2025 Honda Odyssey Road Test and Review

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The 2011 Honda Odyssey was a pretty wild-looking minivan in its day. It was wide and low, and its windowline dipped down partway down the side. But the next-generation Odyssey, introduced in 2018, adopted only a subtle revision to the same overall shape. And aside from a couple of minor updates since then – including one that just hit the market this year – the Odyssey hasn’t changed since then, either. 

And yet, the Odyssey continues to own a healthy slice of the minivan market. Last year, it was the No. 2 best-seller – ahead of multiple newer models – and accounted for roughly one in four of all minivans sold in the country. Honda also says that if you exclude sales to rental companies, government agencies, and other fleet buyers, the Odyssey is America’s favorite van. 

To check out whether this beloved minivan still deserves its popularity, we just spent a week testing the updated 2025 Honda Odyssey, which is priced from $42,220. Keep reading to learn more about its pros and cons and whether it’s the right van for you. 

Familiar Style, But With New Updates

As we mentioned, the Odyssey’s shape hasn’t changed much since 2011. But that doesn’t mean it’s dated. This is a sleek van that hugs the road more than its box-on-wheels rivals. It has fewer potentially fussy details than the Toyota Sienna, a gentler face than the SUV-esque Kia Carnival, more artfully creased bodywork than the Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager, and no “look at me” effect like the retro Volkswagen ID.Buzz. And it connects the side windows to the rear windshield for a more convincing “floating roof” effect than most vehicles that have jumped on this trend recently. 

This year brings subtle updates to the van’s front and rear ends, along with redesigned wheels. The grille and bumpers are simpler and lose last year’s chrome trim. The taillights are darker and a more crisply rendered rear bumper adds vertical reflectors, which Honda borrowed from the discontinued Acura NSX supercar. The Sport-L trim level blacks out the wheels and side mirrors. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

User-Friendly Controls With Bigger Screens

The Odyssey’s gently flowing dashboard hasn’t changed drastically since 2011, either. The big difference is that, like most new cars, there’s a touchscreen infotainment system at the center. This year, Honda increased the screen size from 8 inches to 9 inches. The new system also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, and Honda put in a more powerful processor for quicker responses. The new system keeps the same graphics, which are crisp and colorful without being too flashy and distracting. Honda also added a crisply attractive partially digital gauge cluster – now with classic analog displays rather than last year’s quasi-futuristic layout. And it upgraded the rear entertainment system that folds down from the ceiling. But you’ll get more screen real estate in a rival van. 

On the other hand, you might not want maximum screen real estate. The Odyssey has simple buttons and knobs for most of its functions – perhaps a more important priority. We only miss a dedicated tuning knob for the radio. Similarly, while the Odyssey lacks the ultra-dazzling interior materials you’ll find on a top-of-the-line Pacifica or Carnival, it’s sturdy and packed with storage spaces. Our favorite surface is our test vehicle’s thick floor mats, whose pattern perfectly camouflaged a week’s worth of muddy, salty footprints. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Flexible Seating

The Odyssey has comfortable, spacious front seats. Power adjustability, seat heaters, and leather upholstery are standard even on the base EX-L trim level. However, you need the top Elite model like our test vehicle to get ventilated front seats or a heated steering wheel. And you won’t find heated rear seats at any price. 

Every Odyssey has seating for eight passengers, thanks to a removable jumpseat that lives between the outboard captain’s chairs. You can slide the second-row seats individually forward and backward plus side to side. Especially when you have the jumpseat removed, that lets you either keep the captain’s chairs apart to create a center aisle or slide them together so someone can access the third row from the side. As in other minivans, the Odyssey has an adult-friendly third-row seat that would be a revelation to someone accustomed to most crossover SUVs. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ample Cargo Room

Cargo room is an even bigger minivan advantage versus an SUV, and the Odyssey once again delivers. You’ll find 33 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seat, which includes a deep well that the third row folds backward into. Drop it down and you’ll have 87 cubic feet of space behind the second-row seats – about what you’d find in a Honda Pilot crossover with all the rear seats folded down. 

To get more room, you can fold and tumble the second-row seats forward against the front seats. Or you can remove them from the van and store them. That final step gives you a massive 141 cubic feet of space. However, we’re still partial to the Chrysler Pacifica’s “Stow ’n Go” system that lets you plop the second-row seats into the floor just like the third row. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Old-School V6

Every 2025 Honda Odyssey has a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. This engine has no turbocharger and no electric motors – just an old-school naturally aspirated gasoline engine. It’s good for 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This engine rumbles quietly to life, and the throttle is tuned to let you accelerate gently. You can also floor the accelerator to awaken a wildcat’s roar, recalling Honda’s former V6-powered sporty cars – and to potentially awaken your children. 

Gas mileage is in line with other gasoline-only minivans and three-row crossovers. In EPA testing, the Odyssey gets 19 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined. We averaged just 21 mpg during a week of winter driving, though we previously averaged 26 mpg in a previous Odyssey test in warmer weather and with more highway miles. Honda recommends regular-grade fuel. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Sporty Handling for a Van

Honda has sold the sharpest-handling minivan on the market since 1999. The current Odyssey also emphasizes a smooth ride, and we appreciate that Honda maxes out at 19-inch wheels versus the stiffer-riding 20-inchers you’ll find on a top Chrysler Pacifica or Toyota Sienna. That results in a smoother ride and lower tire prices. But thanks to Honda’s longtime handling focus and the Odyssey’s, discerning drivers will notice that there’s something different about this van. 

