Japanese Honda Odyssey Has Gesture Control Doors And Reservation Locks

Japanese Honda Odyssey has gesture control doors and reservation locks

There's a new Honda Odyssey in Japan, and it has two trick features we wish would come stateside.

First, there's a proximity sensor in the rear sliding doors so you can walk right up them, hands full of babies or groceries, and open them with an elbow bump. It's basically one of those power tailgates that you can open with your foot, but for a sliding van door. Speaking for parents everywhere, why is this not a thing on every minivan already?

Bmw M2 Competition, Honda Odyssey And Toyota Rav4 Prime

BMW M2 Competition, Honda Odyssey and Toyota RAV4 Prime

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick. This week, they talk about driving the BMW M2 Competition, Honda Odyssey and Toyota RAV4 Prime. Then they discuss James' experience testing the new Yakima CBX cargo carrier, Autoblog readers' preference for the GMC Hummer EV over the Tesla Cybertruck, and Mercedes-Benz taking a larger stake in Aston Martin. Lastly, they help James' father find a new car in the Spend My Money segment.

2021 Honda Odyssey | Reviews, Price, Specs, Features And Photos

2021 Honda Odyssey | Reviews, price, specs, features and photos

It's best to think of the 2021 Honda Odyssey as the ultimate piece of parenting gear rather than a car. From novel features like its "Magic" sliding second-row seats and available onboard vacuum to common-but-indispensable traits like remotely opening doors and gargantuan cargo space, it's far more akin to a BOB Rambler, Chicco KeyFit30 or MamaRoo – cleverly engineered items specifically designed to make parents' lives easier. While being oriented towards kids and parents might seem obvious for a minivan, none are so unabashedly centered on that goal than the Odyssey.

While competitors attempt to hide their van-ness, the Odyssey lets its van flag fly. There was no attempt to add sporty or SUV-like flourishes outside, while inside, the dash has all the visual appeal of a washing machine. The driving experience is similarly indifferent, characterized by loose steering and a pillowy ride (unlike earlier Accord-like Odysseys). It's all about the kids here, and they don't care if you're getting feedback through the wheel or your eyes are treated to an interesting-looking dash. They also probably don't care about fuel economy, but that's one of the few objective areas where the Odyssey trails its competitors. While its V6 engine is perfectly fine relative similarly powered vans, the Chrysler Pacifica offers an exceptional plug-in hybrid model while the all-new 2021 Toyota Sienna is only offered as a hybrid that gets an estimated 36 mpg combined. The Odyssey gets 22, and while it's more powerful, we're guessing acceleration is hardly a priority for those buying what is basically the ultimate stroller.  

2021 Honda Odyssey Luggage Test | How Much Fits Behind The Third Row?

2021 Honda Odyssey Luggage Test | How much fits behind the third row?

The 2021 Honda Odyssey is a modern minivan, and as such it's absolutely gigantic. That is obviously not news. And yet, the Odyssey still managed to blow me away with its cargo-carrying ability. 

Now, like the various three-row crossovers and SUVs I've luggage tested, I only checked to see how many pieces of luggage from my garage would fit behind the raised third-row seat. The most voluminous crossover I've tested and indeed one of the most voluminous three-row crossovers, period, the Hyundai Palisade, could fit the four biggest suitcases I own. Pretty good, but sorry Palisade, you're about to be crushed.

2021 Honda Odyssey Car Seat Fitment Driveway Test

2021 Honda Odyssey Car Seat Fitment Driveway Test

It's Child Passenger Safety Week in the United States. According to the global nonprofit Safe Kids Worldwide, vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and injury for American children and correctly used child car seats can reduce the risk of death by 71%. However, also according to Safety Kids Worldwide, 60% of car seats are not used or installed correctly. 

In normal circumstances, you could take your car and car seat to some fire stations or other locations for a certified passenger safety technician to make sure you've install it correctly. While you may be able to find an in-person location that's open, there are a variety of online and virtual opportunities available. Of course, simply reading the instructions can go a long way. So can researching and then buying a seat that is well-engineered to be easy to install. I found Baby Gear Lab's testing and ratings to be particularly useful when shopping for my own infant car seat. I even bought their No. 1 pick, the Chicco KeyFit 30, which you can see in this test.

2021 Honda Odyssey Minivan Nabs Top Safety Pick+ Award

2021 Honda Odyssey minivan nabs Top Safety Pick+ award

The 2021 Honda Odyssey has achieved the highest award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Top Safety Pick+. Although the Odyssey is not a new generation for 2021, it does benefit from several changes, including newly standard active-safety features and new LED headlamps that appear across the lineup.

Previously, the 2020 Odyssey performed well in all six crash tests, achieving the highest, Good, score in all six. It's halogen headlamps, however, were rated Marginal and Poor (depending on the version). And its collision-avoidance system had not been tested. The 2021 Odyssey has LED headlamps as standard, and they earned an Acceptable score. Additionally, the Odyssey's collision-avoidance system is now included on all trims, and it earned a Superior rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. The Odyssey also received a Good+ score for LATCH ease of use — the best among minivans — although that is not part of the criteria for a TSP+ award.

2021 Honda Odyssey First Drive | What's New, Photos, Specs

2021 Honda Odyssey First Drive | What's new, photos, specs

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — We quite liked the Honda Odyssey when we first drove the current generation back in 2017. It offers a ton of space, of course, but it makes that space especially usable with multi-directional sliding seats, good ergonomics and tech that makes it easy to see into and be heard in the rear seats. For 2021, Honda's not messing too much with a winning formula, giving us the same great, convenient, usable, drivable space with a nip here, a tuck there and a new bit of tech that may not seem like much on paper, but can make a big difference in livability if you find yourself regularly commuting in traffic.

The 2021 Odyssey gets updated exterior styling including a new look to the front bumper and grille. We like the straightforward, more uniformly horizontal and overall less busy look to the nose of the Odyssey. All trims now get LED headlights, and LED foglights are available. The trim on the tailgate is tweaked to match the look of the new face. There are also new wheel options.

Modified Honda Odyssey Minivans Will Transport Coronavirus Patients In Detroit

Modified Honda Odyssey minivans will transport coronavirus patients in Detroit

Honda is lending 10 of its specially modified Odyssey minivans to Detroit in an effort to help the hard-hit city safely transport people who may be infected with the coronavirus for testing.

Honda delivered the minivans Tuesday. They've been retrofitted with a clear and airtight plastic panel between the front and rear seats by removing the hand grips on the B-pillar and replacing them with brackets, and with a second bracket added to the lower front seat belt anchor point for a total of three attachments on each side. Honda also tweaked the ventilation system to maintain an air pressure differential between the front and rear compartments and minimize the chances for infected droplets to migrate between the two during transport.

2021 Honda Odyssey Breaks Cover With Minor Redesign, More Tech

2021 Honda Odyssey breaks cover with minor redesign, more tech

The 2021 Honda Odyssey is getting its midlife refresh and biggest update since it was totally redesigned for the 2018 model year. Honda says we'll receive more information and photos at the New York Auto Show, but the preview today is pretty comprehensive.

From a design perspective, the Odyssey gets a new blacked-out grille, eschewing the chrome, blocky design on the current car. Now, there's a small chrome strip atop the grille, making for a much cleaner look. The lower front bumper was redesigned, in conjunction with the fog light housings. New LED headlights are said to be more powerful and efficient than the last ones, too. We only have the one photo for now, but it already looks more handsome than the previous design. Honda upped the black trim even further by using it around the rear window, too. The photo doesn't show the back, but Honda says there's a chrome strip just above the black trim, mimicking the front grille style.