The 10 Best Honda Odyssey Models of All-Time
Honda introduced the North American consumer market its 1994 Odyssey, which was originally conceived and engineered by the Japanese company in their home nation. This was a project of necessity as Japan’s economic crisis during the 1990s resulted in severe constraints against vehicle sizes and overall concepts. This included dictating minivans to be manufactured in an existing facility with minimal modifications. For Honda, the end result was a smaller minivan that was classified as a compact MPV.
While the Japanese market was receptive to this new breed of minivans, the North American consumers were not. In Europe, this first generation of the Honda Odyssey models was marketed as Honda Shuttle. The 1994 Honda Odyssey models were originally based on the Honda Accord platform. It had a four-cylinder engine, all-disc anti-lock brakes, an all-wishbone suspension, and a four-speed automatic transmission. It featured a mounted steering column shifter and a hill-hold, which was branded as Grade Logic.
This Honda Odyssey lineup became classified as a compact MPV. The first generation of the Honda Odyssey was marketed at two trim levels, namely as an LX series and EX series. The LX series was able to hold seven passengers in total while the EX models allowed six. When the 1994 Honda Odyssey made its debut, it won Japan’s Car of the Year Award By September 1997, over 300,000 units of the Honda Odyssey units were sold, which became the company’s fastest-selling new car sine the Honda Civic. The second generation began in 1999 as a larger minivan to satisfy the North American market while maintaining its smaller size for Asian, European, and Oceania markets.
Unfortunately, from 1999 until 2003 there were issues discovered with the transmission that needed to be addressed. After 2004, was replaced with Honda’s third generation. The Odyssey’s performance and ratings improved considerably since the second generation as it won three straight years in a row Car and Driver’s 5 Best trucks in 2007, 2008, and 2009. The fourth generation of Honda Odyssey models ran from 2010 until 2017. As of 2018, the fifth and final generation of the Honda Odyssey continues to bring forth award-winning excellence on the road. However, 2022 will mark the final year the Honda Odyssey will produce its lineup, which will mark the end of an era.
10. 2009 Honda Odyssey
From Car and Driver, Honda Odyssey received an award for Best of 5 trucks recognition for its 2009 series for what would be the third time in a row. It also earned recognition with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), its Top Safety Pick of the year.
9. 2013 Honda Odyssey
2013 Honda Odyssey marked an era where it was now standard to have all of its models installed with a backup camera as this was one of the reasons why the series has been winning awards among various consumers and critics. By making this a standard feature, this alone gives 2013’s lineup the credit it deserves. It also marked the third year in a row that it would be recognized as Best Car for Families in the minivan category by the U.S. News & World Report.
8. 2019 Honda Odyssey
The U.S. News & World Report recognized the 2019 Honda Odyssey for Best Minivan for Families and Best Minivan for the Money. It would be for the second time in a row Odyssey would receive this honor. It also became recognized as the IIHS’s Top Safety Pick for minivans.
7. 2021 Honda Odyssey
According to a number of consumer report sites and reviewer sites, 2021’s Honda Odyssey has been ranked at the top spot as the preferred minivan most often. It also won for the eleventh consecutive year as the best minivan by the U.S. News & World Report releases 2021. It was also recognized as Best Minivan for the Money. With the IIHS, the Odyssey won the 2021 Top Safety Pick in the minivan class.
6. 2020 Honda Odyssey
With JD Power’s Performance Awards and Ratings, 2020’s Honda Odyssey won in the category of minivans. It also won for the tenth straight year the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Car/Minivan for Families list for minivans.
5. 2022 Honda Odyssey
For the third time, Honda Odyssey earned a Top Safety Pick recognition from the IIHS. So far, among a variety of review sites, the 2022 Honda Odyssey has been beating out the competition with top marks. According to the JD Power site, it’s currently ranked at number one. It was also recognized as one of the best cars on the U.S. News & World Report. It seems as 2022 marks the end of the Odyssey line, Honda is determined to have it go out with as much fanfare as possible.
4. 1996 Honda Odyssey
When New York City and its Taxi and Limousine Commission decided to expand its automobile roster, the 1996 Honda Odyssey was the official choice for its fleet of taxis. Test riders pointed out how many advantages these vehicles had over the Chevrolet Caprice and the Ford Crown Victoria models when it comes to comfort, reliability, and space. The Christian Science Monitor features an article, illustrating the impact the 1996 Odyssey models were about to make on the streets of New York.
3. 2008 Honda Odyssey
2008’s Honda Odyssey won recognition as Car and Driver’s 5 Best Trucks award for the second straight year. These upgraded Odysseys were now equipped with active front head restraints, daytime running lights, and a redesigned dashboard, grille, and tail lights. On the U.S. News & World Report, these models received near-perfect scores in performance and safety.
2. 2007 Honda Odyssey
Starting with the 2007 Honda Odyssey models, a revised, more robust five-speed transmission now came from the Honda Ridgeline platform to further improve its transmission reliability. This served as a pivotal moment for Honda. For the first time, Odyssey won Car and Driver’s 5 Best Trucks, which seemed to serve as a sign of things to come. It also received a near-perfect score with the U.S. News & World Report, which earned three awards from it, namely Best Car for the Money, Best Car for Families.
1. 2018 Honda Odyssey
The 2018 Honda Odyssey earned for its second time the IIHS would choose it for the Top Safety Pick Award. On the U.S. News & World Report, it won Best Car for the Money and Best Car for Families for what would be for the ninth time in a row.
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