The Honda Odyssey is the Japanese automaker’s popular minivan model. Minivans are typically owned by drivers looking to transport large groups of friends or family members. That being said, the Odyssey is considered to be the quintessential road trip vehicle by many. But how does the popular van perform on a 1,000-mile road trip?

The 2021 Honda Odyssey was just put to the test

The 2021 Honda Odyssey is one of the best family minivans that money can buy. Honda has continuously improved the Odyssey to compete against rivals like the Toyota Sienna.

A great modern minivan has enough power to keep drivers happy, great tech, and plenty of standard safety features. The folks at MotorTrend decided to put the Odyssey through the ultimate minivan test: a 1,000-mile road trip.

The first thing that struck the Motortrend staff member driving the Odyssey during the road trip was its adaptive cruise control feature. Adaptive cruise control is one of the many driver assistance and safety features included with the Odyssey’s Honda Sensing Suite. Adaptive cruise control can relieve drivers of constant braking in heavy traffic.

The next thing that struck the driver about the Odyssey during the road trip was its small touchscreen infotainment system. The 2021 Honda Odyssey features a standard 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is tiny compared to some of its competitors. The driver also notes that they would have enjoyed a 360-degree camera system on the EX-L model to maneuver more easily in tight spaces like fast food drive-through lanes.

How does the 2021 Honda Odyssey hold up during a long drive?

Power and fuel economy are extremely important to road trips. An underpowered vehicle can have you stuck behind lethargic semi-trucks for miles. Gas guzzlers will cost drivers a fortune on road trips. The 2021 Honda Odyssey isn’t underpowered, and it offers excellent fuel economy for a vehicle of its size.

The Odyssey comes standard with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 280 horsepower. It gets 19 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway. The Odyssey’s highway miles per gallon get the van a long way on road trips. It gets about 429 miles of range before needing to be refueled.

Should you buy a Honda Odyssey?

The minivan vehicle class is as competitive as ever. The newest Honda Odyssey model year currently starts at $32,290. Its current greatest rival is the Kia Carnival, which starts at $32,100. The Carnival is less fuel-efficient but offers 10 more horses using a 3.5-liter V6 engine.

The Kia Carnival also features better tech than the Honda Odyssey, including a larger infotainment system and an optional rear dual-screen entertainment system for passengers. The Honda Odyssey is a great road trip minivan, but it may no longer be the best road trip minivan available to consumers.