2021 Honda Odyssey: A Bubble of Safety and Comfort:

Me with the 2021 Honda Odyssey. 📸 Penny Garduno

Updated for 2021, this minivan’s clever features got even smarter.

I have gone from “never, not me,” to “sign me up, I’ll drive a minivan,” after spending time in the Honda Odyssey. I had the chance to test out the updated 2021 Honda Odyssey recently and it’s changed my mind.

I was impressed with the luxuries, top-of-the line safety features and amenities. It didn’t hurt that our family fell in love with the space, the feeling of safety and security, passenger comfort and extras.

Cabin Watch turns everyone in to a ham. 📸 Penny Garduno

New Challenges Mean New Opportunities, too

Like so many families, Covid-19 has been tough on us. We normally plan a lot of weekend trips to the mountains, the beach and theme parks. And when we are not traveling, we cover a lot of miles going to soccer practice, girl scouts and school. So, I look for specific features in our family car. Our kids activities change over the seasons and so does the time we spend in the car. And with Covid-19, it seems like more and more we find ourselves exploring places further away and less traveled by others. That also means we have to pack a lot more and appreciate standard features that make things easier and keep us safe on the road.

The Odyssey’s family friendly features made this all the better. Practicality, luxury, travel friendly all in one fierce sidekick to mom life. And my mind has been changed about a minivan.

My family at the Rose Bowl with the 2021 Honda Odyssey. 📸 Penny Garduno

Test Drive to … The Rose Bowl!?!

We had a fun opportunity to head over to The Rose Bowl in Pasadena with our test drive Odyssey. There we were able to park on the lawn for a drive-in movie viewing of the new Lion King, hosted in partnership with Disney. Honda is the official brand sponsor of the Disneyland Resort, so this was a special treat.

But for us, the drive to the Rose Bowl was a haul. Getting from Orange County to Pasadena through Los Angeles traffic can be awful. However, in the Honda Odyssey Elite the ride was easy, smoother than the SUV I drive daily; I was so impressed by the drive.

Notice the floor mats the elegant new design hides the dirt. 📸 Penny Garduno

Then, let’s chat drive modes. The new Honda Odyssey Elite has a sport option (I know, right?!?!). I went from thinking of a minivan as simply plush comfort to the Odyssey with a kicking engine and, wow am I driving a sporty momvan with quick pickup and take off?! I am so impressed by Honda, but I have loved the brand for years, so I’m not surprised.

Related: 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring Review: This Might Be the Most Luxury For Your Money, Ever

My kids loved the wireless entertainment system. 📸 Penny Garduno

Second Row Seats that Offer Tons of Options

Honda really knows how to pack a lot in a punch. Especially for car seat space! The Odyssey will fit three full size car seats across the second row and if you want to create captains chairs you can remove the middle seat from the second row. And, I have to mention that the outboard seats in second row can slide side-to-side or forward or back when the center seat is removed. That also gives passengers easier access to the third row. It’s brilliant. And I’m not going to lie, it was totally fun to slide them back and forth when needed.

Then, the center row seats can either be fully removed or folded nearly flat for extra cargo space (this is an improvement over the 2020 model).

As a family that travels out to random places in the outdoors, especially during Covid-19, we appreciated so many things that come standard with the Odyssey that most of us would consider extra. A fully functional third row fit for adults, and comfort is a must for our taller-than-average family. With auto sliding doors, low entry and completely removable second row seats, cargo space is maximized.

The chance to cut loose and run in the Rose Bowl didn’t escape this one. 📸 Penny Garduno

The third row seats also fold flat, stowing into the floor. But there’s so much space behind the third row you may never need to.

It was really fun to pack over thirty balloons into the cargo area and surprise one of my daughter’s friends with a thirteenth birthday porch set up. We didn’t pop one balloon, brought extra supplies and had so much space to make sure the banners didn’t mix together either!

Related: What Drives Her: Lara Harrington, Honda US Chief Engineer is Focused on What You Want in a Car

The 2021 Honda Odyssey. 📸 Penny Garduno

Talk About Minivan Awesomeness: Sport Mode!!!

