2018 Honda Odyssey: A Mom’s Take

I totally understand why you don’t want a minivan, but can we just chat for a minute? I have good news about our minivan savior, the 2018 Honda Odyssey.

This may sound familiar to you — or at least those of you who often answer the door and encounter kind folks wanting to share about their particular religion. I’m not here to share about religion today, but about a minivan. Yes, a minivan. Just thinking about a minivan makes my skin crawl. I mean, I might as well slap a “‘I used to be cool” sticker on the bumper, no? After all, my previous cars have been a VW Beetle, Fiat 500, and Mini Cooper S. So I’m as “anti-minivan” as it gets.

My kids are the puppet masters of my life, but they shall not take my car! Ladies, it’s time to take back control. Well, sorta.

I had the pleasure of driving the new 2018 Odyssey for the two busiest weeks of my entire year. A combination of four birthdays and several other work and family commitments always make early October a crazy, crazy month. Despite my strong anti-minivan beliefs, it didn’t take long for me to realize I was starting to fall for the Odyssey. 

Was it the way it drove, or the fact that it put more distance between me and my children in the backseat? Maybe it was a combination of both. But what I do know, is that its tech features are poppin’ and they made me feel like I was in control, even if it was temporary.

Five reasons why the 2018 Honda Odyssey is more than just another minivan:

CabinWatch

Who would’ve ever thought putting a fancy baby monitor in a minivan would make such perfect sense?! With so many distracted drivers nowadays it’s important for me to stay focused on what’s in front and not have to look back to tend to the children for any reason. CabinWatch in the Odyssey allows me to glance at the center screen just like I would to switch the radio station, but instead, I can see everything that’s going on behind me (even at night)!

CabinTalk

Let’s face it, being a mom involves a lot of screaming. Flush the toilet, stop teasing the dog, and do your homework! CabinTalk allows me to push a button and talk directly to the rear passengers of the Odyssey without having to raise my voice. Even better, they’ll still be able to hear me through the Blu-Ray player’s wireless headphones if they’re wearing them!

Magic Slide Seats

Need to make more room for older kids to climb to the third row, bring the baby’s car seat closer to the front passenger, or simply make a passageway that leads to the back? No problem, the Magic Slide second-row seats can handle that and then some. Watch the video to see how it works!

Plenty of Room 

Need to haul more stuff than usual? Easy! I was able to fold the third row to create more room to load birthday party goodies, etc. As you’ll see in the video, it took me a few times to master it, but not because it’s hard, but because I hadn’t practiced it beforehand. 

Mom-Friendly Features

Besides CabinWatch and CabinTalk, there are plenty of cool features I took advantage of in the 2018 Honda Odyssey. There’s an abundance of room for my purse (and other things), USB chargers for several cell phones, a ton of cupholders, and an adjustable tailgate — which is important because I’m only 5’2. Overall, it’s as convenient as it gets for moms on the go, even if they’re not the “minivan kind.”

Which feature is your favorite?

Check out our other adventures!