2023 Honda Odyssey / Stubborn for a Reason

[@mountainhobo]

Having struggled in my search for the next vehicle with wishes, wants, and limitations beyond my control (garage size and height, vehicle availability), I have finally made full circle in my search and ended up right where I started - at the minivan, and Honda in particular. It just seems like the best compromise when you cannot have everything you want but still need to get the job done.

[@elizabethstewart552]

Minivans are the best option for many reasons! They are easy to park, easy to drive and maneuver, and have tons of space and seating options.

[@stantonroyce9377]

Great work. This is at least 30th video I watched just on the Odyssey. Having owned a 24 now for 6 weeks, plus 10 days test driving Carnivals and Odysseys, this is the most accurate, thorough and succinct summary of the Odyssey. Tech & some other features suck, but it DRIVES and it doesn't have the Carnival's horrible understeer.

[@viver4670]

I knows its a little outdated but the fact that we can still get a V6 w/ VTEC and a proper 10 speed with paddleshifters plus good handling sold me so easily. I am already making a sacrifice going to minivan at least i want it to be fun to drive

[@ARTEAM2024]

I am literally been looking into minivans. I am definitely lean more to the Odyssey vs. Sienna.

[@genzigzag]

A work colleague bought an Odyssey for his family hauling duties... it also quicky became the Friday team hauller for our lunch trips. Agree with the comfort level in all the passenger seats.

[@Realistick]

Can’t beat it for that

[@lesouthern]

Noted the Odyssey has a spare tire- Sienna does not. That was a big issue in my Toyota on a road trip last year

[@Realistick]

It’s such an important thing to have on a family car! I believe the Sienna does offer one though it’s not on many of them (it would be on the side of the cargo area)

[@daweed980]

The Sienna can be optioned with a spare tire. It's a $75 option that goes in the trunk. Oddly, if you go with the Ottoman's in the second row then you can't get a spare tire. But you can retrofit it in.

[@philippineball6246]

finally, a Honda Odyssey review!

[@Darthvolvo]

Enjoy the balanced review. You never seem to overly lean towards any particular brand. Hopefully you can review the redesigned Pilot too!

[@edwardnemec7611]

i had to replace 24 years of Astro Vans. I decided on the Honda Odyssey Sport. The removable seats and reliable reputation sold me. I have no family to haul but I do need the room for my activities. I'll put on a trailer hitch but I still miss my old van. Didn't want to go van full size it seemed like overkill for me. Have to get used to the minivan and make it work.

[@jeffmorse645]

I'm a big fan of minivans and kind of lament that they went out of style so much the past few decades. If you have 3+ kids or regularly haul around a lot of people they make more sense than any SUV. I know a single woman (teacher) who has an Odyssey and we all asked her why she bought it. She said she knew she'd always be invited for road trips, concerts and such if she had a vehicle that could haul her whole gang of friends. 😄 Plus you don't need a truck to haul many things. Just throw a tarp down after taking out the rear seats. Damn thing's like a Swiss army knife.

[@georgiaguardian4696]

You dodged a bullet not buying into Hunyndai/KIA's marketing tricks and instead got the Honda ! Join those engine failure groups about those Korean brands and your eyes will be wide open.

[@cdb5662]

Wonderful review. Well thought out. Detailed. Unbiased. Fair. Insightful. Thank you!!

[@zeroelus]

