2024 Honda Odyssey Minivan

　　

2024 Honda Odyssey Review

byChristian WardlawCorrespondent

　　Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at zzdcar and was the first editor-in-chief of zzdcar.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.

　　, rating written byChristian WardlawSenior Manager, Vehicle Testing Operations

　　Mike Schmidt has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. He has written nearly a thousand car-related articles and has been responsible for the upkeep of countless test fleet vehicles over the course of his career. Mike is a senior manager of vehicle testing operations at zzdcar and got his start working behind the scenes on the car manufacturer side of the business. Mike spent many a weekend working on the family car with his dad and was promoted from flashlight holder to tool gopher at a young age. He's had an appreciation of cars ever since.

　　Got kids? You need a minivan like the 2024 Honda Odyssey, especially if they're little and you're loading them into and out of child safety seats. Those sliding side doors will save your back, and minivans like the 2024 Odyssey have so much cargo space there is no need to pack light, or even with care. Just throw your stuff in and go. When you think about it, minivans are the ultimate active lifestyle vehicles, ready for whatever, whenever, unless it requires rock crawling or water fording. And you're not really planning to do any of that, are you?

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2024 Honda Odyssey EX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 10A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.06 per gallon for regular unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$166/mo  for Odyssey EX

　　Odyssey EX

　　EX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 10A) - $38,240 MSRPEX-L 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 10A) (Most Popular) - $41,310 MSRPSport 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 10A) - $42,260 MSRPTouring 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 10A) - $45,500 MSRPElite 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 10A) - $50,370 MSRP

　　vs

　　$202/mo

　　Avg. Midsize Minivan

　　

zzdcar spotlight: Magic Slide seats

Admittedly, Honda might be overselling its Magic Slide second-row seats. There's nothing magic about them. But they're terrific. You can slide the center seating section closer to the front seats to put a child closer to parents, or you can remove and store that section. Removing it turns the bench-style seat into two individual chairs. Alternatively, you can slide one of them over to create a large pass-through to the third-row seat, or you can slide them both toward the middle to put children closer to the middle of the minivan, where they're safer in a collision. So while they're not magic, Honda could easily call them Awesome Slide seats.

　　

Competitors to consider

Few alternatives to the Odyssey exist, and each one offers something you can't get with the Honda. For example, the Chrysler Pacifica offers available all-wheel drive or a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The Kia Carnival has a sense of style and lounge-style second-row seating. The Toyota Sienna has a standard hybrid powertrain and available all-wheel drive. But we like the Odyssey, as you'll see by reading the zzdcar Expert Rating below.

　　

What’s it like to live with?

When Honda last redesigned the Odyssey for the 2018 model year, zzdcar added one to its long-term testing fleet, putting 20,000 miles on the minivan in a year's time. The Odyssey hasn't changed much since then, so our findings still apply to the 2024 model. Be sure to read the zzdcar long-term road test of the Honda Odyssey to learn more.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.1

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.0/10

　　How does the Odyssey drive? The Odyssey just might be the exception where it is OK to use the words "minivan" and "fun" in the same sentence. Its V6 engine offers enough power for your merging and passing needs even when you've got the cabin full of passengers. In our testing, the Odyssey Elite accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds, essentially an average time for a V6-powered minivan.

　　Precise steering and stable braking and handling give the Odyssey a confident presence both on the highway and along tighter roads. Is the Odyssey sporty? Not really. But it is well sorted and enjoyable to drive. Everything feels cohesive.

　　A smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission unobtrusively chooses the proper gear for the situation. Standard steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are nice if you want to shift for yourself. If we had to nitpick, it'd be that the engine stop-start system (it turns the engine off at stoplights to save fuel) is a bit unrefined, but it can be disabled.

　　

Comfort

8.0/10

　　How comfortable is the Odyssey? The Odyssey's front seats are great for logging miles on extended drives. The second-row seats are equally suited for kids or adults. Third-row legroom is limited, but two grown-ups can survive back there for shorter distances. Our Odyssey Elite's 19-inch wheels likely gave it a firmer ride than the smaller available wheel options (smaller wheels mean more absorbent tire sidewalls). But generally speaking, there aren't many bumps the Honda can't absorb with ease.

　　Wind and road noise in the Odyssey isn't intrusive. The available cabin intercom system is also pretty cool. A microphone picks up your voice and broadcasts it to the rear of the van via the speakers or through the rear entertainment system's headsets. Now you can say, "Stop touching your sister!" without having to turn your head around to shout it.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below