The 2025 Honda Odyssey Black Edition is the best-equipped and most expensive version of Honda’s minivan, which has received some slight updates this year.

Summary of the 2025 Honda Odyssey Black Edition

All 2025 Honda Odysseys are powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine developing 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.
The average consumption estimated by Natural Resources Canada is 10.6 L/100 km; I achieved 10.2 L/100 km.
The Black Edition adds black wheels and trim to the Touring’s equipment, for a price of $63,143.
The 2025 Odyssey is among the most spacious minivans, but not the most versatile.

Strengths

Very comfortable overall
Spacious and well-designed interior
Pleasant driving experience

Weaknesses

No all-wheel drive or hybrid option
Middle seats are cumbersome to remove
Design and technologies are starting to age

Adored by families in the 90s and 2000s, minivans have since given way to three-row SUVs and now act almost as background players in the market.

Nevertheless, they remain unquestionably the most practical and best-suited vehicles for families with young children thanks to their extremely generous interior space, ultra-practical sliding doors, and a driving experience that is more akin to that of a sedan.

The 2025 Honda Odyssey continues to offer an established formula, with a six-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive, a flat-folding third-row bench seat, and entertainment technologies for rear passengers.

An aging design

2025 Honda Odyssey Black Edition | Photo: Anthony Lemonde

Since it hasn’t changed much since 2018, it’s not surprising that the Honda Odyssey is beginning to show its age in terms of exterior styling, especially compared to its rivals, all of which have received at least a major refresh since then. Of course, this doesn’t take anything away from the Odyssey itself, but I prefer the design of the Chrysler and Kia minivans. The window line that curves downwards on the rear quarter panels doesn’t help the Odyssey either, as it makes the rear appear very heavy. Obviously, no one buys this type of vehicle for its style, so it doesn’t matter that much, and slight tweaks for the 2025 model year modernize this model a little, and the combination of red paint with the Black Edition version gave our test model a bit more visual interest than some of its rivals.

A spacious and comfortable interior, but not the most versatile

The cabin of the 2025 Honda Odyssey isn’t cutting-edge either, but in this case, that’s not really a bad thing. Indeed, it means that physical controls still take precedence over touch screens, which is almost always good news in terms of ergonomics and safety. Fortunately, Honda now equips its minivan with its latest infotainment system, which I find to be one of the most intuitive on the market thanks to its large colourful icons, customizable shortcuts, and easy-to-understand menus. However, this system can be criticized for a screen that is difficult to read in direct sunlight due to its forward tilt. We would also have liked a 360-degree camera system, which could have made maneuvers in tight parking lots easier. Surprisingly, the Odyssey Black Edition does not have a premium audio system, but the Honda-branded setup is quite satisfactory.

For the rest, the cabin of the Honda Odyssey is very well designed, with an impressive amount of open and closed storage in the doors and the centre console, allowing you to store all the small items that a family needs to carry. The front bucket seats as well as the middle bench benefit from fold-down armrests that make long journeys more comfortable, and the second and third-row passengers are treated to side sunshades as well as a dedicated climate control zone.

Our test model was also equipped with the rear entertainment system, which allows passengers to watch movies or play video games on the road. Here too, the Odyssey shows its age, as it only has a single center-mounted screen and it can only display content via an HDMI port. It would have been interesting to see Honda integrate apps or streaming functions directly into this system, as Chrysler does with the Pacifica, which also benefits from two individual screens in the middle row.

Where the Odyssey makes up for it is in terms of interior space, which is one of the most generous in the category. In particular, second and third-row passengers are less cramped in the Honda than in the competition. Access on board is also very easy in the front and in the middle row, but we would like the middle seats to move forward a little more to facilitate entry and exit to the third row. In terms of cargo space, the Odyssey continues to stand out with more space behind the third row than the Chrysler and only 20 litres less than the Toyota. By folding the third bench seat into the floor, you can use up to 2,452 litres of space, which is 26 litres less than in the Pacifica, but 323 litres more than the Sienna. With the middle seats removed, up to 3,973 litres are available to us. That’s much more than in the Sienna and practically identical to the Pacifica, but a little less than in the Kia Carnival.

It should be noted, however, that the Honda Odyssey is not the ideal choice for drivers who often have to use their minivan to transport passengers and cargo, because its second-row seats cannot be folded into the floor, which remains a Chrysler exclusive. Thus, you have to deal with bulky and heavy-to-maneuver bucket seats if you think you will need all the available space in the Odyssey. In addition, since the middle seats are mounted on a track that allows them to slide from left to right when the jump seat in the centre is not installed, the floor of the cargo area is not flat. Moreover, the folded third row forms a slope towards the front of the vehicle.

At least the second row can be completely removed, which is not the case in the Toyota Sienna.

A refined powertrain and healthy handling

On the road, the 2025 Honda Odyssey performs well, with a smooth and powerful engine, a fluid 10-speed gearbox, a competent suspension, and reassuring stability on the highway.

