The original Honda Odyssey was borne of a joint venture with another manufacturer, but it’s been a uniquely Honda vehicle since the second generation.

All of these minivans have been front-wheel drive (FWD), and since the second generation, all of have been powered exclusively by V6 engines. They are of unibody construction, meaning that these vans don’t have a “frame;” rather, the exterior sheetmetal makes up their entire structure. Since the second generation, they have had dual sliding doors, three rows of seats, and seating capacity of up to seven, with two bucket seats in the first row, either captain’s chairs or a three-person bench in the second row, and a two-person bench in the third row.

The fifth-generation iteration has achieved a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and the Odyssey has consistently achieved at least at Top Safety Pick rating ever since the 2018 model year.

Generations: Five

Honda Odyssey 1st Generation Honda Odyssey 2nd Generation Honda Odyssey 3rd Generation Honda Odyssey 4th Generation Honda Odyssey 5th Generation

Pros: Cavernous interior volume, Comfortable seating for second-row passengers, Top Safety Pick+ in the latest generation
Cons: Lofty MSRP, No AWD or hybrid option, Not the most reliable Honda vehicle

Honda Odyssey 5th Generation (2018-Present)

The fifth-generation Honda Odyssey got some overall platform tweaks, but it’s not a huge departure from the vehicle it replaced. It’s a bit narrower and a bit taller, but it has the same wheelbase. The structure is reportedly built of ultra-high-strength steel, aluminum, and magnesium, a combination which Honda said not only dropped the vehicle’s weight by 75 pounds but also made it 44 percent stiffer than the outgoing fourth generation had been. What that means is that the suspension and engine hanging off the structure transmit a lot less vibration into the cabin, and it also should be safer, especially in a side crash.

All Odyssey minivans are powered by the same engine and transmission, regardless of trim level. It’s a 3.5-liter J-Series V6 that Honda has been using in these vans since 1996. Power has increased to 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, a significant jump from the fourth generation. The ZF 9HP 10-speed automatic transmission makes the most use out of the engine’s power. It’s interesting to note that the Chrysler Pacifica minivan with which the Odyssey competes uses exactly the same transmission in the gas-powered version.

The V6 is a great engine, but in 2022, the absence of either a hybrid drivetrain or all-wheel drive (AWD) is conspicuous. The Odyssey’s two main competitors are the Chrysler Pacifica and the Toyota Sienna. The Pacifica has a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) option which can travel up to 35 miles on electricity alone; the Sienna, meanwhile, is ONLY available with a hybrid drivetrain, and all-wheel drive is an option. Toyota is even offering the Sienna in a “Woodland Edition” with increased ground clearance.

The Odyssey is available in five trim levels: The Honda Odyssey EX has the full Honda Sensing suite of adaptive safety technology, including a collision-mitigation braking system, road-departure mitigation system, blind-spot information system, a cross-traffic alert system, multi-angle rearview camera, and adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow. For a base-level vehicle, it has an impressive array of equipment, including power sliding doors, a seven-speaker audio system, power front seats, tri-zone climate control, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, front and center console USB ports, an 8-inch touchscreen, and heated front seats. Honda’s satellite-linked navigation system arrives in the Touring trim level. The second-row seats are the “Magic Slide” variety that allow much better access to the rear.

The minivan is in fact so well-equipped at its base $37,340 MSRP that you begin to wonder why anyone would want to step up to higher-trim-level Odyssey models. The Honda Odyssey EX-L offers leather seating, a power tailgate, a moonroof, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Sport is aesthetically dolled up with 19-inch gloss black wheels plus further interior and exterior styling revisions. The Honda Odyssey Touring has a rear entertainment system, CabinWatch and CabinTalk functions that allow the driver to keep an eye on kids in the back and engage in easier conversation, as well as a Wi-Fi hot spot and parking sensors. The top-of-the-line Honda Odyssey Elite has a hands-free tailgate, wireless phone charging, and an 11-speaker audio system. The Elite trim also offers heated and ventilated seats.

One of the most interesting features of the fifth-generation Odyssey was the HondaVac, an on-board Shop-Vac mounted in the rear cargo area, with a nozzle long enough to reach the front seats. In 2021, though, Shop-Vac ran into trouble and stopped supplying the popular feature. At the moment, the HondaVac isn’t available for the Odyssey, though it was from 2018 to late 2020.

Honda Odyssey 4th Generation (2011-2017)

The fourth-generation Odyssey was longer, lower, and wider than the van it replaced, and it loaded on the technology, especially in the upper trim levels. Still, the van was an evolution, rather than a major step in a different direction.

The engine was the same J-Series V6, with 248 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, regardless of trim level or year. Most trims of the 2011 to 2013 model year Odyssey had a five-speed automatic transmission, while the top-level Touring had a six-speed automatic. The six-gear box became standard across the entire Odyssey lineup for 2014 to 2016.