When you tackle a corner in the Odyssey, the steering is accurate, natural, and feels more connected to the wheels than in competing minivans. This is still a big vehicle that takes its time to change direction. If you’ve owned much older Odysseys, you might remember the crisper responses of generations past. But this Honda doesn’t lose composure as you put it through its paces. Similarly, when you hit a bump, the Odyssey’s suspension absorbs it without the shuddering that you’ll feel in a Kia Carnival or Toyota Sienna. And the suspension takes the edge off impacts better than the Chryslers. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Lots of Standard Features

As we mentioned, the 2025 Honda Odyssey has a starting price of $42,220. That’s up from $37,840 last year. But most of that jump comes from dropping the base EX model, which lacked the leather upholstery, power liftgate, and moonroof that Honda said most Odyssey customers were looking for. The new base model is the EX-L, which cost $40,910 for 2024. This year’s EX-L also brings the upgraded infotainment system and a wireless smartphone charger. Other standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory settings, tri-zone automatic climate control, a seven-speaker stereo, built-in second-row windowshades, and driver aids that include adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring. 

The EX-L is our favorite Odyssey. But if you’re looking for more amenities, other trim levels are the Sport-L ($43,370), Touring ($46,910), and Elite ($51,180). The Sport-L is an EX-L with black 19-inch wheels, red accents on the seats, and a few other sportier styling details. The Touring brings the rear entertainment system, GPS navigation, and two systems called CabinWatch and HondaTalk. CabinWatch is a camera that lets you check on the rear seats, including whether someone is napping in their rear-facing child seat. CabinTalk is an intercom system that lets the driver’s voice cut through the entertainment system’s headphones. 

Finally, there’s the Elite. When price is no object, it’s the natural choice. We welcome its ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, 11-speaker stereo, hands-free operation for the power liftgate, and CabinTalk upgrade that projects the driver’s voice through the speakers as well as just headphones. (After all, in this decade, some passengers will likely be on their own devices rather than the built-in system.) However, rival vans make most of the Elite’s exclusive features available for much less than $50,000. Also, the Honda’s options list is missing heated second-row seats, a panoramic sunroof, a surround-view parking camera, a head-up display, rain-sensing windshield wipers, an in-car vacuum cleaner, all-wheel drive, or a hybrid powertrain. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Odyssey vs. the Competition

The Odyssey is our favorite traditional minivan to drive, and it’s the most comfortable inside. But the competition has some notable advantages as well. 

The Toyota Sienna is sold exclusively as a four-cylinder hybrid. That makes it slower and louder than the V6-powered Odyssey. It also has less maximum cargo space because you can’t remove its second-row seats, and it doesn’t seat eight passengers on all trim levels like the Odyssey. But for a similar purchase price – or less, depending on the options you’re interested in – the Sienna can cut your fuel bills almost in half. And it can run solely on electricity in stretches of stop-and-go traffic like the height of rush hour or the school pickup line. We also love how you can slide the Sienna’s second-row seats back extra far when no one is using the third row. 

Next up, the best-selling Chrysler Pacifica comes with a V6 engine like the Odyssey. As we mentioned, its Stow ’n Go folding seats are a boon for someone who frequently swaps between carrying passengers and cargo. It also has a lot more available luxury features than the Odyssey. And it has an available plug-in hybrid powertrain that lets you travel up to 32 miles using only electricity before the gas engine switches on. But most Pacificas seat seven instead of eight, and it doesn’t ride or handle with the Odyssey’s polish. Chrysler also sells a van called the Voyager, which is just the less-equipped version of the Pacifica. 

The Kia Carnival is a budget-priced, high-dazzle van with lots of luxury amenities and big dashboard screens. It also has a new hybrid version with an EPA-estimated 33 mpg. But as with the Pacifica, the Odyssey is more comfortable and drives better. 

The newest van on the market is the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, an all-electric model that’s a hoot to drive and has low operating costs. But it’s priced like a luxury car and goes just 231 miles per electric charge. 

Finally, you may be shopping the Odyssey against a three-row crossover SUV like Honda’s own Pilot. Versus the Odyssey, the Pilot has a tighter third-row seat and a lot less cargo space behind that third row – at a similar price. But it’s slightly smaller on the outside as well, and it’s available with all-wheel drive. The main reason to choose a crossover over a van is if you can’t find a van that’s just right for you – or if you just can’t stomach a van. 

2024 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid ・ Photo by Brady Holt

A Great 2011 Van You Can Still Buy New

The 2025 Honda Odyssey isn’t the most modern van on the market. It doesn’t embrace hybrid technology, huge infotainment screens, or the longest list of luxury amenities – especially if you don’t shell out big bucks for the top-of-the-line Elite model. 

But maybe you’re not looking for the latest and the greatest. Maybe you’re just fine with how Honda has been making the Odyssey for the past 15 years, but you’d rather not have a used van that another family has already run through the wringer. And after all, you still get the best driving experience and the most comfortable seating, especially if you want to sometimes fit eight people. In that case, the Odyssey still shines – particularly if you’re OK with the features in the base EX-L model. 

2025 Honda Odyssey Elite ・ Photo by Brady Holt