2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport vs 2022 Honda Odyssey

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was a minivan that consistently appealed to families due to its practical design and functionality. Its sliding side doors were a significant advantage, making it easier to load children into car seats, especially in tight parking spaces. The Odyssey also offered a spacious and comfortable third-row seat, accommodating additional passengers like grandparents or carpool groups without hassle. With ample cargo space, the Odyssey could transform into a cargo hauler by folding down the third-row seat and removing the second-row seats, rivaling the capacity of larger SUVs. Despite the limited number of minivans in the market, the Odyssey maintained a sense of style with its kinked sliding doors and sleek character lines, particularly in the Elite trim with its dark gray 19-inch aluminum wheels.

In contrast, the 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport embraced a modernist and reductive design, focusing on clean and simple aesthetics. While it lacked flashy factory options, the Range Rover Sport exuded understated luxury with its Eiger Gray paint, silver 23-inch wheels, and Deep Garnet over Ebony interior theme. The SUV featured premium LED headlights, flush-mounted door handles, and surface LED taillights, enhancing its sleek appearance. Inside, the Range Rover Sport boasted a high-tech and luxurious cabin with sustainable materials like Ultrafabrics and Windsor leather upholstery. Despite its minimalist design, the Range Rover Sport offered a sense of refinement and sophistication, appealing to those seeking a more subtle luxury SUV experience.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. It was a front-wheel-drive minivan, lacking the all-wheel-drive or hybrid options available in competitors like the Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Sienna. The Odyssey's EPA fuel economy estimate was 22 mpg in combined driving, which was lower than the hybrid Toyota and plug-in hybrid Chrysler. Despite this, the Odyssey offered a more engaging driving experience, with responsive handling and quick acceleration. However, its brakes tended to heat up during downhill driving, leading to pedal vibration and audible grumbling, especially when fully loaded.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered a range of powertrains, including a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with mild-hybrid technology. The SE Dynamic model delivered 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, while the SE P360 offered 355 hp and 369 lb-ft. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) drivetrain was available in the Autobiography P440e, providing 434 hp and 406 lb-ft with an estimated 51 miles of electric driving range. The Range Rover Sport's 395-hp inline-six engine allowed it to accelerate to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, with an eight-speed automatic transmission and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system. It had a towing capacity of 7,716 pounds and achieved an average of 22.3 mpg on the evaluation route. The SUV featured a new vehicle architecture with increased torsional stiffness, adaptive damping air suspension, and various driving modes for improved handling and comfort. However, it struggled to match the performance of sport-tuned SUVs from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz on twisty roads.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey offered easy access with wide-opening doors and a lower ride height compared to most SUVs. Inside, the Odyssey Elite featured quality leather, supportive front seats with power adjustment, heating, and ventilation, and a tri-zone automatic climate control system. The minivan provided ample storage space, including shelving in the front door panels and a floor tray between the dashboard and center console. The second-row seats were comfortable, with options for sliding and removing sections to create more space or access the third-row seat. The third-row seat was spacious and comfortable for adults, with good leg support and foot room. The Odyssey offered 32.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seat, expandable to 88.8 cubic feet with the third-row seat folded, and 144.9 cubic feet with the second-row seats removed.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport maintained the Range Rover Command Driving Position, providing a tall and airy feel for the driver. The air suspension could kneel for easier entry and exit, and the front seats offered 20-way power adjustment, heating, and ventilation. The rear seat, while improved, remained tight for taller passengers, with hard front seatback panels and narrow door openings. The back seat provided excellent thigh and lumbar support but had a slouched posture due to the seatback angle. The cargo area offered 31.9 cubic feet of space, expandable to 53 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The SUV featured a power liftgate, air suspension controls for easier loading, and a full-size spare tire under the cargo floor.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Elite came with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Touring trim added navigation and HondaLink connected services, including WiFi hotspot access. The Odyssey also featured CabinWatch and CabinTalk technology, allowing the driver to monitor and communicate with rear-seat passengers. The rear-seat entertainment system included a 10.2-inch display with media playback options, but it was considered outdated compared to rivals. The Elite trim added an 11-speaker premium audio system and a wireless charging pad. However, the Odyssey's infotainment system was criticized for its small screen size and lack of a tuning knob, with voice commands requiring specific inputs for navigation.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport featured a 13.7-inch digital instrumentation display and a 13.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with haptic feedback. It offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa compatibility, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an Online Pack with connected services. However, the Pivi Pro infotainment platform was found to be confusing and frustrating, with difficulties in accessing features and using the digital assistant. The Range Rover Sport offered impressive Meridian audio systems with up to 29 speakers and 1,430 watts of power, along with a next-generation Active Noise Cancellation system. A wireless smartphone charging pad was located under the infotainment screen, but it was challenging to access.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was equipped with Honda Sensing, a suite of advanced safety features including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centering assist. It also had automatic high-beam headlights and a rear-seat reminder system. However, Honda Sensing was noted for its lack of refinement, with occasional false warnings and abrupt responses. The blind-spot monitoring system's warning light was located on the windshield pillar, which was not ideal for driver visibility. The Odyssey received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport came with a comprehensive suite of advanced driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. It also featured automatic high-beam headlights, a driver monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors, and a surround-view camera system with ClearSight Ground View. The SUV offered Remote Park Assist, allowing it to park itself while the driver controlled it via a smartphone app. However, the adaptive cruise control and steering assist were found to be slow and untrustworthy, especially on freeway curves with inconsistent lane markings.