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The 2021 Honda Odyssey.

WES ALLISON

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The 2021 Honda Odyssey.

Wesley Allison

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The 2021 Honda Odyssey.

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The 2021 Honda Odyssey.

WES ALLISON

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The 2021 Honda Odyssey.

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The 2021 Honda Odyssey.

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The 2021 Honda Odyssey.

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2021 Honda Odyssey

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2021 Honda Odyssey

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2021 marks a mid-cycle refresh for the Honda Odyssey minivan, which is now in its fifth generation since making its debut back in 1995.

Minivans have come a long way in the past 20-plus years but have wavered in sales as of late. Honda, however, predicts a resurgence in the market that could put the company back to the same level of minivan sales in the next six to seven years.

There are currently only six different minivans left available on the market today and three of those come from the same manufacturer with the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid. Kia follows with the Sedona, and Toyota wraps up the list with the Sienna. The Odyssey continues to be the best seller and has more brand loyalty in this marketplace.

However, as we sat down to write this article about the new and definitely improved Honda Odyssey minivan, Craig got a text from his business partner Mike showing a Facebook post with seven Honda Odyssey minivans parked in front of a church, with the poster wanting to know if he had somehow stepped into a Honda Dealership, a sort of social proof that Honda is doing it right.

So, yes, although the minivan may not be gaining as much ground nationwide, it is still very much a staple here in Utah with many evidently gravitating toward Honda’s offering. So with this in mind, we embarked on our weekly journey, and just our second time out with a Honda Odyssey. It seemed only fitting that Honda had chosen to bring this fifth generation of minivan, with of course us in mind.

During the week, we had the opportunity to take our son Jacoby, his wife Hailey and son Madan, and our daughter Sadie for a ride and to dinner. The Odyssey was the perfect fit as there were seats for all of us. The toddler car seat went in very easily and with the included cabin watch, those of us up front could keep track of all the others on the infotainment screen.

The fact that the rear seats slide both forward and back along with sideways, using a system called Magic Slide, made sitting in the captain’s chairs in the second row very enjoyable for mother Hailey and of course made more room in the back with the car seat in one of those seats for Deanne and Sadie.

The only complaint with the Odyssey was that those same chairs would not fold into the floor as other minivans will do. They would come out of the van but were on the heavy side and would take an adult to get them in and out of the van. The third row seats did, however, easily stow into the floor of the van. Planning ahead would be imperative if dad wanted to purchase something large on Saturday and still keep the kids in tow.

The exterior design, however, has a different look than that of other minivans with flowing lines that swept our eyes from front to rear. The new generation takes an even bolder look with a floating roof as the D pillar is masked with black plastic at the bottom, giving our eyes the illusion that the roof was floating above the vehicle.

Of course, the new Honda came with all the great safety features that we have come to love from the manufacturer. Blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and the really fantastic lane keep assist that in a Honda keeps the vehicle centered in the lane not just bounding from line to line. Adaptive cruise control, which we found very helpful in the heavy traffic, now comes with stop-and-go technology, cross-path detection with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning and brake assist.

Inside, the Odyssey is the quintessential family cruiser, having not only all the features that mom and dad could want to help with the ride, but the designers have also kept the kids and rear seat passengers in mind with add-ons that will keep them wanting to remain in the rear and enjoy the ride.

For mom and dad, the front screen can be set to watch the rear of the van with a ceiling-mounted infrared camera and system named CabinWatch. Combine this with a system called CabinTalk which allows the driver to communicate with the rear passengers via the speaker system. This gives parents the ability to watch and talk with the kids in the back, without having to take their eyes off the road.

For the kids, the rear entertainment system can be controlled via a downloadable app called, of course, CabinControl. It also will control heating and air-conditioning and can send destinations to the navigation system. There is also an embedded program in the system called “How Much Farther” that allows the kids to know exactly how far they have to go and not have to keep asking mom and dad. Now that is a great feature! That alone would have been a reason for us to grab a van like this when our kids were younger.

Also for the kids as part of the CabinControl system is an option called Social Playlist that allows up to seven passengers to upload their favorite music to the system from their smartphones. This could be bad or good for mom and dad but a way cool feature. Keeping up with the times the entertainment system can stream movies right from the net via the built-in WiFi system, making the Odyssey one of the most connected cars we have driven to date.

To keep dad happy, the Honda comes equipped with a V6 engine that now produces a very nice 280 horsepower, up 32 ponies from the previous generation, and is connected to a 10-speed automatic transmission that slipped seamlessly through the gears. We managed 23 mpg for our week with the Odyssey, a little above the EPA estimate.

The new Honda Odyssey is top family contender in the minivan market and will keep the kids smiling and entertained for all those long road trips.

Base Price: $47,820

Price as Driven: $49,390