Honda’s more affordable 8-seater Odyssey minivan

NEW FRONT and rear bumpers, grille, and 16-inch alloy wheels for the Odyssey EX

The Honda Odyssey is the most comfortable family car right now. Its clever interior coddles passengers and even rewards the driver with its responsiveness.

Honda Cars Philippines has just expanded the Odyssey lineup to include a more practical variant of its minivan.

The Odyssey EX is an 8-seater version of the Odyssey, with a two-plus-three-plus-three seating. It adds one seat by switching to a second-row bench in place of captain’s chairs.

The middle and third row come with split-folding backrests, allowing for individual recline settings. The center backrests in the second and third row can be folded flat to change to six-seater mode, with additional storage space in the middle.

The third row can be folded flat into the floor to provide more cargo room.  With the rear seat up, the Odyssey has limited cargo space, but the split backrest should provide more flexibility between passengers and luggage.

The minivan retains its multi-information display with 7-inch touchscreen control. The system displays the trip computer, as well as phone and audio functions. Audio and phone connectivity via Bluetooth is standard.

The automatic air-conditioning is also controlled by touchscreen.

Powering the Odyssey is the same 2.4-liter DOHC iVTEC Earth Dreams Technology gasoline engine with 173 horsepower and 225 Newton-meters of torque. The engine is paired to a CVT equipped with paddle shifters.

The Odyssey features an idle stop system, which automatically turns off the engine when the vehicle is at a complete stop. The air-conditioning system keeps running during idle stop.

The new Odyssey EX gets new front and rear bumpers, grille, and 16-inch alloy wheels. The van features dual sliding doors with power sliding for the passenger side door.

Safety features include ABS, electronic brake force distribution, stability assist, hill start assist, and emergency stop signal. Dual, side, and side curtain airbags are on board. A multiview reverse camera makes parking and tight maneuvering easier.

THE ODYSSEY EX is an eight-seater, with a two-plus-three-plus-three seating. It adds one seat by switching to a second-row bench in place of captain’s chairs.

Best of all, the new Odyssey comes in at a lower price: P1.948 million. Available colors are modern steel metallic, crystal black pearl, super platinum metallic, and white orchid pearl (with additional P20,000).

The seven-seater Odyssey EX-V Navi with captain’s chairs is still available at P2.368 million.