"Stubborn for a Reason" is a way I'd sometimes describe myself so that plus the car we've owned for almost a year now had me hitting this video up to hear your POV on the car. I think you hit the nail on the head with your closing thoughts, it's not the newest car in it's segment, but it feels competent and while it lacks some amenities you might expect from what you think about when hearing "$50K USD car", they're ommited usually for a reason and made up for in another. Yes you don't have the most luxurious materials sometimes (with that plastic in the center console and in the 3rd row armrests) but they're easy to clean when your kid's friend, who you're driving over, spills something or when fries go MIA after you got a bite to eat midday in your roadtrip. I am constantly annoyed they don't offer wireless carplay (c'mon Honda) and would love more flexibility from the screen in the driver gauges, I look at a friend with an Audi with a virtual cockpit and I drool. Additionally after owning a car that was notorious for it's torque steer (Mazdaspeed 3) I find it hilarious and depressing that this car (with more power than said hot hatch!) requires a more delicate touch on the throttle if you're looking to move away from a stop stop quickly but are in anything other than a straight direction with a clean, grippy road, that it lacks even a e-lsd is annoying to me, the mechanical LSD being something that helps said Mazda put power down from a stop quite nicely (even if the steering gets a mind of it's own later on). But, that's me nitpicking. It's a wonderful car and after owning a minivan I would only own intentionally a smaller (electric) car for running around town and be very happy with this gas powered minivan for carrying lots of people and or going long distances, you get used to the space and convenience. For us the Odyssey has been the just right car, even if it wasn't our first choice (that being the Sienna that proved impossible for us to get since they just didn't have any with the few they had they where not interested in selling it to us cash buying people) and we hope we get a lot of years out of service of ours.

[@damilolaakanni]

I think the 3rd generation (2005-2010) is the best from an exterior design perspective. The last two generations (and this 2021 refresh) are slightly overstyled, especially the roof at the back end.

[@charleswagenseil5496]

Just purchased a 2023 Elite trim for a family hauler. Very comfortable, a ton of safety features, and actually fun to drive. Just wish it had wireless Apple CarPlay and a 360 camera. Other than that, so far so good.

[@Blank00]

Luckily the all new Pilot has all physical climate controls that do not rely on the touchscreen at all. Hopefully that carries over to the 6th gen Odyssey. One thing that I'd like to see carry over from previous gens Odyssey would be removable 2nd row. Sienna doesn't do that anymore and that automatically makes the Sienna worst in segment. Another thing I'd like to see in the 6th gen is that similar to how removing the middle seat creates an aisle in the 2nd row, Honda should bring back the removable 1st row center console that would make an aisle in the 1st row if removed, which was the case in the 4th gen Odyssey.

[@alexmassengale433]

The tech may not be great any more but the packaging is exceptional.

[@lauraburke9188]

Its really annoying to see people lamenting that the Odyssey isn't a sienna. If you want a hybrid awd just go buy the sienna. I for one want a second row I can remove otherwise what's the point. I also like my V6. They both have a niche in a segment that has already been decimated. I hope Honda ignores all the bad advice.

[@Realistick]

Lamenting? Most I hear, including myself, enjoy the odyssey, how it handles, and how the seats come out. I like the v6 too, but we can’t ignore that more people are going to flock toward 10-15 mpg than a fun engine in this class. It’s a great car but the appeal is more niche than what you have with the sienna. That doesn’t equate to me or anyone else wishing it was a sienna.

[@anselyoun7823]

Sienna was great when I rented it for my Vegas to LA road trip. But when there were strong winds it felt like I was going to be blown over. It also had uncomfortable seating compared to Odyssey, Carnival and Pacifica, had the loudest cabinet from road noise and it REALLY lacked power so really had to temper my expectations on going around slow cars. But Sienna had unbelievable fuel economy.

[@WyomingASMR]

10:47 I'm almost 40 and I wake up that Vtec daily 🏎🏁

[@daveholte7658]

Great video Want to start stealth camping in a mini I just don’t understand why Honda has AWD in many models. But the Odyssey is not an option. Why?

[@elizabethstewart552]

I almost bought a 2023 Honda Elite, however it just looks so outdated, especially with the clunky infotainment. I also couldn't stomach the $3,000+ in dealer mark-ups. 57K OTD is just nuts for a minivan with no power folding third row, no vacuum, no heated rear seats, a lack of USB ports, no heads-up, etc. etc.

[@header8569]

So what did you settle on? Have you seen how much a Sienna is OTD? They are marking them up by $7K by me.