Adaptive safety features also made it to the Odyssey in 2014. Look for features like the LaneWatch camera, which is housed in the passenger side-view mirror and activates a display on the dash when the right turn signal is engaged. The van also included a blind-spot monitoring system, forward-collision warning, and lane-departure warning as options. A single-angle backup camera with dynamic guidelines became standard equipment in 2014.

Infotainment also underwent some changes in 2014 with the introduction of Honda’s i-MID “Intelligent Multi-Information Display” in the center of the dash. The system was controversial because it relegated the main controls to tiny knobs and buttons. With the i-MID’s introduction to all Odyssey trim levels came standard Pandora Internet Radio, Bluetooth Hands-Free Link, iPod, iPhone, and USB integration, and a color display screen.

The Odyssey was dinged by the IIHS for poor performance in the small overlap frontal offset crash test when the fourth generation launched, but Honda addressed that for 2014 and the ratings improved to the top “Good” mark. The IIHS also noted at the time that the Odyssey had the lowest overall death rate of any vehicle in its class, with 0 reported deaths per million vehicles registered (of course, this may say more about Odyssey drivers than the minivan itself).

It's also worth noting that the 2014 Odyssey was the subject of a number of complaints, most notably with the transmission. It was recalled four times for walk-in seat backs that may come unlatched, second-row seats that might tip forward under hard braking, second-row seats that may remain unlocked during travel, and a passenger-side airbag that unreliably deployed.

Honda Odyssey 3rd Generation (2005 -2010)

The third-generation Odyssey arrived for the 2005 model year, and with it, Honda introduced its Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure, which claimed to distribute crash energy more evenly and away from the passenger cabin.

The engines are largely the same throughout the third-gen run: a 255-horsepower J-Series V6. Horsepower ratings dropped to 244 after 2006, but it’s exactly the same engine; it was just the SAE’s method for rating horsepower that changed. Engines on the EX-L and Touring were slightly different from the lower trim levels’ in that they offered Variable Cylinder Management, which allowed the van to be rated at 20 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway. The sole transmission option was a five-speed automatic throughout the run.

Safety equipment was mostly limited to the improved crash structure, three-point seat belts, and an arsenal of airbags.

Unfortunately, the third generation Odyssey seemed to be plagued with quality issues, including body and paint problems that led to rust, steering issues with a noisy rack and pinion, and engine issues. Those complaints seemed to persist until a 2008 facelift.

Honda Odyssey 2nd Generation (1999-2004)

The second-generation Odyssey was the first Odyssey minivan that wasn’t part of a joint venture with another manufacturer. It was all Honda, based on the Accord platform. It was considerably larger than the vehicle it replaced, and it featured sliding doors for the first time, on both sides of the vehicle, as standard equipment. That seems like the opening ante for a minivan now, but at the time, minivan manufacturers typically offered only a passenger-side door. If they offered a rear driver’s-side door at all, it was an option. The Odyssey’s sliding doors were also power-assisted in every trim but the base Honda Odyssey LX.

The engine was again a J-Series V6, which made 210 horsepower and won Honda a lot of praise for its ability to move the van at highway speeds. Output increased in 2002 to 240 horsepower. The initial transmission was a problematic four-speed automatic which, according to Honda spokesman Mike Spencer was “afflicted with a bad bearing that could break apart, scattering fragments of metal that clogged fluid passageways in the transmission, causing it to shift erratically.” In 2002, it was swapped out for a five-speed automatic which had its own unique set of issues, including a propensity for transmission fluid overheating that wasn’t cured by the addition of a transmission oil cooler. The issue similarly plagued other Honda and Acura products with the same gearbox.

Honda Odyssey 1st Generation (1994-1998)

The first-generation Odyssey wasn’t really a minivan at all in the conventional sense. It was shaped like a minivan, but it was more of a tall station wagon with four conventionally opening doors rather than a sliding van door. During the early years of production, Honda had something of a lend-lease program with Isuzu. The Isuzu Rodeo and Trooper were rebadged as the Honda Passport and Acura SLX, while Isuzu got the Odyssey and remarketed it as an Isuzu Oasis.

The Odyssey was powered by the same 2.2-liter four-cylinder that was in the Accord. It also shared the Accord’s four-speed automatic transmission, fully independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes with antilock braking (ABS).

Several interesting features were included in the Odyssey that ended up being adopted throughout the minivan market. The original concept was inspired by a “personal jet.” As a result, the Odyssey has a center aisle between the second row seats that allows access to the rear seat, and the third row folds down flat into the floor—essentially required equipment for any minivan today.

The first-generation Odyssey sold remarkably well, and by September 1997, it had crossed the 300,000 unit mark.