Big rework to the big MPV’s image plus Honda Sensing, Singapore price begins at S$160k with COE 

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UPDATE: April 2021 – we’ve tested the new Honda Odyssey in Singapore, read our review here!

SINGAPORE
Honda’s fifth-gen Odyssey undergoes its second facelift, but you probably won’t be able to recognise it now since it looks considerably different. To match the big rework, the car also receives improvements to its onboard tech as well.

The car is on sale now at S$159,999 with COE for the eight-seat EX model, and S$168,999 with COE for the higher-spec, seven-seat EXV model. 

The fifth-gen Odyssey first debuted in Singapore in 2014 – you can read our review of that car here – and it received its first (mild) facelift in 2018, naturally we’ve reviewed that car as well, here. 

The fourth-gen Odyssey went for a low-slung, streamlined look, and while the fifth-gen morphed into something taller and more spacious, it was still nowhere as outright boxy as space kings like the Toyota Alphard. The 2021 facelift of the Odyssey changes that, with what Honda calls a ‘more powerful front face’. 

The car’s front end is taller and more vertical, with the Honda badge and chrome strip in line with the lights all on a higher plane than before. The large square grille migrates upwards too, to a more conventional between-the-headlights position, which allows for a big air-intake/sub-grille with dual-louvres below.

The lights are now more square, linking to a similar approach on the new Jazz, City, and Civic, and all four indicators are sequential ‘flowing’ LED units.

As a facelift, the mechanicals look to be the same as before. The car is front-wheel driven with a 2.4-litre engine and CVT. Power and torque remains the same, at 175hp and 225Nm, which should equate to identical performance of 0-100km/h of 11.7 seconds, and top speed of 198km/h. Fuel efficiency is the same, at 8.1L/100km, with a VES band of C1. 

While the car’s appearance has evolved considerably, interior space should remain the same (that is to say, generous) since the footprint is identical to the previous car, retaining the 2,900mm wheelbase, although the new car is slightly taller – 1,712mm now, instead of 1,695mm before. 

Tech improvements include the digital display on the instrument panel being upsized from 3.5-inches to 7.0-inches, while the touchscreen infotainment system goes from 7.0-inches to 8.0-inches, and is now capable of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The car has a new ‘Reservation Lock’ feature, which automatically locks the doors after they’re all closed – a small but important point in a big MPV with electrically-powered sliding doors, so no more standing around watching the interminable ‘beep, beep, slide, clunk’ sequence. 

As before, the Odyssey will be offered with two variants, with the seating basics remaining the same: the less expensive eight-seat model the EX, and the higher-spec EXV model with seven seats.

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The EX model has two three-seat benches, while in the EXV model the second row bench is replaced with dual Ottoman seats for a more business-class experience, as noted in our review of the current EXV model, The last row of seats are removable for both versions, to allow for a flexible load of cargo or people. 

The EXV model has quite a big more equipment than the EX, which accounts for the roughly S$19k price difference. 

It has water-repelling glass on the front windows, heated water-repelling mirrors too, a sunroof, dual-zone front air-con, LED active cornering lights, blind spot indicator, and a multi-view reverse camera. The powered tailgate has a hands-free kick-to-open functionality, while the EX has a normal powered tailgate. 

Both cars have Honda Sensing active safety onboard, which is a new and major addition to the car. That means adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, forward collision mitigation (i.e. autonomous braking), lane keeping, and road departure mitigation.