The first generation of Odyssey was born in 1994. Since 1998, the Odyssey has been divided into a Japanese version and an American version, with the American version being larger, more powerful, and more focused on space and practicality, but it has long been out of contact with the Chinese market.
Guangqi Honda began to produce the second-generation Japanese version of the Odyssey in China in 2002, and has followed the pace of replacement of the Japanese version of the model. Different from the American version of the standard family side sliding door MPV, the Japanese version of the Odyssey focuses on the concept of "sedan MPV", using a sedan pull-out door design, and the body is low, and more attention is paid to providing sedan handling and riding feeling, to some extent, the Japanese version of the Odyssey has always been a seven-seater version of the sedan, and its relationship with the Accord is similar to that of the Jed and the Civic.
With the fifth generation of the Japanese Odyssey, which was launched in 2013, the situation finally changed. This generation of the Japanese version of the Odyssey has the same side sliding door design as the American version, and the body has become taller, and the shadow of the sedan is gone. At this point, the Japanese version of the Odyssey is no longer a seven-seater version of the Accord, but has officially entered the mainstream MPV market. The new generation of Elysian launched by Dongfeng Honda is also completely based on the fifth-generation Odyssey, which can be regarded as a "bold" Odyssey, which is larger than the Odyssey, with a larger light cluster area, thicker chrome strips, larger wheels, and a more business-like interior decoration.
The Odyssey is powered by a 2.4-liter Earth Dream engine mated to a CVT gearbox. The maximum power of this engine is higher than that on the Accord, while the torque is turned down a bit. As for this CVT gearbox, not only did it not have paddle shifters, but even the L gear was canceled along with it. In general, this generation of Odyssey encourages car owners to drive slowly on urban roads without strong winds and waves, after all, stability and comfort are the core demands of MPV consumers.
Although the Odyssey uses a 2.4-liter engine, the acceleration is not as brisk as the Accord's 2.0-liter. But throughout the acceleration, the Earth Dream engine delivers a very linear and smooth output, with the CVT gearbox responding quickly. The Odyssey's handling experience is very commendable, and it can be called "sharp" among MPVs, although it is far more bloated than a sedan, but you will feel like you are driving an Accord in the city. The Odyssey doesn't offer all-wheel drive, and if there is a requirement for the ability to get out of trouble, the Honda Odyssey does not have an advantage over the Toyota Senna or some seven-seater SUVs. Even so, for those who have a two-child plan, buying an Odyssey as a nanny car for the whole family is still a good deal.
Due to the taller body, the interior of this generation of Odyssey has naturally undergone significant changes. The center console lacks the sense of technology of a sedan, and the dashboard and lines have become more concise, but using the touch screen to operate the air conditioning and volume is always a problem for drivers. In terms of materials, Honda does not pile up too many high-end fabrics to show luxury, so that all passengers can feel simple and generous is its core concept. The previous generations of "sedan-like" Odysseys all adopted a more family-oriented 2-3-2 seat arrangement, but the fifth-generation Odyssey has become a business MPV-style 2-2-3 seat arrangement. All seats have ample space reserved for passengers, and the middle seats also have individual leg rests and hand pillows to relieve the fatigue of long journeys. Like the Accord, the front seats of the Odyssey still only have a heating function and no ventilation function, and the middle and rear rows have independent air conditioning outlets, but unfortunately they can only control the air volume independently and cannot control the temperature. In addition, the Odyssey has not been able to provide a panoramic sunroof so far, leaving some small regrets.
For most family MPVs, luggage space is a problem when all people are riding, this generation of Odyssey is very smart to open up the third row of seats under the luggage compartment when it is full, and its practicality is really not low, but compared to the length of more than 5 meters Buick GL8 and other opponents, this luggage space is still a little stingy, if you want to carry two or three family long-distance luggage, you may have to add a roof luggage.
How to choose between the Odyssey and the Elysian, there is no doubt that the Elysian is bigger and more luxurious, but the Odyssey not only accelerates significantly faster than the Elysian, but also leads the Elysian in terms of handling, braking, and fuel consumption. Odyssey is more suitable than Elysian as a large family car, such as the gap between the two seats in the front row, in fact, it is reserved for the owner to DIY, as a family nanny car can be placed here a car Xiaoice box, and Elysian is replaced by a standard storage box. The Elysian has a more "business" interior style and better quiet performance, and it is more suitable as a company car.
The Odyssey is a very good quality car, and there are still many third-generation Odysseys driving on Chinese roads, it has a large number of common parts with the Accord, and it is also as reliable as the Accord, and there is nothing to worry about when buying it.
In terms of safety, due to the relatively high height of the MPV and the front seats at the front of the car, the buffer space in front of the driver and front passengers is very small in the event of a frontal collision, which poses a higher challenge to the safety of the MPV, but the safety of the Odyssey is not to be worried, and it has obtained the highest level in all crash tests. The U.S. version of the Odyssey has also been consistently one of the safest cars in the U.S., and in the 2016 IIHS crash test, the Odyssey was awarded the TSP for its excellent performance in all basic items.
Honda Odyssey丨Elysian evaluation report