Initial impression…

The 2018 Honda Odyssey is the most convenient vehicle on the planet! …And I feel like an airline pilot.

One week later…

Listen, I have an almost-4-year-old little girl. We have trucked her down to Disney World (from Atlanta) over a dozen times in the past 2 years… in media cars of different sizes, speeds, and price-points. If convenience & sanity is what you need in your life… nothing beats the new Honda Odyssey.  

Remote sliding doors + a low doorsill height:

You can open both sliding doors AND the rear hatch from your key! Trust me! You don’t know how parent-pimpin’ this is, until you have it.

Let me paint a picture: It’s 90 degrees outside; you’ve been at the Magic Kingdom all day; everyone’s hit the wall; and now you’re in a sea of pavement when you finally spot your badass van baking in the heat.

CHIRP CHIRP! Doors & hatch open WHILE the car remote-starts itself. All the heat from inside escapes like smoke in an 80’s glam-rock video. The other moms & dads bite their palms like we’re driving a turbocharged green Lambo. My wife eases (not ‘heaves’) our sleeping baby into the totally accessible car seat, as I outside-kick the fullsize stroller into the back like David Beckham.

Then I close the doors from a button on the dash, as we peace-out into the Mickey sunset.

Truth is, sliding doors make entry/exit so quick & hassle-free, especially in tight quarters.

TV Screen & Blue Ray player:

TV screens in SUVs, crossovers, and minivans are nothing new. But the Odyssey’s infotainment system has in-car apps like PBS Kids, and an app called Are We There Yet.

There’s also a camera mounted into the bottom of the rear screen… that feeds to the front screen on the dash, so the driver can monitor the passengers. And it has night vision.

Wait there’s more: There’s an intercom, that will also break into the rear passengers’ headphones if they’re watching a movie. “This is your captain speaking… we’ve cleared for a pee break & Slim Jims.”

Seating:

The Odyssey has captain’s chairs in the mid-row that recline, slide forward/backward, AND slide inward/outward!! Meaning you can effortlessly/conveniently put your infant or toddler in their carseat at the edge of the van, and then slide them to the center of the van for safety. You can do this in 1 second with 1 hand. Or if you have a couple kids, you can slide them together… or apart.

With the 3rd-row seats folded down into the floor, there was enough room for 4 people’s luggage, PLUS a full-size jogging stroller… and it still didn’t block an inch of visibility out the rear window.

Power:

The 2018 Honda Odyssey gets 24-25 MPGs on regular gas, and makes 280hp. For you Honda fans out there, yes, you can hear it pop vtec. And you can get the Odyssey in all-wheel-drive. I’m ashamed to say, it would probably pull van lengths on my Porsche 911SC. 

The only drawback:

The only drawback to the Odyssey (and this goes for all minivans), is that it’s just not FUN. The gadgets are entertaining, but the van itself isn’t fun to drive. It’s the first car you’d want to take on a family road trip. But it’s the last car you want to take on a sunny day when you’re flying solo.

Even still, the Odyssey is the perfect answer for so many family needs. Don’t hate it because it’s beautiful. Buy 2 cars… 1 fun car, and this.