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Honda Motor, the Japanese carmaker, has completely redesigned its best-selling minivan, Odyssey, for the 2018 model year as the all-new 2018 Honda Odyssey arrives Honda dealerships across the United States, this Thursday. Without any doubt, the Odyssey has been the best-selling minivan in America for the past seven years and is leading again in 2017, according to reports. This fifth-generation Odyssey continues its evolution to meet the needs of changing American families, raising the bar for performance, cabin quietness, family-friendly interior space, comfort and connectivity in the minivan segment.
Offering customers greater value than ever before, the 2018 Honda Odyssey prices increase modestly, despite the substantially increased comfort and convenience features such as standard Honda Sensing® technology, new Display Audio system with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™, and new Magic Slide 2nd-row seats™ in EX and above trims, for example. The line-topping Odyssey Touring and Elite models round out the Odyssey lineup with a long list of available new premium features and technologies, including CabinWatch™ day/night video monitor, CabinTalk™ in-car PA system, 4G LTE in-car Wi-Fi, new Rear Entertainment System (RES) with Blu-ray and streaming video, hands-free power tailgate, heated steering wheel, LED accent lighting and more.
With its new 3.5-liter SOHC direct-injected i-VTEC® V6 engine, offering 32 more horsepower than before, and new 9-speed and available 10-speed automatic transmissions with standard paddle shifters, the 2018 Honda Odyssey offers class-leading performance and improved EPA fuel economy ratings of 19/28/22 mpg3 city/highway/combined. The new Odyssey also adds the Honda Sensing® suite of driver-assistive and safety technologies as standard on EX and above trims, which are anticipated to comprise 95 percent of new Odyssey sales. The 2018 Honda Odyssey comes in five different variants, the LX, EX, EX-L, Touring and Elite (previously Touring Elite).
Dynamic Performance
The 2018 Odyssey is powered by a new 3.5-liter direct injected i-VTEC® 24-valve SOHC V6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM™). This new engine is paired with one of two new transmissions: a 9-speed automatic (9AT) for LX, EX, EX-L and EX-L NAVI RES trims, or an all-new Honda-developed 10-speed automatic (10AT) for Touring and Elite trims. The Odyssey’s new engine is rated at 280 SAE net peak horsepower (+32 horsepower) and 262 SAE net lb.-ft. torque (+12 lb.-ft.) and delivers best-in-class acceleration for added confidence when entering a freeway, accelerating with traffic or overtaking another vehicle on the highway.
Odyssey’s superior performance, including its exceptional ride comfort, and steering and handling precision, are improved by a lighter weight, more rigid body structure (75 pounds lighter with a 44 percent increase in torsional rigidity compared to the previous model), as well as a new dual-pinion electric power steering system, and a new rear suspension with stabilizer bar. The new suspension allows for more discreet control of both body roll (side-to-side) and heave (up and down) body motions, while its compact design aids interior cargo volume. It is also 15 pounds lighter than the previous system.
Magic Slide™ Seats
Odyssey’s new Magic Slide 2nd-row seats™ enable greater flexibility for optimal passenger comfort, people- and cargo-hauling ease and easy access to the third row. There are four different modes depending on the space and seat position that is needed, with the centre seat removed.
The Easy Access mode allows the outboard seats to slide laterally through five selectable positions, creating more access to the third row, even with one or two rear-facing child seats installed in the second-row seats. The Super mode can be used for maximum access to the back row with either outboard seat set to the walk-in position. To have the two outboard seats in their outermost positions is called Wide mode. Lastly, the Buddy mode enables the two outboard seats to come together in the centre of the vehicle, putting the two people in close proximity to one another. Further, sliding either outboard second-row seat to its centre- and forward-most position puts a child within easy reach of the driver and front-seat passenger.
Family Connectivity
A host of new connected-vehicle features and technologies makes the in-vehicle communication easier and faster. CabinWatch™ lets the driver and front passenger view the second- and third-row passengers via the 8-inch Display Audio screen, using a ceiling-mounted camera with infrared capability. The new CabinTalk™ in-car public address system allows the driver to talk with the second- and third-row passengers through the second- and third-row speakers and, in models equipped with the Rear Entertainment System, through the wireless headphones.
Other new connected-car technologies include a new, faster and more user-friendly Display Audio touchscreen interface with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ compatibility; new CabinControl™ app, which puts normally out-of-reach features at second and third-row passengers’ fingertips via their smartphones; Social Playlist (part of Cabin Control™ app) which works as a virtual family jukebox; available 4G LTE in-car Wi-Fi; and a new 10-inch, high-resolution Rear Entertainment System with Blu-Ray and streaming video capabilities.
Cabin Quietness
Honda designers and engineers targeted top-class cabin quietness for the new Odyssey, providing a low-stress environment where families could easily connect in their day-to-day travels and on longer journeys. The Odyssey’s vault-like cabin benefits from a more aerodynamic and tightly sealed body; the use of triple door seals; an acoustic-laminated windshield and front door glass; thicker rear door, rear quarter and rear windscreen glass (Elite trims add acoustic rear-quarter glass); added insulation in the engine compartment and fenders; the application of acoustic spray foam to 14 places in the body structure; and standard Active Noise Control technology.
Safety and Driver Assistive Features
The 2018 Odyssey EX and above trims now feature the Honda Sensing® suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies as standard equipment. Honda Sensing® includes Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). The new Odyssey also utilises the latest generation of Honda’s Advanced Compatibility EngineeringÔ (ACE™) body structure and advanced airbags. The new Odyssey targets top collision safety ratings: an NCAP 5-star Overall Vehicle Score and an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK rating.
North American Development and Manufacturing
The all-new 2018 Odyssey was researched, designed and engineered by Honda R&D Americas and both the vehicle and its V6 engine are produced4 exclusively by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln, Alabama. The new Honda-developed 10-speed transmission is produced exclusively by Honda Precision Parts Georgia in Tallapoosa, Georgia.
