2013 Honda Odyssey

There are a total of 5 trims available for the 2013 Honda Odyssey Minivan - LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, and Touring Elite. The base LX trim starts at $28,675 and packs cruise control, cloth seats, dual-zone climate control,7-speaker audio output, and a lot of safety features. All the trims get powered by the same V6 engine. The top-trim Touring Elite is priced at $44,025 and packs all the luxury bits with a fully loaded cabin in terms of features. The EX-L trim gets all-leather treatments with a lot of added features for the 2013 model year like a multi-functional display, Bluetooth, and USB connections.

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As a base trim, the LX does not pack enough features for added convenience and also carries a hefty price tag. However, the EX is the trim to go for if you are in the mood of considering an Odyssey. This is because the EX has enough features like the power-sliding side doors, 7-speaker audio setup, and three-zone climate control and only costs around 3 grand more than the base trim.

The 2013 Honda Odyssey Minivan comes powered by a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated I-VTEC V6 engine which puts out a modest 248 horsepower and a maximum torque of 250 pound-feet. The base trims are fitted with a 5-speed automatic transmission which changes to a 6-speed system with the Touring and Touring Elite. All the trims come with a front-wheel-drive system as standard. 

The engine is quite capable from a touring point-of-view and is quite rev-happy and coming from Honda, the engine is quite refined. Minivans are not known for being quick and accelerations always remain smooth throughout the rev band and that is the same with the Odyssey. It does 0-60 mph in 8.3 seconds which is decent considering it is a 7/8-seater. It takes 16.2 seconds to reach a quarter-mile and tops out at 111 mph.

The Chrysler makes it to the top when it comes to the raw engine power and accelerations. The prior has slightly better 0-60 mph timings. The Honda and the Nissan both perform similarly in terms of accelerating up to 60 mph, despite the latter pumping out a few extra horses. All four minivans are quite similar when it comes to quarter-mile timings but the Toyota completes it a bit faster.

Honda has tuned the engine and increased the overall refinement to squeeze more miles out of a gallon. All these have led to the EPA rating the minivan with 18 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highways, and a combined fuel economy of 21 mpg. The fuel economy is very impressive for a vehicle of this size. The fuel tank is also of the largest capacity in the segment at 21 gallons. The minivans are meant for long highway drives with your family. The Honda Odyssey will impress you in this regard as it offers the best-in-class highway range of 567 miles.

The Honda is way ahead in putting out an impressive highway mileage which is only a mile lower than that of the Nissan. Both Chrysler and Toyota Sienna have done a great job in delivering a slightly better performance but also not compromising the mileage figures. The Honda Odyssey will keep you away from the fuel station for the longest distance in the competition. 

The interiors of the 2013 Honda Odyssey Minivan are very welcoming and are very spacious from the moment you get inside. The dashboard is all plastic but has a soft-touch finish on the higher trims. The color contrast of the cabin is well-done but the dashboard looks busy with a lot of control knobs and has the infotainment screen at the center. The seats are all cloth-covered in the base trims and provide power-adjustability at the front with heated functions.

The cabin offers a seating capacity of up to 7 people for the base trim and up to 8 people as standard on the higher trims. Truth to be told, the cabin is spacious with a lot of space for the head, shoulder, and legs till the third row and that makes the Odyssey a good option. With all seats up, the cargo capacity is a whopping 38.4 cubic feet and if the third row is not in use, the capacity can be increased to a staggering 93.1 cubic feet.

All the four minivans in the competition offer great cabin experience and are quite spacious even in the third row but the Honda and Nissan do a better job in terms of space especially the legroom, where the Chrysler falls back and does not provide extensive comfort in the third row. The Toyota is similar to the Chrysler but is slightly better. Toyota packs the most cargo capacity in the competition and is followed by Honda and Chrysler and then Nissan. A few of the standout interior features are:

• Leather seats and steering wheel
• 10-way power-adjustable front seats with multi-level heating
• Leather shift knob, and door panels
• Cooled storage compartment
• Three-zone climate control
• Electrochromatic inside rearview mirror

How intuitive is the 2013 Honda Odyssey Minivan’s infotainment unit?

The Odyssey is packed with plenty of infotainment features as standard and the addition of an 8-inch display for the 2013 model year has made the experience even better. Honda has made Bluetooth, a 7-speaker audio system, and USB connectivity standard across the trims. The higher trims get additional features like navigation, surround sound system, and a lot more. Although, going through the controls can take some time but are very responsive. A few of the important infotainment features are:

• 12-speaker surround sound system
• CD player
• 8-inch display
• Navigation
• Auxiliary audio input
• Hard disk drive
• SiriusXM

If you look at the Odyssey, it is a lot sharper and better looking than the competition. With its bulky and muscular yet sharp looks, Honda ensures good build quality and excellent paint finishes. The front gets sharp projector headlights and a chrome intake grille with foglamps below it. The sides have a few cuts to make it aerodynamic and have the power sliding doors. The rear has the Honda-styled taillights and a rear screen wiper. This minivan sits on 17-inch steel wheels. The minivan has a decent ground clearance of 4.5 inches and is quite capable of going on highways and tackling a few bad patches.

Among the four minivans, the Chrysler weighs the most and also has the longest wheelbase. Honda, Nissan, and Toyota share almost the same dimensions, with the Toyota having the highest ground clearance and is followed by Nissan. The Honda Odyssey is marginally longer than the Chrysler in overall length but misses out on the wheelbase length. A few salient exterior features are:

• 17-inch wheels
• Sunroof
• Trail hitch receiver
• Power-sliding doors
• Projector headlamps with DRLs

Coming from Honda, the Odyssey is bound to be a safe minivan and the safety ratings prove the same. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rated the minivan with a full 5-star and with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety( IIHS), it is even better. The agency has rated the same with “Good” and also awarded it with “Top Safety Pick”. Honda has packed the Odyssey with a whole safety suite and that includes:

• 4-wheel ABS, traction control
• Emergency braking assist
• Tire pressure monitoring
• Auto delay off headlamps
• Electronic brakeforce distribution

If you are in the market and looking for an all-rounder minivan, then the Honda Odyssey Minivan would be a great choice. The minivan offers decent performance and mileage figures with plush interiors and a lot of features to satiate a lot of enthusiasts. The price tag is slightly higher but the value is unmatched especially for the added safety and reliability coming from Honda.