Video: 2025 Honda Odyssey Review: 3 Things We Love and 3 We Don’t

Here are three things we love and three things that could be better about this Odyssey, as well as what's new for 2025. (upbeat music) This is the top-of-the-line Elite trim with an as-tested price of $52,630. Now, the updates to the exterior for 2025 are pretty mild. There's a new grille design. The fog lights surrounds up front are a little bit larger. There are new wheel designs depending on the trim. And in back, Honda has integrated the vertical reflectors from the second gen Acura NSX, into the bumper, which means that this now has Acura NSX reflectors and a 3.5 liter V6, which pretty much makes this the closest thing you can get to an NSX these days. Inside, the updates include a standard seven-inch partially digital gauge cluster, the speedometer is still physical, and a standard larger nine-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The available rear entertainment system also has a larger 12.8-inch display and a relocated HDMI port and device storage. Everything else about the Odyssey is very familiar from the powertrain to the seating arrangements, which helps and hurts the Honda's cause. What's great about the Odyssey is its space efficiency for people starting in the cockpit, with this gear selector up here with the Push button feature, it's fully electronic. That opens up all this space down here for bag storage, USB ports. You have a giant center console bin, lots of cup holders, comfortable front seats, soft-touch materials on the door, arm rests on both front seats. And then as you get into the second row, the seats recline. The standard bench seat, the middle seat, is removable, which turns this into captain's chairs, and then you get to use Honda's Magic Slide feature, which lets the seats move side to side, so you can have buddy mode where the two seats are next to each other, which also opens up a pathway to the third row, which is really nice and roomy even for adults. And you also get lots of amenities like USB charge ports, climate vents, cup holders, and all that space efficiency for people also works to the Odyssey's advantage for cargo. The third row seats fold flat. The second row seats are completely removable, so you have tons of space for larger items, drywall, plywood, things like that, you can fit inside the vehicle entirely. Really makes the Odyssey just an extremely useful vehicle for carrying either people or stuff. Part of the upgrades for the Odyssey for 2025 include this new nine-inch touchscreen display, which has faster processing speed than the previous eight-inch display. It works really well, the graphics are clear, the menus are very intuitive, it's very responsive. And in addition to that, you also get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is a really nice-to-have feature, you don't have to plug in every time you want to use something like Google Maps or Apple Maps, or any of that. And you have a Home button up here, as well as physical audio controls and physical climate controls for both the front and the rear right here, it's all very intuitive and easy to use. Understandably, powertrain is probably lower on the list for most minivan shoppers when it comes to things that are important about the vehicle they're choosing. But there are some good qualities to the Odyssey's powertrain. There's ample power. It's a 280 horsepower, 3.5 liter V6. It's enough for highway merges, it's enough for passing. You can also tow up to 3,500 pounds in the Odyssey, which should be enough for most folks. Lots of good out of the powertrain, but it's not all rosy. Now, some of the things we don't like with this powertrain actually start with the lack of choice. With the Odyssey, you get a 3.5 liter V6, a 10-speed automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive, that's it. Competitors offer things like all-wheel drive, or a hybrid powertrain, or both. The Chrysler Pacifica is available as a plug-in hybrid. The Kia Carnival and Toyota Sienna are available as traditional hybrids. Those hybrids are much more fuel-efficient than the Odyssey, which averages 22 miles per gallon combined according to the EPA. But compared to the hybrids, that's very low compared to similar front-wheel drive, gas-only minivans. It's actually not that bad, but you can do better for similar prices. On top of that, the powertrain behavior, while there's ample power, can be a little clunky. The 10-speed automatic is a bit hesitant or ponderous to downshift sometimes. It's not gonna make you feel unsafe, but you are gonna have to time some of your maneuvers a little bit better. There's also just some quirks to the whole operation. There are paddle shifters on the steering wheel, never in my life have I wanted paddle shifters in a minivan, and I spent a week struggling to figure out a use for these other than, huh, let's see if they work. They do, but you don't need them. And then the gear selector over here, I remember when Honda came out with this design, it's still confusing to this day. I found myself mis-selecting Reverse when I meant to hit Drive. You can pick up on it pretty quickly, but it's just not the best design, it's not very intuitive. Right above the gear selector is another one of my complaints. You may remember it from when I was just praising it a little while ago, but the touch screen, as new as it is, already looks dated. Toyota, Kia, Chrysler, all have better-looking screen tech, more modern screen tech. The gauge cluster, with its speedometer and semi digital over here for the tachometer and menus, also looks a little old. A lot of my colleagues also complain about dim gauges. I never ran into it, but it is something to be on the lookout for. But really, it just doesn't look modern. It is just a very dated feeling interior when it comes to technology. And speaking of dated feelings, there's actually a rear seat entertainment screen. And for 2025, Honda has killed the DVD player with it. So beware, you are going to have to use an HDMI cable, which can open up an entire new can of worms. Last on my list of complaints is that the Odyssey is just kind of frustrating to drive. And again, we know, the driving experience is probably not top of mind for the average minivan shopper. But it really is worth noting, the Odyssey has a very firm suspension, which is normally a thing I like in Hondas, but here, it's not combined with sharp steering. Instead, you get very vague, numb, overly boosted steering. And what ends up happening is that as you get to higher speeds on the highway, it can feel very jittery, it can feel all over the place, especially if it gets windy, and it's just not very comfortable to drive at highway speeds. At lower speeds, it's fine. It's really all you could want out of a minivan in that it's not terribly offensive around town. But the driving experience is certainly not one of the Odyssey strengths. If you're looking to move people, a minivan is tough to beat, and despite some frustrations, the Odyssey remains a solid choice. But with plenty of alternatives out there, van life might not be for everyone. For my full review of the 2025 Honda Odyssey, you can find it at cars.com/news.