2013 Honda Odyssey EX-L

The 2013 Honda Odyssey minivan features subtle content changes, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick rating, and room for up to eight passengers in its three rows of seating. The Odyssey continues to come with Honda’s tried-and-true 3.5-liter V-6 as its only engine, which makes 248 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque in the minivan. The Odyssey is available with either a five or six-speed automatic. The five-speed is good for an EPA-rated 18/27 mpg city/highway, while the six-speed gets 19/28 mpg. The last time we gathered the Odyssey up against its competitive set, the 2011 Odyssey EX-L came in second place, beating the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, but losing out to the Toyota Sienna SE. We appreciated the Odyssey’s rich interior treatment, which we said was, “Just [in] a different league,” and “could wear an Acura logo on the steering wheel,” but we didn’t care for the ‘lightning bolt’ swoop on the Odyssey’s flanks, nor its five-speed automatic transmission, which left much to be desired in the ever-important fuel economy department. Honda listened, and the six-speed automatic is now available. For 2013 Honda a rearview camera is now standard equipment on all Odyssey trims. The base Odyssey LX also now shares its center stack design with the higher-level Odyssey EX. The new center stack includes an 8-inch color screen, which works with the audio and Bluetooth systems, as well as the back-up camera.