Honda Odyssey officially returns to Japan, should it return to PH?
The Japanese Honda Odyssey has always been a popular choice for those looking for a compact yet spacious and comfortable, and practical minivan. With the closure of Honda’s Sayama manufacturing plant in Japan, sales in the brand’s home country, as well as here in the Philippines were discontinued.
This meant we never got the heavily updated version, and only a small number of units were sold in Japan. Things are changing though as already announced months ago, the refreshed Honda Odyssey is making a comeback in Japan and this time, it’s sourced from China, and sales have officially started.
First revealed in 2021, the heavily-revised Honda Odyssey received plenty of changes on the exterior and interior, as well as on the technology aspect, to make it more premium. The outside gets a new front fascia with a much larger front grille and headlights, giving it more presence. The rear also gets larger taillights.
The interior is now a lot more premium with its new dashboard design, featuring a floating touchscreen infotainment system mixed with a sleeker airconditioning vent design, as well as a large portion covered in faux wood. Like the one we got before, it is also equipped with second row captain’s chairs with ottomans and electronic adjustments.
Under the hood of the refreshed Honda Odyssey for Japan is a 2.0-liter Inline 4-cylinder i-VTEC gasoline engine paired to dual electric motors for Honda’s e:HEV system. In total, it produces 184 horsepower though we’re not sure if it also makes the same 335 Nm of torque as the Honda CR-V e:HEV.
On the technology aspect, the new Honda Odyssey is now equipped with the full suite of Honda SENSING. It also gets Honda CONNECT, and a new push-button gear selector, among others.
With the Honda Odyssey returning to Japan, is it too late for Honda Cars Philippines to bring it back to our shores as well? It would be a good idea though given the popularity of the Odyssey locally for families who drive themselves.
