Honestly, Honda didn’t need to bring in an “entry-level” Odyssey. At 2,399,000, the top-of-the-line EX-V Navi is smartly packaged and well done. It does the job of being a business-class shuttle and family mover equally well. That said, Honda saw a market gap that wasn’t being served: one where its patrons longed to upgrade from an Innova into something more sophisticated, but still didn’t want to let go of their practical, “low key” image. Enter the Odyssey EX, essentially a low-calorie version of the EX-Navi that’s P 440,000 cheaper.

Those pesos saved all had to somewhere though, right? That starts with the looks. As a variant in the Odyssey range, it retains the same sleek and angular body that’s made it a hit with Filipino consumers. It escapes the often bland, unattractive function-over-form styling so prevalent with MPVs. At a quick glance, it passes for an Accord and for that, it gets two thumbs up. However, peering at it for some time unravels the fact that a lot’s been removed. And once you see them, you can’t unsee them. It gets its own bumpers, grille, headlights, and wheels. Overall, its plainer and dulls the sharp styling of the Odyssey. It’s not helped that this particular unit came in the inconspicuous Super Platinum Metallic.




Aside from its packaging marvel, there’s little to complain about the Odyssey’s interior. Though things like the leather upholstery and some electronic doodads were ditched for the sake of cost, the Odyssey EX still manages to give off an upscale vibe. The glossy wood is, unfortunately, still there, but at least so are the soft-touch plastics and crisp controls. The gauges, with its line-graph tachometer look like a predecessor of the current Civic’s and CR-V’s, and for that, it’s in a desperate need of the LCD treatment. However, at least all the information is easily digestible. Not to nitpick, but if there’s one thing that needs to be changed is the seat fabric itself. Going with fabric seats is alright for an entry-level model, but for goodness sake, the velour-type material causes static electricity each time you go in and out. It’s a neat practical joke you can play with your bros, but it’s totally uncool when grandma’s the one getting shocked it.





Already weighing in empty at 1,745 kilograms, a potentially fully-loaded Odyssey would come out to around 2,300 kilograms. That sounds like a lot of weight for the 2.4-liter Earth Dreams i-VTEC 4-cylinder to pull, right? And it is. Packing 175 horsepower and 226 Nm of torque, it’s merely adequate on a flat surface. Show it a steep enough incline and you’ll feel it heave up. It’s true that no one expects an MPV to be blistering quick, but the Odyssey needs to be prodded to get even a decent pace going. Only when provoked will the Odyssey come alive. It gives off a sonorous note that’s satisfying and smooth. Sadly though, all that Earth Dreams stuff doesn’t seem to produce great economy numbers. Though the highway figures remain great 15.5 km/L (average speed of 67 km/h), the city mileage drops down to 7.8 km/L in the city (average speed of 16 km/h). Both figures were achieved with the ECON and idle start/stop engaged.




All things considered though, handling is not really an important attribute when it comes to MPVs, but comfort and refinement surely are. Suffice to say, the Odyssey performs well in those aspects as well. At city speeds, it’s extremely refined. Whisper quiet with top-notch NVH. As speeds go up, a bit of road noise enters the cabin, but not to an uncomfortable level. It also manages to soak up most ruts and bumps thrown its way, but because of some noticeable body flex, the ride tends to feel less than opulent at undulating surfaces.




In the end, the Odyssey lite sounds more like a showroom come on more than anything else. For sure, it nails down the fundamentals: excellent packaging, solid driving dynamics, and great refinement. It also manages to look great in brochures, “The Japan-made Honda Odyssey, yours for only P 1,959,000.” Upon closer inspection though, a lot of sacrifices have been made just to keep the prices low. For sure, those who cannot spring for the additional P 440,000 may find this a tempting offer, but let’s not fool anyone. The buyer who’s got two million pesos to spare won’t mind spending a fraction more. In other words, for everything it’s got going for it, the Odyssey EX’s greatest flaw is the existence of the EX-V Navi.