![]() ![]() It obliges but only if you intentionally want it to. It’s best suited for smooth cruising-because, isn’t that what you’re supposed to do with an MPV? It’s only in the final 10 percent of pedal travel where the Odyssey comes alive and the entire Earth Dreams package kicks things up a notch. After all, why would you consider a family hauler to be blistering quick. It won’t light the drag strip on fire, if that’s your thing. It packs 175 horsepower and 225 Nm of torque, which are alright for an executive sedan, but how does it handle a fully-loaded people carrier? With the same K24 stamped on the block, Earth Dreams just means optimized running gear and reduced friction. ![]() Despite the terminology, there’s no direct injection tech yet. This one swaps that out for a 2.4-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder with Earth Dreams. Understandably, there are skeptics given how the previous Odyssey had a ginormous 3.5-liter V6. This puts to rest one concern about the Odyssey now, moving on to the other big concern: the way it drives. In case you need more, the last row of seats actually flip flat into the floor. ![]() Behind the third row, there’s usable cargo space thanks to a carved out space. Knee room is dictated by how generous the second row occupants are, but at least, it’s knees down for everyone. As much as the second row seats feel like a Business Class affair, the third row is more Economy in its execution. There’s a built-in footrest as well and the seat rake adjusts in two locations. The Captain’s Seats slide fore or aft and even side to side. The long seat rails, though unsightly, offer a clue to the tremendous range of adjustment available. It’s the second row that’s the talk of the town. The driver’s seat benefits from power adjustment though oddly enough, there’s no adjustable lumbar. For instance, the floor’s flat throughout the cabin, front to back. Granted it can’t seat eight anymore, this new one does offer improved flexibility. The gauges do look plain, but the information presented is easily digestible.ĭespite the smaller proportions, there’s ample space in any of the three rows of seats. That may necessitate adjustment to the driver, but that takes only a day. Like other family-oriented Hondas like the CR-V, the most comfortable position is a tad high. There’s a bit of wood going around, but it’s not distracting at all. The craftsmanship is top-notch with soft-touch plastics and supple leather seats. In either case, there’s nothing to fault in the cabin. It goes the all-black route giving it an executive car vibe. Normally, this is where other carmakers would slather all the beige upholstery and fake wood they could find. The side doors are power actuated, although the rear hatch is oddly enough, manual opening.Īboard the Odyssey, it takes a very serious tone. It makes for easy ingress/egress for children and the elderly and prevents the wanted soiling of pants. Plus, the door actually opens low it’s no more than ankle height because of a cleverly-designed hidden rocker panel. The 150-millimeter ground clearance is no different from a typical sedan, but opening the door reveals the obvious: the low floor. The reduced overall height causes you to think that there’s not much headroom in the Odyssey, but that’s where Honda’s design know-how comes to play. ![]() But hey, at least you won’t mistake it for a City, right? Admittedly, the front end is over styled with way too much chrome. The turbine-style alloy wheels look small, but are actually 17-inch rollers. It’s all angular with lines that don’t look out of place in cubic art. At least Honda’s gotten their designers all on the same page, working on a family look. Some have criticized it for looking like a blown-up City, but that’s not a bad thing. The arriving Premium Twinkle Black Pearl (this is the actual color name) unit looks pretty much like any Honda of late. For starters, the proportions are actually humane. But the all-new Honda Odyssey’s different. And unless you plan to chauffeur drive it (and some motoring journos do this despite an explicit no-no in the test drive agreement) or drive it out of town, they’re at the bottom of any must-drive list. They’re just too big to drive around Manila and sometimes too big to fit in the garage. It’s not every day you get excited about driving a luxury MPV: they’re cumbersome and unwieldy. ![]()
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