Honda Odyssey: specifications, photos, reviews

"Honda-Odyssey" - all-wheel drive minivan, manufactured by the Japanese company Honda. The car appeared in 1995 as a result of the manufacturer's entry into the international automotive market with models of the family cruise class. Concern Honda sought to occupy its niche in the global market in the sector of 8-seater cars. And this he managed to fully - the success of Japanese minivans in the North American market and within Japan itself exceeded all expectations. Several times the model was nominated for the "Best minivan" award and received awards.

The emergence of a new model

The Honda Odyssey was created on the platform of the popular Honda Accord model, from which the engine, transmission and some elements of the front suspension were borrowed. The choice was successful, as the parameters allowed to reach the overall standards of American cars. The model was well received in the US, not least thanks to the flexibility of Honda's engineering, which fitted the minivan with a stylish steering column-shift switch, fashionable at that time in America.

After the approval of the model in the American automotive market, the Honda Odyssey transmission was recycled and the car began to be completed exclusively with an automatic transmission. Simultaneously with the improvement of the transmission, the steering mechanism received an efficient hydraulic booster, which increased its sensitivity by an order of magnitude. At the same time, the center of gravity of the car was significantly reduced , the suspension became more energy-intensive, and as a whole the model was already positioned as a family-class minivan, but with a sporting character.

Model "Odyssey" today

Currently, the Honda Odyssey, whose reviews are simply delightful, are produced in Japan and China, in Canada and the US, with the right and left steering positions, depending on the region of operation. If you analyze customer reviews for the entire history of car production, the percentage of positive and negative opinions will be approximately 100: 2.

For the Japanese market the minivan was manufactured before 2003 under the name Honda Odyssey Prestige, the model was equipped with a three-liter engine with a V-shaped arrangement of cylinders. Then came the modification of the Honda Odyssey Absolute, a semi-sport version, which immediately began to enjoy unprecedented demand.

First generation

In the European automobile market, the Odyssey of the first generation is known as the Honda Shuttle, this model was produced for four years, from 1995 to 1999, in the UK, but was not in demand due to excessive sizes for England. Later, the model was replaced by a Honda Stream modification . In the US market, the Honda-Odyssey was sold as Isuzu Oasis. The model was widely used as a taxi in New York.

The second generation

In 1999 Odyssey passed a deep restyling, and the cars of the first generation became a thing of the past. On the foreground there were cars of the Honda-Odyssey brand of the second generation, with a spacious interior, three rows of comfortable seats and wide swing doors. The power plant was offered in two versions: SONT VTEC or DONC VTEC motors. The first - 4-cylinder, 2.3 liters, the second - three-liter, reliable and economical engine.

Another modernization of the minivan took place in 2001, when the Absolute model was introduced , which was oriented to the European market in terms of its main characteristics, including high ground clearance and transverse stability of the entire undercarriage, which was important when operated on narrow European Roads in conditions of increased loading salon and trunk.

The third generation

The third generation of the Honda Odyssey (the reviews were mostly positive) was released from 2003 to 2008. As a result of a number of improvements, the car became even more popular, surpassing the sales of its predecessors, which were produced earlier. Minivan 2003 release was lower, its height was 1550 mm, which allowed the car to park in multi-tier parking, which limited the entry of cars by the criteria of height.

To maintain the level of comfort in the cabin had to lower the floor, while using new technologies that were used in the construction of the body of the model Honda Fit. The method itself fully justified, but it became necessary to re-profile the fuel tank. Changes have also touched suspensions, which have acquired more compact characteristics.

Development of a car

The novelty of the salon arrangement of the minivan was the transformation of the seats of the third row, which went under the floor, due to which the volume of the luggage compartment increased significantly. In addition, due to the reduction in the height of the body, the outline of the exterior of the Honda-Odyssey model, the photo of which is presented in the article, took a rapidly aggressive look, the car acquired clear signs of sportiness. And 17-inch wheels only strengthened the impression of speed of the car. His contribution to the sport image of the model was also made by the engine, a highly dynamic four-cylinder DOHC, a volume of 2.3 liters, with a capacity of 185 liters. from.

The engine works in tandem with CVT CVT automatic transmission, but with the possibility of manual mode switching by means of levers on the steering column. The system simulates the operation of a 7-speed gearbox.

"Honda-Odyssey" specifications in 2003 had the following:

• Length - 4830 mm;
• Width - 1958 mm;
• Height - 1550 mm;
• Wheelbase - 2900 mm.

The fourth generation: minivan "Odyssey-Absolute", semi-sports modification

What was this model? The new modification of the car "Honda Odyssey", the model "Absolute", is produced since 2008. The car is updated in terms of exterior, the design has become more modern. The power plant remained the same, but the engine characteristics changed in the direction of increasing power. The engine capacity of 2.4 liters develops 186 liters. from. At a torque of 4300 rpm. The body is equipped with new aerodynamic elements, the wheels also became larger, their size reached 18-inch mark.

Vehicle interior

The car interior is equipped in impeccable style, the panel of devices is two-tier, all meters are equipped with three-dimensional illumination, management of systems of internal arrangement of interior is logical and rational. At your fingertips are the buttons for switching climate control, navigation devices and audio quad systems. Front seats are covered with moisture-absorbing material and are made according to the latest ergonomics. The adjustment parameters of the seats and backrests are expanded, which allows you to achieve a greater level of comfort. The steering column is adjustable in two directions - in height and inclination with respect to the horizontal line of the floor.

The saloon of the car "Honda-Odyssey" of the fourth generation accommodates seven people, not counting the driver. Seats are arranged in such a way that the surrounding space during the movement of the car can be easily seen from anywhere in the cabin. The review is promoted by wide glasses, both lateral, and frontal. The car is equipped with a variety of options to help the driver navigate in difficult road conditions, such as driving in heavy traffic on a multi-lane highway, parking or when leaving for an unregulated intersection.

The latest generation of Honda Odyssey, technical specifications

In 2013, the Tokyo Motor Show was presented with a fifth generation model, created on an updated platform, with a fundamentally new gasoline engine. The car's design has changed noticeably in the direction of today's futuristic fashion, a super modern radiator grille has appeared, the front end of the car has radically changed. The rear doors became sliding, which is dictated by tense conditions of city parking lots. The minivan noticeably "grew", the height of the car increased to 1685 mm, that is, by 135 mm, this is a rather significant addition, the level of comfort of the salon space has increased. "Honda Odyssey", whose photo talk about the perfection of modern car design, continues to be considered one of the best cars in the world.

"Odyssey" and "Formula 1"

The power unit of the new model is DOHC i-VTEC engine with injector injection, cylinder capacity of 2.4 liters, developing power up to 185 liters. from. Transmission is a non-alternative variator consisting of seven conditionally virtual transmissions that are manually switched via petals on the steering column. The technology is borrowed from racing cars "Formula 1" in a simplified version.

The system of seating arrangement in the cabin assumes the transformation of seats to accommodate seven or eight passengers, depending on the duration of the trip and the total load of the car. Sales of the Honda-Odyssey model of the latest generation have already begun in Japan and in several Asian countries in the price range from $ 25,300 to $ 26,500 (depending on the equipment). In the US, a new machine is not yet available.

So, in this article we gave an overview of the car you are interested in and its full description. "Honda-Odyssey" of the latest generation is a recognition of the achievements of the Japanese concern Honda.