Honda says the Odyssey has a sporty Euro sedan look. That's stretching it a bit in our view, though there is a similarity to the Accord in the front end. If you squint your eyes, and look from the side, the nose even has similar curvy profile to the VW Beetle.
Compared with the old Odyssey, the new one has a bigger grille opening with matching larger headlights. The hood is much more sculptured with curves that lead naturally back to the windshield and help emphasize the bigger fender flares. Unlike other manufacturers, Honda has not hidden the sliding door channels at the base of the window but left them partially obscured by a crease that runs the length of the vehicle.
Talking of length, the new Odyssey has the same overall length and height as the previous model but has gained an extra inch in girth. Somehow Honda has managed to increase the interior length available for cargo and passengers by two inches without increasing the overall exterior length. It has given the extra couple of inches to passengers in the third row of seats.
All models come with two sliding doors, manually operated on the LX and electrically operated on all other models. The power windows in each of the side doors can be opened in the same fashion as in a car. The tailgate is electrically operated in the top-of-the-line Touring.
The Odyssey is the first application of Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure. (The 2005 Acura RL is the second.) The vehicle's crush zones have been re-engineered to provide even better protection for occupants while lessening damage when hitting other smaller vehicles and pedestrians. A video shown by Honda demonstrates how little damage a Civic received when hit head-on by a new Odyssey. At the same time the main body has been made much more rigid for better handling. Honda also claims the Odyssey has the lowest drag coefficient of any minivan for better fuel economy and high-speed stability.
