Honda's Radically Redesigned Odyssey Will Take Your Breath Away

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Honda released a teaser of its awe-inspiring and boldly redesigned Odyssey today — a vehicle that will make its official appearance at this year’s North American International Auto Show. I know that I really shouldn’t weigh in until after the Detroit debut, but this has to be one of the most impressive imaginings of an automobile I’ve seen in my lifetime. The overall impact of the model’s new design language must be acknowledged.

The fifth-generation Odyssey has been completely redone, gaining a new powertrain, updated technology, advanced driver’s features, and this uncommonly sophisticated styling.

In addition to the teaser sketch (shown above), Honda also released four “teaser scribbles” from children of its Ohio-based Odyssey Development Team. While not quite as accurate or photo-realistic as the official teaser sketch (above, still), they may provide us with additional insight. These are, after all, images created from the memories of children who have actually seen the new Odyssey in numerous stages of its evolution.

“We wanted to have a bit of fun by sharing some of the drawings from children of the Odyssey team members, since they were inspirational in shaping the family-friendly direction of the all-new Odyssey,” said Chad Harrison, chief engineer at Honda R&D America and the development leader of the new Odyssey.

Unfortunately for Chad, I’m not here for fun and enlisted Timothy Cain — TTAC’s resident minivan aficionado, Honda Odyssey owner, and parent — to weigh in on some of the children’s drawings. My theory is that, as a father, Tim might somehow possess the ability to infer additional information from the younger’s drawings that I might miss as a man devoid of a child’s love.

Updated with an expansive greenhouse, this rendering could indicate that the next Odyssey may see a reduction in proportions. It appears to have kept the traditional minivan shape, but proportions roughly even to a roadside construction barrel. Considering Mr. Cain’s assessment, however, this might indicate that the miniature scale may just be to save weight.

“With blacked-out trim and a hint of British Racing Green as evidence, it’s clear that some kids have motorsports in their blood,” he said. “Soichiro would be proud, particularly if we improve the aero at the front and de-emphasize the off-road-ready breakover angle.”

Reminiscent of Volkswagen’s 1996 Golf Harlequin, this incarnation of Honda’s Odyssey shows why it has remained the most popular minivan with under-35 buyers since 2010. The classic teardrop shape, dog dish hubcaps, and four-row seating may not appear on the production model, however. This version also seems to be over fifteen feet tall and is therefore impractical for most garages and carports.

“The major styling change, if a teaser is anything to go by, is the removal of the sliding door tracks, or rather the disappearance of the tracks into the windowline. On that front, Honda appears to have come to terms with the times,” said Cain.

Actually, it looks as if the child that did this drawing neglected the doors entirely — a reoccurring theme among the teaser scribbles.

Tim also noted the continued evolution of the Odyssey’s wedge-shaped design while expressing concerns that the driving line above the rear wheel arch might cause the van to “appear droopy.” However, he asserted that “the 26-inch wheels look great, and I’m sure it’ll be easy to find affordable winter tires for them.”

Unrealistic as they may be, Cain’s dig about the oversized tires seemed a little harsh. I’m sure the little boy or girl that made this illustration put forth their very best effort and should be credited for their rudimentary capturing of the Honda’s much-anticipated floating D-pillar. Personally, I thought this one was adorable in a Hot Wheels sort of way.

This ovoid jellybean bodywork is endearing and, just as before, doesn’t provide a clear point of ingress or egress. The short wheelbase and body-over-frame design would not lend itself to stability. While charming in its naiveté, this sort of design would actually be incredibly dangerous to drive.

Which leads us back to the official teaser (pictured at the top of the page) and, again, Honda has outdone itself. From the center-mounted doorhandles to the aggressively sagging rear roof, this style is absolutely fearless. Honda may have to round off and lower the nose for pedestrian safety, but it shouldn’t do much to harm the overall experience of seeing what will unquestionably be the most memorable vehicle in recent memory.

Even though American car buyers have purchased almost 2.5 million Honda minivans since 1994, Odyssey sales today aren’t quite what they were just a decade ago. The pivotal role that this ravishing new styling is destined to play in history will assuredly turn that tide — perhaps even returning the minivan to its former glory.

Bravo, Honda.

The all-new 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan will make its global debut at the 2017 North American International Auto Show on January 9th.

[Images: Honda]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Chiefmonkey Chiefmonkey on Dec 20, 2016

    Chief of Design, Honda: "How dare you say to me that we should design a good-looking car!" Assistant designer: "I can resign if you'd like, sir."

  • DeadWeight DeadWeight on Dec 20, 2016

    HONDA HAS FALLEN THE MOST IN CR'S RELIABILITY INDEX - - from in the top 3, to now just average, and I believe down to 15 or so. This is remarkable, shocking and #Sad .

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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