NOTE: Information in this document is preliminary, subject to change without notice, and intended for media use–not for consumers. For final information, visit automobiles.honda.com.
About Odyssey
Through five generations, the Honda Odyssey has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of American families, consistently setting the standard for spaciousness, comfort, safety and dynamic performance in a minivan.
Odyssey has been the most popular minivan with individual American car buyers for seven straight years (2010-2016), and U.S. sales of Odyssey now total more than 2.5 million units, making it the fourth best-selling model in the company’s U.S. sales history.
The previous and new (4th and 5th generation) Odyssey models were researched, designed and developed by Honda RD Americas. Odyssey has been produced exclusively in North America since 1998 (2nd generation). When the 2nd-generation Odyssey went into production at Honda Canada Mfg. in 1998, it was the largest vehicle Honda had ever produced. In 2001, Odyssey production transferred from Alliston, Ontario to Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln, Alabama.
While the original (1st-generation) Odyssey was built on a modified version of the Accord platform, subsequent generations have been based on Honda’s Global Light Truck platform, which also underpins the Pilot SUV.
2018 Honda Odyssey
The 2018 Honda Odyssey is the 5th generation of Honda’s perennially popular minivan. In every element of its design, the new Odyssey was created to meet the needs of families in their everyday lives, providing unprecedented comfort, confidence-inspiring performance, and advanced family-friendly technology.
The 2018 Odyssey brings with it a host of available new features and technology, including:
- A uniquely versatile new available Magic Slide™ second-row seat for ultimate flexibility in meeting the day-to-day people hauling needs of Odyssey customers
- New available CabinWatch™ and CabinTalk™ technologies to help keep tabs on the kids
- Available CabinControl™ app enabling smartphone control of key features
- All-new, faster and more intuitive Display Audio command center
- Available in-car 4G LTE Wi-Fi and streaming video
- Honda Sensing® advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies
- New powertrains, including an available all-new, Honda-designed 10-speed automatic transmission
- Advanced, space-saving rear suspension design
Sophisticated and Family-Friendly Design
The Odyssey’s sophisticated and modern new styling adopts Honda’s signature flying wing front grille flanked by available LED front headlights. The bold and sporty front fascia also conceals a new Active Shutter Grille for improved fuel efficiency when cruising.
The Odyssey’s signature lightning bolt beltline now provides an even more elegant design element with newly hidden sliding rear door tracks and a new “floating” D-pillar design.
At the rear are newly designed LED taillights and an available new hands-free access power tailgate with foot activation.
Inside, the new Odyssey features high-grade materials including a soft-touch instrument panel. The driver’s meter features a new 7-inch, full-color TFT display, and in the center of the dash there is an available 8-inch high-resolution Display Audio touchscreen (EX and above). In upper grades, stain-resistant leather first- and second-row seating surfaces and door trim, and black carpeting and seatbelts are designed to conceal stains, while a new groove-less tambour lid on the spacious and versatile center console resists the accumulation of crumbs and debris.
In-vehicle Connectivity
In-vehicle connectivity is taken to a new level with a host of available new connected-vehicle features and technologies, including:
- New Display Audio – featuring a new Honda-developed, Android-based operating system, more intuitive menus and customizable app tiles and a more powerful voice recognition engine, this 8-inch high-resolution (720P) touchscreen interface serves as the nerve center for a multitude of new audio and telematics options, while delivering a faster, more intuitive user experience.
- System updates – for the first time, users can update the Display Audio operating system and rear entertainment system at their convenience via available 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, or USB.
- CabinWatch™– using a ceiling-mounted camera with infrared capability, CabinWatch lets the driver and front passenger monitor second- and third-row passengers both day and night via the 8-inch Display Audio screen.
- CabinTalk™– this in-car public address system enables the driver to talk to second – and third-row passengers primarily though the available rear entertainment system headphones, or (for Elite trim) second-and third-row speakers.
- Connected Rear Entertainment System – second- and third-row passengers can enjoy streaming video on the ceiling-mounted, 10.2-inch WSVGA Rear Entertainment System using the available in-vehicle 4G LTE Wi-Fi, public Wi-Fi or user’s cellphone data plan. The system now plays Blu-ray™ discs and features a new “How Much Farther?” app that lets passengers track the family’s trip progress.
- CabinControl™ – using a downloadable app, users can use a smart phone to control the rear entertainment system, rear cabin heat and air conditioning, and send destinations to the embedded Honda navigation system.
- Social Playlist – part of CabinControl, Social Playlist operates like a virtual jukebox, allowing up to seven passengers to upload their music choices to the audio system via their smartphones.
