Honda Odyssey Review

This year we have been so excited for Halloween that we recently decided to take a road trip to Michigan to visit family and celebrate early. The trip is 3 1/2 hours from Cleveland and that’s why we were excited to be given a week’s test drive of the Honda Odyssey.

When the Odyssey arrived at our house we were immediately impressed with stylish exterior and spacious interior.

I’m not sure who was more excited to have a vehicle with a third row, Dave and I, or Kora & Logan. There was so much room that we all were able to spread out and there was no worry about being too crowded or not having enough room for luggage.

Once we arrived at my sister’s house we got the kids and their cousins dressed in their Halloween costumes and we loaded up to head to a local parade. Before using the remote to open the dual power sliding doors, the kids paused for a minute so we could snap a photo of their costumes.

Then we all piled in. With Kora & Logan and their two cousins in the Odyssey we were amazed to see how much room we still had. Cousin Jules wanted to sit in the middle of the 2nd row to see how the seat belt worked. The shoulder strap pulled down from the ceiling and the lap belt snapped into place with ease.

We were happy to see a mirror on the sunglasses storage compartment above the rear view mirror that allowed us to see the kids in the back two rows without having to turn around.

How handy is that?

Once we got to the parade everyone was able to get in and out of the vehicle with no problems even in their costumes.

We had a fun time at the town cider mill and then the kids walked in the Halloween parade. After the parade their was some trick or treating and then we decided to head over to a local corn maze.

We had a great time at the Halloween festivities and enjoyed being able to spend so much time together thanks to the Odyssey. Normally we would have had to drive in separate cars but because of the third row and great amount of space, we all were able to spend more time together traveling in one vehicle.

Here’s a video I made showcasing some of our favorite features of the Honda Odyssey:

As I mentioned in the video, we loved the navigation system. The screen was in a great place and easy to see, the audio navigation prompted us early when we needed to turn or get off the highway, and the ability to see traffic incidents and find ways around them really saved us some time and sanity.

The navigation controls were simple to use and the dial not only turned to flip through options but it pulled out a bit and could be used similar to a joystick to move around the map and zoom in and out.

The many audio options made the trip home fly by. We were able to listen to the radio, XM, CD, HDD, and more with the turn of the dial or push of a button.

The rear view camera was also impressive. It’s large and makes it easy to see what’s behind you. Since I’m not used to driving a vehicle of this size, I was appreciative of how the rear view camera assisted me when backing up. I didn’t rely on it completely but found it to be a big help and want one in my next car.

We also liked the amount of storage the Odyssey offers. There were cup holders everywhere, extra shelves in the driver and passenger doors, the center console was huge and could hold many large size items in it and on it.

The Cool Box was a great feature too. It can keep drinks cool which would be wonderful on long road trips.

The moon roof is great too, we enjoyed seeing the sun, the sky, and the beautiful fall colors on our trip.

The dual and rear climate controls are wonderful because I’m always cold and Dave and the kids are always hot, so I was content to have my heated seat on and my temperature set to 70, while they were comfortable with theirs set around 65.

We also thought it was neat that when the Odyssey arrived there was a picture of Kora & Logan smiling away at us. It’s the wallpaper feature in the information section of the settings area. It’s a cute, fun idea that adds a bit of personalization to the vehicle.

Another great feature was the One Motion Magic Seats. In two tugs, the seats in the third row lay flat. The trunk was enormous and since this was a weekend trip we were able to fit everything in without having to lay down the seats, but it’s good to know if we had to we could have them laying flat in seconds.

We loved our time with the Honda Odyssey and recommend it to anyone with a large family, who travels a lot, or to those who would enjoy an easy to handle spacious vehicle on a daily basis. It’s a great vehicle that helps maximize family time together without being on top of one another which makes Dave smile.