[@elizabethstewart552]

@@header8569 I bought a Chrysler Pacifica Limited with the S Appearance Package. I know some people really hate Chrysler, but honestly if you need / want a minivan go check one out. It's a very nice car. You still get that v6 engine and the ride is quiet and smooth. It handles better than my BMW. You can get a great deal on one (under MSRP) I spent an unhealthy amount of time watching KZbin videos on cars, test driving, and visiting dealerships before I made my decision. The Honda Elite is a great van, but all of the things it lacked (like a decent amount of USB ports, power reclining seats, and the small infotainment screen) were enough to have me look elsewhere. The Sienna is very nice, but absolutely impossible to get. Plus you have those dealer mark-ups / market adjustment fees. I have also heard it's sluggish. If I had little kids in car seats, I would probably be inlined to get the Honda. But, since my kids are older, I felt like the versatility with the Stow and Go seats was better for my older kids and for hauling their crap.

[@alengreen589]

It´s very weird that the new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander has no sunshade in the 3 row

[@S_Shix]

I have 2020 odyssey exl, it has 3 problems for now, 1 no audio for infotainment system when hot day, 2 left side slid door didn’t close something, 3 engine light for emission problem(fixed already for fee by dealer)

[@Realistick]

Man I'm sorry to hear that, I'll have to look into the emission problem if I do another odyssey video.

[@georgiaguardian4696]

Check and clean the tracks/wheels of both doors and then lubricate them.

[@Blank00]

I think the failing transmissions is because from 2018-2019, the lower trims of Odyssey had ZF9 transmissions, which were horrendous. Previous generations had 6AT, 5AT, and 4AT, which were also unreliable. However, starting from 2020, the Odyssey is standard with a 10AT, which is a pretty reliable transmission.

[@Realistick]

It seemed more prevalent then but I was still reading reports of failures with 2022 models (NHSTA reports on carcomplaints.com has several under I think drivetrain problems). Could have been a bad batch so I will continue to check for updates when I review hondas with the 10 speed.

[@Blank00]

@@Realistick you can refer to youtuber "hondamobilemechanic" for his thoughts on the 10AT. He is not really biased towards Honda because he has called out Honda for problems surrounding the 1.5T, ZF9, and Honda's older transmissions

[@Realistick]

@@Blank00 I'll check him out but the reported failures were also filed with NHSTA so it's objective too so it doesn't sway me on the odyssey but I plan on trying to review the Pilot or ridgeline sometime so the more info I have, the better. Thank you!

[@mountainhobo]

That's why Honda needs a good ol' fashioned manual. Yeah, I know, I would be the only person to buy it.

[@maxwella2079]

It needs awd. It would sell way more if it hard awd like the Sienna.

[@OutsideTheTargetDemographic]

It's 0-60 is faster than my manual Forester. 😅😅😅

[@Realistick]

I think it would challenge a Civic SI in most scenarios!

[@UncleYohta]

fun fact : LARPers prefer the odyssey because LIGHTNING BOLT!

[@Realistick]

the window line of champions!

[@RonanBunny]

I take it all back, the Honda Odyssey f**ks so hard!

[@emebetgaga8702]

Don't buy the 2023 odyssey touring we have problems with in 700 miles in one month the warning lights and all kinds of signs is coming the dealership doesn't care

[@georgiaguardian4696]

Did you fixed it? Always charge your battery once a while if you do a lot of short trips. All electronics in Odyssey are power hungry.

[@In-obscurity-n7j]

For the sake of busting algorithms. Is it just me or do the words sport minivan sound like an oxymoron. Although it looked fairly sporty. This would have been nice 20 years ago.

[@alengreen589]

the exterior and the interior looks for me like a design disaster, thanks for the review 😀

[@Realistick]

She’s not too sleek

[@elizabethstewart552]

@@Realistick It's the back end. What were they thinking?

[@jesse7631]

Living in SE Arizona, the most useless feature this vehicle has is heated seats.

[@tadpetts]

I think the dog joke was a little too much, you should fire your joke consultant

[@Realistick]

I'll send you his mailing address 308 Negra Arroyo Lane

[@fishsaysn0]

Yeah, sorry, go hybrid or buy-bye.

[@paulpellico3797]

the absolute WORSTE rear design EVER!!! the whole damn rear end seems cut on and now dropping off from read door back. just horrible

[@ThoughtPoliceChief]

This dude definitely voted for Biden

[@Realistick]

This dude definitely comments about a president on a video about a minivan🤡

[@ThoughtPoliceChief]

@@Realistick theory confirmed