20 Reasons Why the 2018 Honda Odyssey Rocks!

2018 honda odyssey main ・ Photo by Honda

How does Honda top its already best-selling minivan is the U.S.? By redesigning the vehicle from the ground up with a focus on peace of mind for the parents and easy-to-use technology for the kids.

As a Dad, I live by the saying: happy wife, happy life. But after my entire family experienced the all-new 2018 Honda Odyssey on the Big Island of Hawaii, we were all pretty happy living with the features, connectivity, and comfort of the newly re-crafted Odyssey. 

So let's take deep dive look at 20 of the features we think make the new 2018 Honda Odyssey a solid contender as the best minivan for the 2018 model year.

1) Family Friendly Rear Entertainment

The entertainment set-up consists of a 10.2-inch high-resolution ceiling mounted video screen that can be seen by all rear passengers. The reason for a single vs. multiple screens is that Honda wanted to focus on core family togetherness. There is a combo Blu-ray/DVD/CD player along with a pair of wireless headphones. You can also plug in another pair of headphones through the audio jacks. The system can connect to the WiFi which enables you to stream movies and television through apps like PBS Kids, Toon Googles, and Epix.

Photo by Honda

2) For the Kids: "How Much Farther" App

"Are we there yet?" This simple 4-word phrase sends shivers down the spine of most parents and probably gets muttered a couple million times every road trip. With the How Much Farther app, you can tell those little monsters to check for themselves. The HMF app shows: distance traveled, distance to destination, and travel time remaining. It's also configurable with multiple backgrounds and animations.  

3) Party in the Back: The CabinControl App

The Honda CabinControl App gives the rear passengers the ability to control many features from their smartphone.  Especially designed for children; the CabinControl App gives second and third-row passengers the ability to control the audio system, climate including heat and air, rear entertainment, and music playlist. By providing a smartphone app, Honda has removed what can be a distraction for the driver since they no longer have to adjust these systems for the rear passengers.

4) Highly Functional Console with Wireless Charging

Not all center consoles are created equal. Honda's new multi-function center console is more spacious and flexible than ever. First, a convenient smartphone tray features wireless phone charging. The sliding tambour door means no more clam-shell hinges when opening the console. The space is also wide enough for large tablets. There is a tray up front for purses or grocery bag storage. A media drawer stores DVD and Blue-ray discs. And last but not least, there are plenty of USB and auxiliary jacks.

5) Quiet Cabin for Family Meetings

Sound is very sneaky, it travels from the outside of a vehicle into the interior through any little nook or gap. The Honda engineers aimed to make family conversation in the cabin a top priority, so they worked hard to reduce road noise in the 5th generation redesign. The heavy use of sound deadening materials such as acoustic foam makes the Odyssey's interior almost "vault-like," reducing highway road noise by 2-3 decibels. 

6) For Parents, Because of Kids - The HondaVac

Maybe the greatest invention to ever be put into the family car is the built-in vacuum. HondaVac is essentially a wet/dry vacuum located in the rear side panel of the van. The vacuum can reach to the furthest corners of the interior so no spec of dirt is safe. 

When the kids smash Cheetos into the carpet or they decide to empty out their shoes after a day at the beach; you will be armed with the necessary tool needed to clean up the mess. It's actually quite fun to use and maybe, just maybe, the kids will be inspired to clean up after themselves!

Photo by Honda

7) No More Unattractive Rails!

The elimination of the rear sliding door rails from body panels is nothing new.  In fact some of the competitors in the minivan segment like the Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Town & Country, and the Dodge Grand Caravan did away with this design intrusive element years ago. This is probably one of the only areas where Honda has been dragging its feet. Thankfully this pet peeve of mine has been addressed with the redesign of the 5th generation model. Those ugly sliding doors rails have been nicely integrated under the rear slide glass. The result is an integrated rail that is practically invisible to the naked eye.  

8) Hands-Free Tailgate

Another great update to the Honda Odyssey is the addition of a power lift tailgate. Out with the old gas strut technology and in with the new electric motor and worm gear assembly which saves weight and improves the width the tailgate can open. The tailgate can be programmed to open to a specific height which can be useful in a parking garage with a low ceiling. Also shorter drivers can program the tailgate to stop at a level that is convenient for them to reach. The Hands-Free system automates the opening of the tailgate with a simple kicking motion. 

9) A Parent Saver: The Magic Slide System

The Magic Slide Seating System is the one single innovation that makes the Honda Odyssey rise above all others as a minivan that rocks for parents. With the center second-row section removed, it's now easier than ever to install multiple car seats (even rear facing). How many millions of backs have been tweaked when securing Jr. into his car seat? With the Magic Slide seats you can simply slide the seat close to the door, strap Jr. in and slide him back to the center where it is safest. 

Photo by Honda

10) Moving the Back Seat Furniture

The 2018 Honda Odyssey has the most flexible second-row of seats on the market today. The Magic Slide System allows for a myriad of arrangements but most importantly all three second-row seats are, slidable, reconfigurable, and removable. So you can have an 8-passenger vehicle with the full second-row installed or you can remove the center second-row seat which gives you a set of captain's chairs. You can also slide the captain's chairs together which Honda calls the "Buddy Mode" or both seats can be slid to one side of the vehicle making it easy for rear third-row passengers to get in and out.