2024 Honda Odyssey: Still Relevant?

With changing trends, most minivans have already met their final fate. However, the Odyssey just doesn’t want to stop existing in a market flooded with SUVs. Despite losing sales, minivans are the ultimate transport solution for big families. Also, they are useful for cargo duties. The Honda Odyssey minivan is still selling well, and there are many reasons for it. 

Today I’ll be reviewing the Sport trim that was added just last year. Nothing has changed for this year, and to be honest, it doesn't need to. The 2024 Honda Odyssey Sport trim gets blacked-out elements along with some distinct styling. The 2024 Honda Odyssey price starts at $42,260 for the Sport trim and it competes with the likes of the Chrysler Pacifica, Kia Carnival, and Toyota Sienna.

2024 Honda Odyssey MSRP For All Trims 

Distinct Styling

As the name suggests, with the Sport trim level, you're going to get a more aggressive styling. The front grille is finished in full gloss black, so you'll notice that it gives it a more macho look, especially when paired with exterior colors like white. You can also get a Sonic Gray Pearl on this model. Now coming to the headlights, there’s a full LED setup on all versions of the Odyssey. You also have an LED daytime running light and an incandescent turn signal indicator.

Talking about the rear design, you might mistake this for a Civic Type R from a distance because it is sporty. Also, this minivan has a spoiler too. All three elements of the tail lamp are incandescent in nature, including the stop lamps, indicators, and reverse lamps. Despite being the Sport trim, there are no exposed exhaust outlets below the lower bumper. 

One of the nice things that adds a lot of value to the Sport package is the fact that this model comes standard with 19-inch alloy wheels instead of the standard 18-inch alloy wheels. You get a full-gloss black finish on the wheels, just like the other elements on the exterior. I think it looks really good, and you'll also notice the same glossy black finish on the mirrors. 

The mirrors themselves get standard blind spot monitoring and standard heating. For auto dimming or power folding, though, you will have to choose the Elite trim. On the side, of course, there’s typical minivan proportions, and you have the sliding rear doors. As far as the overall length is concerned, it's 205.2 inches long, which is longer than the Honda Pilot if that's something you're cross-shopping this with.

To-The-Point Interior

Taking a look at the Honda Odyssey's interior, there's not a lot of difference when it comes to the Sport trim level. The cloth seating will be on just the base EX trim; everything else will come with real leather seating. When it comes to the Sport trim, black is your only color choice, but you do have unique red stitching to kind of distinguish it a little bit from other trims. The front seats are very plush and super comfortable. For better comfort, there’s a 12-way power adjustment on every single model and all but the base model. 

Coming to the rest of the cabin materials, we have a nice plush leather-covered armrest on the door panel. It’s a hard touch in the middle and a soft touch along the top of the door trim. The upper dash is finished in a kind of leatherette material with a stitching detail. Also, there’s an aluminum trim on the Sport trim level, along with nice soft-touch plastic through the center sections.

The gauge cluster is a mostly digital setup, and we have approximately a 7-inch display for information. You can change a few elements of the overall design of the cluster. The steering wheel is pretty much the same on every trim. It is a nice leather-wrapped steering wheel, and you have manual tilt and telescoping abilities. However, it will be heated on the top-end Elite version. 

Not having a traditional gear shifter might be a letdown for a few

The center console storage space is sufficient for most, and there’s a space for wireless charging in the top Elite model. The shifter is located just below the center infotainment, and it is kind of typical Honda push-button style D for drive. Also, you can go into sport mode and shift manually with paddle shifters. Honda offers a reverse backup camera, but there’s no 360-degree view even on the top model. 

The Sport model gets three-stage heated front seats and the ventilated seats are reserved for the Elite trim. However, there's a three-zone climate control. Most models are just going to have seven speakers, but the top-end model has an 11-speaker, 550-watt system for better output. The 8-inch center display is basically the same as what we've seen in the Odyssey for many years. At this point, you've got this Honda Link system with the tiled setup.

You also have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on board, but it is a wired connection. Honda offers navigation on the Touring and Elite trims. Also, there’s a cabin watch camera system where you can actually kind of spy on your kids and be sure of their safety. Coming to the rear seat, power sliding doors are a standard feature across all the trims. The Odyssey offers better headroom and legroom than the Pacifica. The seats can slide back and forth, and there’s a recline feature as well. 

The central seat can also be folded down, and that doubles up as an armrest and cup holder. However, the middle seat can be removed as well, and the magic slide feature can be used for side-by-side movement. The ingress and egress to the third-row seat are pretty easy. The third-row seats are pretty comfortable, and even the thigh support is decent.

To access the cargo space, you get a power tailgate on the EX-L and above trim levels. You get 33 cubic feet behind the third row or 89 cubic feet behind the second row. As a maximum, you're looking at about 145 cubic feet of cargo capacity. So, that’s pretty much more than the Toyota Sienna or Honda’s very own Pilot as well. 

Tried And Tested Powertrain

Under the hood is a tried-and-tested 3.5-liter V6 engine with 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. The same is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and all the power is sent to the front wheels. Sadly, there’s no AWD like some other minivans out there.

The buttery 3.5-liter V6 is a strong USP for Odyssey.

Actually, the powertrain package is strong enough to make the Odyssey sell well. In terms of performance, the Odyssey can do a 0–60 sprint in 6.5 seconds and complete a quarter-mile run in 15.1 seconds. The towing capacity is rated at 3,500 pounds.

Driving Impressions

Under hard acceleration, the Honda Odyssey responds very well and accelerates without breaking a sweat. With many competitors changing powertrains, Honda has stuck with the smooth and refined V6 engine. I personally feel that the engine refinement and power delivery are much better than the Toyota Sienna. 

The 10-speed automatic transmission is pretty responsive and shifts at the correct time. However, not everything’s perfect, as all Odyssey models come only with FWD, and those looking for AWD will need to opt for other minivans. The ride quality is pretty good, and the maneuverability is good too. However, the steering feedback could have been better. 

Decent fuel economy for a minivan with a V6 engine

In terms of fuel economy, we are looking at EPA-estimated 19 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. So, with no hybrid support and a big V6 engine, the efficiency figures couldn’t have been any better. The Pacifica and Sienna’s hybrid variants will have an edge over the Odyssey in terms of mpg figures.

Should The Odyssey Be In Your Garage?

Frankly speaking, if you are someone looking for a no-nonsense family hauler and won’t mind driving a minivan, then the Honda Odyssey is your answer. The Odyssey is a good old recipe and even Honda has not changed it. However, if you want better gas mileage, then opt for some of the hybrid minivans mentioned above.