Conversational Cabin
Old-fashioned family connectivity is made easier than ever with the quietest cabin in the class. With their “conversational cabin” concept, Odyssey engineers targeted the quietest cabin in the competitive set, enabling low-stress travel and easy conversation among all occupants.
Cabin quietness is enhanced by the Odyssey’s more rigid and tightly sealed body, new front and rear subframes, triple-sealed doors, upgraded exterior glass, increased use of sound deadening materials (under the floor, in the engine compartment and under the fenders), and the standard Active Noise Control (ANC).
Magic Slide™ seats
A major innovation to family-friendly cabin seating flexibility is the Odyssey’s available new Magic Slide™ second-row seats, easily reconfigurable for optimal passenger comfort, people- and cargo-hauling flexibility, and easy access to the third row even when one or two rear-facing child seats are placed in the second row. Use modes include:
- Easy Access mode – with the center seat removed, the outboard seats slide laterally through five selectable positions, allowing for easy access to the third row even with one or two rear-facing child seats installed in the second row. And with the center-most seat slid forward, a child is put within easy reach of the front seat occupants.
- Super mode – like Easy Access mode but with one of the outboard seats set to walk-in position (slid full forward with the seatback tilted) for maximum access to the third row.
- Wide mode – with the center seat removed and two outboard seats in their outer most positions, providing a wide center walkthrough to the third row (and no more “Dad, he’s touching me again!”).
- Buddy mode – with the center seat removed and two outboard seats abutting one another in the center of the vehicle, putting two people in close proximity and within easier reach of the front seat occupants.
Safety Features and Performance for the Family
2018 Odyssey EX and above trims, expected to comprise about 95 percent of all Odyssey sales, now feature the Honda Sensing® suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies as standard equipment, including Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS™), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). Combined with the Odyssey’s next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and advanced airbags, including new driver and front passenger knee airbags, the Odyssey targets the highest available safety ratings – an NCAP 5-star Overall Vehicle Score and an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK rating.
Additional Features and Technologies
Additional standard and available features include: LED headlights (new); heated front seats; ventilated front seats (new); heated side mirrors; heated steering wheel (new); auto high-beam headlights (new); rain-sensing wipers (new); blind spot information (all models with Honda Sensing); front parking sensors; rear parking sensors; Rear Cross Traffic Monitor (new); Electric Parking Brake with Brake Hold (new); three-zone automatic climate control; wireless device charging (new); multi-zone audio (new); Sirius 2.0, HD Radio™ (new); and HondaVac® in-vehicle vacuum.
Advanced New Powertrains
The 2018 Honda Odyssey is powered by a 3.5-liter, direct-injected SOHC i-VTEC™ V6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM™). Peak engine output is 280 SAE net horsepower (+32 HP) and benefits from the advanced capabilities of its two available new transmissions – a 9-speed automatic and, for upper grades, an all-new Honda-developed 10-speed automatic, the first of its kind for a front-wheel-drive vehicle, delivering unmatched levels of responsiveness and refined performance in a minivan.
These advanced new powertrains, together with a more rigid and lightweight body, new chassis technology, and Odyssey’s sleek and aerodynamic new design result in unsurpassed dynamic performance and top-of-class EPA fuel economy ratings. Honda’s Intelligent Traction Management system adds a Snow mode and combines with Agile Handling Assist and a more powerful braking system for improved all-weather handling and control.
Advanced New Body and Chassis
An all-new body and chassis design underpins the new Odyssey’s incredibly quiet cabin and class-leading steering precision, handling prowess and ride comfort. The Odyssey body utilizes advanced materials, including ultra-high-strength steel, aluminum and magnesium, to simultaneously minimize weight and improve body rigidity. Vehicle weight is down by up to 75 pounds, depending on trim, and torsional body rigidity is up 44 percent from the outgoing model.
New chassis features include a highly responsive new dual-pinion electric power steering (EPS) for increased response and easy maneuverability and an all-new compact trailing arm rear suspension, exclusive to Odyssey, that enables improved handling and ride comfort while providing for the most spacious rear cargo area in the class and the fitment of 19-inch wheels on top trims.
Design, Development and Manufacturing
The all-new 2018 Honda Odyssey was researched, designed and developed by Honda RD Americas. The Odyssey and its V6 engine are manufactured exclusively by Honda Manufacturing Alabama in Lincoln, Alabama, using domestic and globally sourced parts. The new Honda-developed 10-speed transmission is produced exclusively by Honda Precision Parts Georgia in Tallapoosa, Georgia.