All-New 2018 Honda Odyssey Shows Evolutionary Style in Detroit

If you liked the previous one, this is basically the same but with contemporary cues and tech

Honda didn’t have to make big changes to the Odyssey formula, the best selling people carrier in the US for the last seven years straight, so they went about updating it, giving it new tech and the new family face. The 2018 Odyssey was shown at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Looking at the old and new models side by side, one could be forgiven for thinking the fresh one is just a comprehensive update, yet Honda calls it all-new – the design certainly isn’t…

Under the hood, the Odyssey is powered by the same 3.5-liter V6, with the difference that it’s now mated to a new ten-speed automatic – no new or turbocharged units added or even announced for the near future.

John Mendel, Executive Vice President of American Honda Motor Co., said the new model ups “stakes for family-friendly packaging, performance and technology in the minivan segment,” and that “in all aspects of its design, the new Odyssey is made to keep every member of the family happy, no matter the seating position, no matter the destination."

On the tech front, the 2018 Odyssey packs several new features: new Display Audio new CabinTalk, CabinWatch and CabinControl systems, as well as 4G LTE Wi-Fi, optional LED headlights and optional Honda Sensing tech (active safety aids).

There’s also a new design Magic Slide second row of seats that Honda says “provides the ultimate in family-friendly versatility and comfort.” Oh, and the vacuum cleaner is still part of the standard equipment list.

Honda also used its motor show limelight time to announce a dedicated hybrid model that is to be made in America; its launch is planned for 2018. According to Takahiro Hachigo, President & CEO of Honda Motor Co., “half of the all-new models Honda will launch in the United States in the coming two years will be electrified vehicles. In the long term, electrified vehicles are key to the future of carbon-free mobility."