2022 Honda Odyssey Review: Archetypal Family Transport

Pour one out for HondaVAC. The company that produced the built-in vacuum went out of business recently, forcing Honda to bring out the MY2022 Odyssey only days into 2021, sans vacuum. That’s fine: in the face of a whole lot of competitor updates in 2021, Honda had given the Odyssey a substantial sprucing up. Thinner headlights now framed a cleaner grille treatment, and new taillight elements freshen up the look out back. There were new wheel designs, too.

Inside, Honda switched up the materials, improved the second-row folding feature, and added power lumbar support up front, starting from the mid-level EX-L trim. There’s also more piano black trim, because for everything good there is an equal yet opposite response.

The Odyssey interior is low on surprises and big on ease-of-use. Of course it’s cavernous inside: adults can get comfortable in any of the three rows, with even the way-back offering up 38.3 inches (973 millimeters) of headroom and 38.1 inches (968 mm) for legs. Neither number is quite class-leading, but not far off either, keeping the Odyssey right near the front of the pack. Just as important for family types, the Magic Slide second-row allows for three carseats if needed. If you don’t need the three-wide middle row, it’s possible to remove the middle seat and slide the outboard perches together, freeing up access to the third row. Owners can remove the entire second row too, which is increasingly rare in the segment as more brands turn the middle row into a luxury setup. You’ll still need somewhere to stow the bench, however: the Pacifica’s fold-flats are still king.

The seats themselves are comfortable, offering a good range of adjustments up front. The second row is nice too, and I appreciate that Honda has kept the third row cushions quite long for extra under-leg support. There are cupholders aplenty, and the door panels all feature large cubbies for maximum storage.

A simple dashboard design locates all the important controls together in the center of the cockpit. For the most part, that makes the Odyssey easy to operate on the move, which is a boon for busy moms and dads needing to keep the peace in the rest of the cabin. Climate controls get pride of place just below the touchscreen, with the rest of the primary controls on the lower tier. The matte plastic looks a little low-rent in the face of newer competitors, however. I’m also still not a fan of the push-button shifter either, something contributor Lee Bailie and I both harped on in a recent comparison against the Toyota Sienna. The huge open space the design allows for between the seats makes it easy to drop a laptop bag or purse down, too.

The Odyssey has one of the smallest trunks in the minivan segment, but we’re still talking 32.8 cubic feet (929 liters) of storage with all seats up. Fold the back row flat into the floor for 86.6 cubes (2,452 L)—less than a cubic foot shy of the Kia Carnival and Chrysler Pacifica—and find 140.5 cu-ft (3,979 L) when running the Odyssey in two-seater mode.

Our Canadian-spec tester is a bit of a mutt if you’re trying to slot it into the US trim lineup. Badged as a Touring, it adopts most of the features from the US-spec Elite trim, including heated and ventilated front-row seats. That’s much appreciated in the early winter, where the mercury can swing dramatically from day to day. The heated steering wheel is also effective. The major difference: all black everything, instead of the Elite’s beige leather.

On the family-friendly front, the Odyssey includes both CabinTalk and CabinWatch. The former amplifies the driver’s voice across the cabin, including through headphones. CabinWatch uses small cameras embedded within the headliner to provide a real-time view of the second and third rows in the infotainment screen. Handy. A 10.2-inch second-row entertainment system includes an HDMI port, headphone jacks, and two wireless headsets.

That infotainment screen is the smallest in the class now, measuring 8.0 inches regardless of trim. It includes navigation, but said maps are ugly and grainy. It’s not a particularly quick system, either. At least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. As a sign of the Odyssey’s age, there are just four USB ports in the whole cabin, and the wireless charge pad is exclusive to the top trim.

Honda Sensing is standard on all trims, including the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) with advanced pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keep assist. In the US, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert come in from the EX trim onward; in Canada, they’re only on this top Touring trim. There is no surround-view camera, and the back-up camera is grainy.

If you’re reluctantly getting into an Odyssey from a car, then good news: this is the best-driving option in the class. That shouldn’t really matter, but since so many people dismiss vans because they’re apparently not cool, I feel it needs to be said.

The Odyssey has a few cards up its sleeves to impress from behind the wheel. That 3.5-liter V6 is one: powerful and predictable in its delivery, it helps this big red sled merge onto highways without concern. The 10-speed is also much improved here, quietly shuffling between ratios with only a little hunting. Keep your foot in and there’s even some VTEC aural magic, too.

The Odyssey rides with a tautness that breeds confidence, helping it feel smaller than it is whenever you turn the wheel. It steers cleanly, with little weight or feel from the tiller.

Fuel economy is not great. The Odyssey runs on regular 87 fuel, but its ratings of 19 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined are nothing to write home about. (Canadian equivalents: 12.2/8.5/10.6 L/100 km.)

For 2022, the Odyssey starts at $34,265 ($45,475 CAD), including destination. That amount nets buyers a seven-seat setup in the US; every other trim includes eight seats, as all trims do in Canada. You’ll find the Honda Sensing driver assist suite, adaptive cruise control, cloth seats, power driver’s seat, LED exterior lighting, and two USB ports. One step up to the EX (which is the base trim in Canada) nets tri-zone climate control, power sliding doors, and other goodies. Meanwhile, this top-shelf Elite (Touring in Canada) rings in at $50,390 ($56,975 CAD).

At the low end, the Odyssey is only a few hundred more than the starter Kia Carnival ($33,555 / $36,645 CAD). It undercuts the Toyota Sienna ($35,775 / $42,940 CAD) and Chrysler Pacifica ($38,690 / $52,290 CAD), both of which come with available AWD for around $2,000 more, depending on trim and market.

That order remains in top-trim forms: Carnival ($47,555 / $50,445 CAD), Odyssey, Sienna AWD ($51,850 / $61,180 CAD), and Pacifica AWD ($57,595 / $71,425 CAD). There’s also the plug-in hybrid Pacifica, which adds even more to the bottom line. It does feature the most luxurious interior however, and the best tech suite.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey is quietly excellent. You can take issue with the looks or the cool factor of this family hauler if you want—the former’s a matter of taste, and the latter arguably misses the point of minivans—but it does everything required of the role.

That competency makes the Odyssey a wee bit boring, though. The V6 is the fun engine of the class, but it’s also thirsty. There’s no hybrid option, nor AWD. The interior can’t match the high-falutin Pacifica’s, nor the second-row opulence found in the Kia Carnival. It’s a product firmly of the present, a reliable jack-of-all trades. Sometimes, that’s all you need.