A Look at Japan's 2010 Honda Odyssey

It’s been a while I haven’t been so content with Honda to write about it … Even if I had a lot of pleasure in driving Honda’s latest Civic Type R and its Mugen version, Honda’s latest line-up did not impress me much… except, maybe, their brand new Odyssey Wagon.

Design
Light-years ahead of its US cousin, the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Honda Odyssey is a magnificent wagon tailored to please young and dynamic Japanese families.

Coming with a new front bumper in complete harmony with Honda’s latest band image, which is actually coming from the FCX. Regardless of whatever angle you decide to look at Honda’s Odyssey, be it the front, rear or any other angle, our wagon’s simple lines plus its additional kit, which is only available on the Absolute version -our Test vehicle-, qualifies this family car as simple but elegant.

Interior
It seems one of Honda’s weakest points (and just as Subaru, Honda disappoints once again) is that Honda’s design team is divided in 2 groups where the staff who is working on the exterior design never ever exchange talk with the other team of designers in charge of the car’s interiors.I will even go further and say that our Odyssey interior is rough and cheap as well as giving the impression that driver-friendliness was never taken into account… Many aspects of our car’s dashboard are in-elegantly designed, difficult to access to the extent that would bother you while driving, which in my case manifested itself in hurt knees.

However, Honda offers very comfortable seat with plenty of leg space for the rear-seat passengers, as well as many little gadgets ranging from a dedicated USB port with iPod compatibility to an excellent set of different cameras helping you to better park your car and to have a better knowledge of your surroundings in narrow places.

On the Road
Here comes another surprise, yes the Honda Odyssey is not only comfortable but it is also very stable, offers flat cornering even when pushed hard, and also very accurately, for a family car, responsive to any input you may make on the steering wheel. Rest assured, the Odyssey is still a family car and not a family “Kart”, and despite its “sportiness” our wagon won’t be any match to an Audi RS6 or even to our dear old Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Wagon. But still, Honda’s sport spirit is still alive and it feels good to know that the Odyssey knows how to take a corner efficiently and smoothly.

Under the Bonnet, our Odyssey, is available in different flavors, but our test car came with a nice 2.4l DOHC i-VTEC engine offering 206PS with a 232Nm of torque and comes with DBW (Drive-By-Wire) improving greatly your driving experience. Despite being a new generation engine, I did not see much improvement when it comes to consumption, an area that I would have loved to see Honda work harder on. But well, still and depending on your driving style, you will be capable of getting 400 to 550km out of your Odyssey, but this will really depend on how heavy your right foot is.

Plus:Exterior DesignComfort
Minus:Interior Design

Conclusion:Elegant and discrete, the Odyssey is so far my favorite Japanese family car and especially wagon. Offering a comfortable interior and a comfortable driving experience, the Odyssey’s only fault is for me its in-elegant interior and its being a little bit vulgar… But if you think you can get used to it, the Odyssey is definitively a car that is worth checking, and we just can’t help praying for Honda to export this wagon to the USA where there is a desperate need of something new in order to replace the old fashioned Odyssey Mini Van.

Source;
http://www.nihoncar.com/en/review-495-2010+Honda+Odyssey+JDM.html