While the Odyssey is now the only one in its class without a hybrid option and does not offer all-wheel drive, it can at least boast of having a powertrain that does the job very well.

Although its 3.5-litre single overhead cam V6 is closely related to the engine of the same displacement that could be found under the hood of the second-generation Odyssey in 1999, it is still relevant.

Of course, it has since received several modifications aimed at improving its performance and efficiency, resulting in a power output of 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, more than enough for a minivan.

The 10-speed gearbox has been the only one offered since 2020, and it seems better suited to the Odyssey than to the Pilot and the Passport, shifting its many gears smoothly. Unsurprisingly, frequent downshifts are to be expected on hilly roads, and a little more engine braking would be appreciated, but the powertrain remains without major complaints.

Fuel consumption is in the middle of the segment, with a combined average announced by Natural Resources Canada of 10.6 L/100 km. In mostly rural and highway driving, I obtained an average of 10.2 L/100 km during my test, which also places the Odyssey in the middle of the minivans I have driven.

In terms of handling, the Odyssey doesn’t hold any bad surprises either, with a suspension that prioritizes comfort without preventing all driver enjoyment.

Indeed, the steering is not very quick and the damping is soft, coping well with all the imperfections of the road, but it does generate a bit of body roll in curves. Nevertheless, once the Odyssey settles on its suspension, it holds the road better than you might expect, making it one of the most pleasant minivans to drive, whether on the highway, in the city, or on winding roads.

What to Watch For

2025 Honda Odyssey Gets Bigger Standard Rear Screen

Honda’s reputation for reliability is well-established, but no one is perfect. Thus, although few problems have been reported with the 2025 model, the current generation of the Odyssey has a few blemishes on its record. Notably, the NHTSA is investigating the 3.5-litre V6 engine used in several Honda and Acura models, including the Odyssey from 2018 to 2020, because it has received more than 400 complaints about faulty connecting rod bearings that can lead to catastrophic failure. Some sliding door issues have also been reported, but overall, the Odyssey remains recommendable. No recalls affect the 2025 model at the moment, but the current generation has been the subject of 20 Transport Canada campaigns since 2018. True to the brand’s habit, the Odyssey maintains a higher-than-average resale value, which helps justify its purchase new, but makes it less attractive on the pre-owned market.

Price of the 2025 Honda Odyssey Black Edition

The Black Edition trim level of the 2025 Honda Odyssey is at the top of the range and it adds to the Touring version items such as black 19-inch wheels, a black spoiler, red ambient lighting, as well as black leather upholstery with red accents, for an MSRP of $60,120.

Considering that the high-end versions of the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica are priced $70,678 and $76,600 respectively, the Honda is a good value, although it is not as luxurious as these two rivals.

In fact, only the Kia Carnival offers both more equipment and a lower price, but it is less pleasant to drive than the Odyssey.

The other versions in Honda’s lineup are the Sport at $49,920, the Sport-L at $52,920, and the Touring at $58,320.

Options are limited to paint colours, which are all charged $300 except for silver on the Sport, Sport-L, and Touring models, as well as red on the Black Edition.

Conclusion

The 2025 Honda Odyssey Black Edition remains one of the most interesting options on the market for families thanks to its interior space, its elevated comfort, its rather modern technologies, and its pleasant and well-adapted powertrain. On the other hand, it is not the most practical, the most luxurious, or even the most economical minivan in the segment. It is therefore chosen for its manufacturer’s reputation and its favourable value proposition.


Model	Honda Odyssey Black Edition	Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle	Kia Carnival SX+
MSRP	$60,120	$76,600	$53,895
Engine	V6 3,5 L SOHC	V6 3,6 L DOHC	V6 3,5 L DOHC
Power	280 hp	287 hp	287 hp
Torque	262 lb-ft	262 lb-ft	260 lb-ft
Transmission / drivetrain	10 speed auto. / Front wheel drive	9 speed auto. / all-wheel drive	8 speed auto. / Front wheel drive
Average fuel consumption (NR Can)	10,6 L/100 km	12,0 L/100 km	11,1 L/100 km
Lenght / width	5 251 mm / 2 110 mm	5 189 mm / 2 022 mm	5 155 mm / 1 995 mm
Legroom Front / 2nd Row / 3rd Row	1 040 mm / 1 038 mm / 967 mm	1 045 mm / 992 mm / 929 mm	1 044 mm / 1 029 mm / 904 mm
Headroom Front / 2nd Row / 3rd Row	983 mm / 995 mm / 973 mm	975 mm / 966 mm / 984 mm	1 008 mm / 955 mm / 927 mm
Cargo space behind 3rd Row / 2nd Row / front seats	929 L / 2 452 L / 3 973 L	915 L / 2 478 L / 3 976 L	1 139 L / ND / 4 110 L