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Honda Odyssey News & Reviews

   2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Road Test Review

Over the years, the minivan market has demonstrated a somewhat unpredictable dynamic. Until 1984, when Chrysler introduced

Honda's new Odyssey is as stylish as it is accommodating. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

the Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager siblings, the segment was practically owned by Volkswagen, whose iconic "microbus" had pretty much invented the minivan concept, but was more closely associated with campers and hippie vans than family haulers.

The Caravan and Voyager immediately overtook Volkswagen as the minivan of choice thanks to their more car-like driving experience and lower, garage-friendly overall height. They were soon selling in numbers that inspired manufacturers around the world to rush their own versions of the people-carrier to market.

But even at the height of their popularity, minivans were encumbered by a dowdy image that manufacturers were constantly trying to shake with often-bizarre styling exercises - the futuristic, low-slung Pontiac Trans Sport, the jellybean-on-wheels Toyota Previa and the "I'm-not-a-minivan-I'm-an-SUV" Chevrolet Uplander all come to mind.

These days the lustre seems to be off the minivan market, and manufacturers that jumped onto the bandwagon during the segment's heyday are abandoning it in droves. Ford, GM and Hyundai have all stopped selling minivans, steering customers instead towards SUVs and CUVs. Chrysler and Volkswagen economized their minivan development <Read More>

   2010 Honda Odyssey Touring Road Test Review

A colleague of mine said a funny thing the other day. After having driven a really cool sports sedan in the not so distant past,

Still almost premium, the Honda Odyssey is well-appointed and performance-oriented for a minivan. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

I rolled into work in a 2010 Honda Odyssey Touring minivan. Despite this sports sedan having had a great exhaust note, tons of power and pretty cool features, all characteristics that would whet the palette of diehard car nuts like he and I, his reaction to the sedan pails in comparison to the Odyssey. His words were, and I quote, "Oh man, this is the sweetest van ever. If I won the lottery, this is what I would buy for my wife." Why did I find that so funny? Well, first of all, he would buy it for his wife and not for himself, despite its sweetness. The stereotype lives on… Second of all, with all the money one could potentially win, he would pick the Odyssey as his wife's chariot. 

Ok, I know it sounds like I'm pooh-poohing the Odyssey, but I'm really not. After contemplating his words, I started to understand why the appeal for this particular vehicle <Read More>

   2009 Honda Odyssey Road Trip Review

For one week in July every year, competitive sailors from all around gather in Oak Harbor, WA, for the annual Whidbey Island

Beautiful Victoria, BC, a great backdrop for sailing and the 2009 Honda Odyssey. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

Race Week.  For 5 days, sailors compete hard on the water, and attend sailing-related social events every evening.  The trip from Calgary is about 1,200 km round trip, and I was given the opportunity to take a 2009 Honda Odyssey test vehicle.
 
The 2009 Odyssey is the 4th year of its 3rd generation.  It has always been considered one of the better minivans, and the 2009 model is no different.  The Odyssey is available in DX, LX, EX, EX-L and Touring models.  Our test vehicle was a mid-level EX in an attractive Bali Blue.
 
Four of us undertook the trek to Whidbey Island.  Four of us, plus all our camping gear, plus all our sailing gear.  Simply put, this was a lot of people and stuff to fit into one vehicle, and the Odyssey accommodated our space demands with room to spare.
 
We <Read More>

   2009 Honda Odyssey EX Road Test Review

Homer's Odyssey is an epic tale about one man's journey to find his way home, literally. Well, I guess that's a very, very vague synopsis

Honda's Odyssey has long been lauded as one of the best in its class. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

of the ten-year voyage that took Ulysses all over the map and led him into all sorts of interesting situations. Honda's Odyssey, on the other hand, is not an epic tale but rather a vehicle that can take you all over the map and will get you home safely and comfortably in less than ten years, I think!

The 2009 Honda Odyssey is a carryover from last year but continues to embrace a strong and powerful engine, clean lines with nice curves and a top-notch safety system. Under the hood is a 3.5L, 24-valve, SOHC, VTEC-enhanced V6 that produces 244hp at 5,750 rpm and 240 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 rpm. Ample power provides enough zing to get me up to highway speeds pretty quick without sucking back too much fuel. With the V6 engine, the Odyssey uses an estimated 13.3L/100km in the city and 8.5L/100km on the highway.

When I wasn't cruising at highway speeds, I was puttering along on city streets enjoying <Read More>

   Honda debuts new Civic Coupe and Sedan concepts

Concepts? Maybe that's what Honda is calling the Civic Si Concept coupe and Civic Concept sedan that recently rolled onto the

John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda, introducing the Civic Si Concept coupe and Civic Concept sedan in Detroit. (Photo: Honda)

brand's Detroit auto show stage, but in this case the line between concept and reality is rice paper thin.

