2021 Toyota Venza vs 2022 Honda Odyssey

The 2021 Toyota Venza, shorter and closer to the ground than the Toyota RAV4, was often compared to a Lexus due to its sleek design. Critics noted its resemblance to the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept, especially with its grille and elongated profile. Available in three trims—LE, XLE, and Limited—the Venza offered seven paint colors and a host of standard features, including LED headlights, dual chrome-tipped exhaust, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The interior boasted a wireless charging pad, dual-zone climate control, and an 8-inch infotainment screen, with higher trims adding more luxurious touches like a 12.3-inch screen and a Star Gaze panoramic roof.

In contrast, the 2022 Honda Odyssey, designed with families in mind, featured sliding side doors for easy access and a comfortable third-row seat. The Odyssey's design included kinked sliding doors and dramatic character lines, with the Elite trim showcasing dark gray 19-inch aluminum wheels. The lineup ranged from the base LX to the top-tier Elite, with prices from $33,040 to $48,770. The interior of the Elite trim offered leather upholstery, a tri-zone climate control system, and a low console with ample storage. The Odyssey's design emphasized practicality and comfort, making it a popular choice for family transportation.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a lithium-ion battery pack and electric motors, delivering a combined 219 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system, coupled with an electronically-controlled continuously-variable transmission (eCVT), provided smooth acceleration and confident handling. Despite some engine noise during acceleration, the Venza excelled in fuel economy, achieving an EPA-estimated 40 mpg on the highway, 37 mpg in the city, and 39 mpg combined. Toyota backed its hybrid powertrain with a 10-year/150,000-mile hybrid battery warranty and an eight-year/100,000-mile Hybrid System warranty.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey, powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, featured a 10-speed automatic transmission with pushbutton controls. Unlike some competitors, the Odyssey did not offer all-wheel drive or an electrified powertrain, resulting in an EPA fuel economy estimate of 22 mpg in combined driving. Despite this, the Odyssey's driving character was enjoyable, with responsive handling and quick acceleration. However, repeated use of the brakes on downhill grades led to pedal vibration and audible grumbling, indicating a need for more robust braking performance.

The 2021 Toyota Venza's interior featured premium appointments, with a unique cabin design that set it apart from other Toyota models. The center stack included capacitive buttons for climate and infotainment controls, a deep center console with resizable cup holders, and a wireless charging pad. The Venza offered comfortable seating for five, with ample headroom and nearly equal shoulder and hip room compared to the RAV4. However, its cargo space was limited to 55.1 cubic feet, about 60 percent of the RAV4's capacity. Despite this, the Venza's cargo space was sufficient for daily driving needs, with easy-to-use quick-flip releases on the rear seatbacks.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey provided easy access with wide-opening doors and a lower ride height. The Elite trim featured quality leather seats with power adjustment, heating, and ventilation, along with a tri-zone climate control system. The Odyssey's interior offered impressive storage space, including shelving in the front door panels and a handy floor tray. The second-row Magic Slide seats allowed for flexible seating arrangements, while the third-row seat provided comfortable accommodations for adults. With 32.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row and up to 144.9 cubic feet with the second-row seats removed, the Odyssey excelled in cargo capacity, making it ideal for family road trips.

The 2021 Toyota Venza featured an 8-inch infotainment system on the LE and XLE trims, while the Limited trim boasted a 12.3-inch touchscreen. The Entune system, though not the best in the industry, included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. A nine-speaker JBL premium audio system was available on the XLE and standard on the Limited. Toyota also offered connected services like Safety Connect, Remote Connect, and Service Connect, with dynamic navigation on models with the larger screen.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Elite came with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto starting from the EX trim. The Touring and Elite trims added navigation, HondaLink connected services, CabinWatch, and CabinTalk technology. The rear-seat entertainment system, standard on Touring and Elite trims, included a 10.2-inch display with media inputs and a "How Much Farther?" app. The Elite trim also featured an 11-speaker premium audio system and a wireless charging pad. However, the Odyssey's infotainment system was considered outdated, with a need for a larger screen and more intuitive navigation.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which included features like pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert, lane-tracing assist, adaptive cruise control, and road sign assist. Additional safety features included eight airbags, a rearview camera, hill start assist, parking distance sensors, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The Venza's safety systems performed well, though the lane-keeping assist tended to keep the vehicle further to the right within the lane.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey featured Honda Sensing as standard, which included adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centering assist. The Odyssey also had automatic high-beam headlights and a rear-seat reminder system. However, Honda Sensing lacked refinement, with occasional false warnings and abrupt responses. The blind-spot monitoring system's warning light was poorly placed, and the radar's range was insufficient. Despite these issues, the Odyssey earned a five-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.