We decided to grab a soda and take a drive before our test drive was over. I *may or may not* have (but totally did) put the Odyssey into sport mode and wow, she takes off. The handling is tight on turns and easy to control and the cabin is so quiet even on the freeway driving 65mph.

With the Honda Sensing system, which is standard on all trims, Honda has added road sign assist, which displays speed limit and other signs on the display screen. Honda Sensing also has an electronic brake booster, which applies the brakes when the system senses traffic ahead of you slowing, and adaptive cruise control with low speed follow, making stop and go traffic easy. I felt safe and the ride was so smooth that my daughter fell asleep within moments of getting on the freeway even though we were in stop and go traffic.

A big spill is nothing for the Honda Vac. 📸 Penny Garduno

Technology That Connects You- Even In This Big Space

I could not get enough of the Cabin Watch camera feature–yes a camera in the cabin that displays on the screen up front! It comes in handy to see what’s going on with your kids or to make sure you don’t leave anything or anyone behind. And, your kids can have fun making faces at you.

Cabin Watch works in conjunction with the Cabin Talk microphone and speaker system through out the car so you can see and hear what’s goin on.

I also loved that there are five easily accessible charger ports and how simply the Odyssey connects to all smart phone devices for a safer more manageable drive. Plug in your phone and AppleCarPlay pops up on the screen.

Something I didn’t think about but also totally appreciated: the vacuum. Perfect for those after-soccer nights when the turf pieces and dry grass are all over the place. Simply take the vacuum from cargo all the way up to passenger area to easily clean up the mess.

Some other highlights that I wanted to point out that we just loved about the Odyssey:

A newly refreshed “face” with streamlined headlights and black details give the Odyssey a more modern look
A rear seat reminder lets you never forget anyone or anything in the back; it remembers that you opened the doors and reminds you to check the back seats when you turn the engine off
Elegant new floor carpets that have a more modern look and hide even more dirt!
22 mpg average with 19 city and 28 highway. Important for families who go from local driving to longer travel on the weekends
280 horsepower V6 engine gave me the power to climb hills but maintain steady speedy in the carpool lane
Hands free tailgate – this always comes in handy for loading up the cargo area as well as contactless delivery and pick up options that we’ve gotten used to these days
Rain sensing windshield wipers and all season tires are a dream for a family that travels from sea to mountain and then some
Remote engine start is just plain awesome. It really comes in handy in colder weather states but I’ll take it since we do get rain and some colder mornings. Anyone who knows me would say this is my go-to for cooling seats and to get the air-conditioning going on hot days
DVD rear entertainment system with wireless headphones. A bonus for the kids on long drives. This was wonderful during our drives so that the hubs and I could listen to SiriusXM up front while the kids watched their movies in the back. We played some of our favorite playlists too

Pricing starts at a very family-friendly $32,910 and tops out at $48,490 for the top of the line Elite edition. The price of the 2021 model is about $1,000 more than 2020, but has more standard features. All to convince me that a minivan is the way to go. And it worked. Mind: Changed.

The large cargo area is perfect for loads of balloons. 📸 Penny Garduno

What to Listen to in the Honda Odyssey

Honda and Disney have a super fun partnership to launch the 2021 Honda Odyssey. You can follow along with their curated playlist and see some of the campaign by following the hashtag #EnchantedOdyssey. That inspired our latest family playlist for our test drive in the Odyssey… a blend of Disney favorites and some of our own.

Disclosure: I was Honda’s guest at the “drive-in movie” at the Rose Bowl and a Honda Odyssey was provided for my test drive. All opinions are my own.

These seats are made for tailgating. 📸 Penny Garduno

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Penny OnTheGoOC

OnTheGoOC - Orange County CA Mom of 2 amazing kids & 2 furbabies! Inspired to keep positive, cook, travel, be adventurous & have fun doing it all. I love to keep up with and share all activities, Autism friendly, educational and social things to do in OC & beyond.

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