Sounding more like a speech for the introduction of the actual production model than these concept cars, John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda expounded on the Civic's "balance of 'just-right' packaging, fun-to-drive character and outstanding fuel economy," before stating that the "redesigned Civic builds on this legacy and promises to be the best Civic yet."

The new duo, set to go on sale in April with a 2012 model designation, is a tauter, more expressive version of the current Civic lineup. To be clear, anyone who likes the Civic on sale now, will love the updated version, and those hankering for a return to the once-loved <Read More>

   2011 Honda Accord SE Sedan Road Test Review

Since its introduction more than 30 years ago, the Honda Accord has been nothing if not consistent - it has been consistently reliable,

Honda's Accord has grown larger and larger over the decades, and today's version is largest of all. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press)

it has been a consistent bestseller, and it has grown consistently larger. This last characteristic has been especially apparent since the late 1990s, when the design of the North American Accord was uncoupled from the European and Japanese versions to better cater to North American tastes.

The Accord started out as a compact model, and remained that way until the fifth generation was introduced as a mid-size model in the mid-1990s. When the current, eighth-generation Accord was introduced to North America back in 2008, it cracked even the mid-size ceiling and was classed as a full-size car. Honda typically refreshes its cars midway through each model run and the eighth-generation Accord is no exception, undergoing a minor facelift for 2011. True to form, the end result is a car that's just a tiny bit bigger than the 2010 model.

The increased size comes courtesy <Read More>

   Honda announces end of Element production

Honda's Element was the first cubist-styled Japanese compact to enter the Canadian and U.S. markets, and therefore enjoyed

The Element has looked much the same since it originally shook up the scene 9 years ago. (Photo: Honda)

very little competition over its nine years of production. Now this fringe segment rivalry is fierce with new offerings from Nissan, Scion, Kia and others cutting into the Element's sales, but rather than hit back with a new version of its unorthodox box, Honda has decided to cancel its oddest offering altogether.

Why? Honda's answer is as strange as its decision. The company's U.S. division simply states that its customers prefer other models in the lineup such as the CR-V compact crossover.

"After a long life cycle, utility-seeking customers have more recently embraced other vehicles in the Honda lineup like the versatile and comfortable CR-V," stated a press release.

Marketing 101? <Read More>

   Honda's new minicar to take emerging markets by storm

Styling sells, a reality that Honda has learned all too well by producing hit after hit, as well as the odd bomb.

The

Honda might just have a major hit in its hands. (Photo: Honda)

production version of the New Small Concept introduced in New Delhi auto show earlier this year, should be a massive hit when available in emerging markets. It's good looking and at a speculated $10,000 price tag within reach of upwardly mobile Tata Nano drivers.

Honda has chosen the upcoming Thailand International Motor Expo to introduce its latest subcompact creation, a show that is becoming evermore popular for global launches.

The <Read More>

   2011 Honda CR-Z Road Test Review

The all-new CR-Z takes me back a couple of decades. First, it reminds me of the second-generation Civic-based CR-X coupe that

Honda hasn't hit the mark with all of its hybrids, but it gets the CR-Z spot on and, while a niche two-seat sport model, should enjoy success. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

debuted in 1988 and probably was responsible for pulling more tuner fans into Honda's camp than any other model, and secondly the first hybrid sold in North America, Honda's ultra-innovative first-generation Insight that arrived in the spring 1999.

The homage Honda paid to both designs is obvious in the CR-Z's trademark styling cues, especially at back where a steeply raked rear window is bisected by a lower window that adds style along with a superb view of the road behind. Beneath the glass and sheetmetal the CR-Z combines the sportiness of the CR-X with the fuel-efficiency of the Insight for one impressively equipped package that at $23,490 is about $6,500 less expensive than Honda's original hybrid was more than a decade ago. Don't you love how prices of high-ticket items drop in the electronics industry?

Ok, the CR-Z <Read More>

   Honda CR-Z wins 2010 Japan Car of the Year

Honda missed winning Japan's coveted Car of the Year award last year when Toyota's redesigned Prius narrowly beat its 2010 Insight

Japanese journalists chose the new 2011 Honda CR-Z as car of the year. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

hybrid, but such is not the case this year. Sixty-plus Japanese judges chose the all-new 2011 CR-Z hybrid as this year's winner of the 31-year-old contest, good news to Honda's president and CEO, Takanobu Ito.

"We are very proud that the CR-Z has been selected from the strong contenders of new models as the Car of the Year Japan 2010-2011," said Ito. "This award shows that the public has accepted Honda's aspiration to supply exceptional environmental performance in a fun-to-drive hybrid car at an affordable price, as well as Honda's desire to spread the joy of owning and driving a car. We also believe that this award for the CR-Z reflects the true value of the combined efforts of our business partners and the many others who supported CR-Z development and production. Going forward, Honda intends to bring more joy to an even larger number of customers."

Here <Read More>