One road trip, two dreams fulfilled. Few would think of the Honda Odyssey as a dream machine, but in our case, the minivan was key to making our nearly 1,000-mile round-trip journey happen so smoothly. Sure, enormous SUVs like the Chevrolet Suburban can also seat five adults in comfort with room for four sets of golf clubs and a couple of suitcases, but those behemoths start at $50,000. And no SUV will have the ease of use provided by sliding doors.
This was no ordinary road trip. We were celebrating my father-in-law's birthday and retirement with a once-in-a-lifetime golf trip to Pebble Beach. And once that ended, we set off to Sacramento to say hello to our adorable new puppy before returning home. Here's a mile-by-mile look at how the Odyssey performed and how the trip went.
2 miles: No surprise here: Traffic is slowing our escape from Los Angeles. As we roll along, I'm wondering how many people realize how useful adaptive cruise control is in traffic. Every 2021 and 2022 Honda Odyssey gets adaptive cruise control as part of the Honda Sensing group of features, and, well, it's not perfect. But even when the tech is a little jerky with acceleration and braking, it can de-stress a short or long drive. I end up using it a lot on this trip.
16 miles: We've barely left home, and already I want more screen real estate than this 8.0-inch touchscreen offers. Here's why: If you're listening to terrestrial or satellite radio, a split-screen function on a larger display allows you to see where your exit for dinner is at the same time your significant otherserves as the trip's DJ. There's more to automotive life than big screens, but this is one area the segment has passed the Honda by. The Toyota Sienna offers a 9.0-inch screen, the Chrysler Pacifica is now up to 10.1 inches, and the Kia Carnival goes big with an available 12.3-inch unit.
23 miles: As I negotiate a tight corner in a drive-through, I'm thinking about cameras. Our 2021 Odyssey EX-L is only $39,635, but I still would have liked a 360-degree camera system right about now in this 205.2-inch people mover.
37 miles: I prepare for the row of outlet stores by shoving the enormous sunshade to the side window and jokingly encourage my husband to look at the other side of the freeway. Oh look! A tree! Now a Victorian house! …
38 miles: "You know that's not the only set of outlet stores we're going to pass, right?"
65 miles: We agree Michael McDonald would sound good singing Steve Winwood's "Higher Love."
89 miles: As the sun starts to dip below the horizon in the scenic Lake Cachuma area, a newer Audi Q7 passes an older black Q7. I can't help but think of how much more attractive the older model is. The old-versus-new comparison makes me grateful for how far minivan design has come. The Odyssey is no runway model, but I appreciate the dashes of style. There's the semi-hidden track for the sliding door along the base of the rear side windows, the interesting surfacing along the doors, and even the detailing on the Odyssey EX-L's 18-inch wheels. Now compare that to the basic slab-sided design of the very first Odyssey.
92 miles: It's our turn to pass that black Q7, and I'm grateful for the power from this 2021 Odyssey's 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V-6. With 280 hp, the Odyssey moves with authority, with a MotorTrend-tested 6.7-second sprint to 60 mph. It's helpful when you're passing on a road trip, but let's be honest: How often do you need to pin the throttle down in your daily life? This is one reason I'd still consider the hybridized Toyota Sienna. That new minivan won't deliver the oomph of others, but most of the time you're cruising around town at a sedate pace, appreciating the time and money it's saving you by not having to refuel.
129 miles: As my husband takes an iPhone photo of the last traces of the orange sky over the gently rolling hills, he's making fun of my old phone. What else is new? Still, his comments remind me of how occasionally, you simply don't need the latest and greatest to compete. Take the Odyssey, which recently finished second in a four-minivan comparison test that focused on the top trim levels. The Odyssey is good to drive and spacious. As we noted in the comparo, it's "a really good all-rounder."
261 miles: We stop midway up the California coast for the night. The next day, we decide to take the long way up to Monterey, via Highway 1. This section features some of the most stunning views available anywhere in the state, and from the large windows of our Odyssey, it doesn't disappoint. Along our journey, we see some chill sea lions and decide this minivan could use a tuning knob. For road trip purposes, it's simply too time-consuming to change stations, though the driver can normally do this from the steering wheel controls.
290 miles: Driving performance is important in minivans, too. Around these winding roads, I can support what we found in our comparison, that the engine and transmission are well tuned, as is the steering. I also appreciate that the engine is relatively muted.
326-383 miles: We make it to Monterey and hold our breath as we fit into one of our bed-and-breakfast's parking spaces. Sliding doors and patience make this moment possible. The next day, the minivan's spacious eight-passenger layout makes our trips through Pebble Beach possible. Yes, it's a unique situation, but had our minivan (or three-row SUV) been equipped with second-row captain's chairs instead of a three-across second-row seat, we wouldn't have experienced the tall trees, passing deer, and ocean vistas together.
Oh, and the main event—golfing at Pebble Beach—went well. OK, besides tons of lost balls along the way.
571 miles: Having said goodbye to Monterey and Pebble Beach, we drive to an area near Sacramento to meet our new puppy. We're extremely excited. Of course, before we say hello to the pup, the conversation turns to cars. The person we're getting the dog from drives a pre-refresh Chrysler Pacifica, and we agree the Honda could use a button on the sliding rear doors. On the Honda, when we don't want to fetch the key in our pocket and find the correct button to push, we extend the door handle toward us and then release it. That opens the sliding doors on the Honda; now compare that to the Chrysler. Even if you don't have the Pacifica's available hands-free feature, you just hit a button on the door handle, and it opens. This is a small difference, but during a weekend of many ins and outs, it's a convenience we would have liked.
696 miles: Our black pup blends in with our giant seat protector, but I can see his eyes reflecting from the rearview mirror. He's taking a day of driving quite well.
723 miles: We remember that the side windows have manual shades and pull one down. It's still over 100 degrees outside. That feature is standard on the Odyssey EX and EX-L for the second row; go for a Touring or Elite model and you get third-row shades, too.
906 miles: As interesting as Highway 1 was a couple days ago, our drive home is mostly devoid of scenery and curves. And that's given me time to think about … steering wheel controls. I've realized how good the ones on this Honda are. Too often, form follows function. Here, the edges of various controls are raised up from the steering wheel itself and shaped differently, making it easy to operate controls like volume and track forward without looking or lifting a hand from the steering wheel. That's helpful when everyone else is asleep and you want to keep your eyes on the road and the drive as smooth as possible.
947 miles: We are exhausted. My father-in-law enjoyed himself, and we're puppy parents. Throughout the trip, I kept thinking how few vehicles could do what this minivan did so comfortably. Wagons are great, but they aren't as easy to enter and exit. SUVs? Yeah, that could have worked, but in addition to the ingress/egress issue, SUVs usually don't hold as much as minivans, and the load floor is often higher. So doable, but not as comfortable or as affordable. That leaves you with big SUVs such as the Suburban and Expedition, at which point you are far beyond the $30,000-$50,000 price range of a minivan.
As for our one-year 2021 Odyssey EX-L specifically, I'm mostly impressed. Our comparison focused on the high end of the market, where the Odyssey has trouble competing—especially with the dated instrument cluster and infotainment screens. In the middle, however, the Odyssey is more in its sweet spot. With tons of space and a good driving experience, the minivan does its job so you can focus on more important things, like spending time with family and, of course, a puppy.
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