Honda Odyssey vs Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was a minivan that catered to families with its practical design and thoughtful features. Its sliding side doors were a standout, making it easy to load toddlers into rear-facing seats even in tight parking spaces. The Odyssey offered a comfortable third-row seat, accommodating additional passengers like grandparents or carpool buddies without hassle. Its cargo space was impressive, with the ability to fold down seats for maximum storage, rivaling even large SUVs. Despite the minivan stigma, the Odyssey managed to maintain a sense of style, especially in the Elite trim with its dark gray 19-inch wheels and kinked sliding doors that added character to its design.

In contrast, the 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid presented a more aggressive and over-styled appearance. Its exaggerated forms and scowling headlights were a departure from Toyota's traditionally conservative designs. Inside, the Highlander Hybrid continued this theme with oversized elements like a 12.3-inch touchscreen and large air vents. However, the interior's mismatched textures and tones, along with reflections from the display, made it visually overwhelming. Despite these design choices, the Highlander Hybrid was quiet on the road, thanks to acoustic front window glass in higher trims, but its interior quality left much to be desired.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine, delivering 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It featured a front-wheel-drive system paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. While it lacked all-wheel drive or an electrified powertrain, the Odyssey offered a respectable EPA fuel economy estimate of 22 mpg in combined driving. During testing, it averaged 22.6 mpg. The Odyssey's driving experience was enjoyable, with quick acceleration and responsive handling, but its brakes tended to heat up on mountain grades, leading to pedal vibration and audible grumbling.

The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid combined a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine with two electric motor-generators, producing 243 combined horsepower. It weighed 4,430 pounds in Platinum trim and offered an EV mode for low-speed electric-only driving. However, its gas engine's 175 pound-feet of torque limited high-speed passing power, and towing 3,500 pounds seemed impractical. The Highlander Hybrid's fuel economy was a key selling point, but it fell short of expectations, averaging 28.7 mpg compared to the EPA's 35 mpg estimate. The driving experience was uninspiring, with soft suspension and a continuously variable transmission contributing to a lackluster ride.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey excelled in interior space and functionality. Its low stance and wide-opening doors made entry easy, while the Elite trim offered quality leather seats with power adjustment, heating, and ventilation. The Odyssey's Magic Slide second-row seats provided flexibility for child seat placement and access to the third row. The third-row seat was comfortable for adults, and the cargo space behind it measured 32.8 cubic feet, doubling that of typical midsize SUVs. Folding the third-row seat expanded cargo capacity to 88.8 cubic feet, and removing the second-row seats created a cavernous 144.9 cubic feet of space.

The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, while accommodating seven or eight passengers, was best suited for families with occasional third-row needs. The second-row captain's chairs were comfortable, but accessing the third row was challenging due to tight clearance. The third-row seat was flat and uncomfortable, making it suitable only for short trips. The Highlander Hybrid offered 16 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 48.4 cubic feet with the third row folded. However, the optional all-weather cargo mat compromised utility, and the center armrest storage console design was unnecessarily complex.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Elite was equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Higher trims added navigation, CabinWatch, and CabinTalk technology. The rear-seat entertainment system featured a 10.2-inch display, but it was outdated compared to rivals. The Odyssey's infotainment system was user-friendly but lacked a tuning knob and required specific voice commands for navigation, making it less intuitive than smartphone-based systems.

In 2023, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid introduced new technology, including a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment systems. Upper trims featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen with over-the-air updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and connected service plans. The Drive Connect service plan offered advanced features like natural voice recognition and cloud-based navigation. The Highlander Hybrid's technology was generally easy to use, but the graphics could benefit from sharper contrast for better visibility.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey came with Honda Sensing, a suite of advanced safety features including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. However, Honda Sensing lacked refinement, occasionally issuing invalid warnings or taking abrupt actions. The Odyssey earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.

The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid featured Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+, which included adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. It also had a blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert. The Highlander Hybrid's ADAS performed well in most situations, and it received excellent crash-test ratings from both the IIHS and NHTSA.