWD badging.
What Kind of Family is Yours?
The idea that a growing family almost certainly means expanding your own personal family of vehicles is a reality they don’t talk about in parenting books. Soon, I’ll need additional space for two child seats and accompanying cargo, therefore I’m already planning on updating our family’s crossover. I was eyeing a large SUV but I’ll admit that the Odyssey has me at least considering what I ultimately want from a large family vehicle. The “magic” sliding second row seats, the amazingly versatile driving experience, and next-level tech like Cabin Watch are features that would make any parent giddy. To top it off, the 2021 Odyssey still gets an impressive 28 miles to the gallon in combined city and highway driving. I can only imagine what a hybrid or electric version would nab when it comes to fuel economy.
Ultimately, it comes down to a simple question: are you a minivan kind of family? Some families are and some families aren’t. I’m not sure, honestly, if we’re a minivan family but if it turns out we are, it will take a mighty bit of convincing to opt for anything other than the Odyssey. Like the Greek mythological story it’s named after, the Odyssey is epic and as a Dad Driver, my kids deserve nothing less than that.
Phillip is a filmmaker, an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and craft beer aficionado. He writes about cars, car tech, and various other cool Dad things. He lives, works and plays in Dallas, Texas.
