For 2021, the Honda Odyssey gets fresh styling, new features and more to love. The Honda Odyssey is has been the top selling minivan in the United States for something like 10 years, so why mess it up. Instead, we massage it gently to keep it happy and fresh.

We’ve tested the Honda Odyssey before and have had positive things to say, well earned for its value, quality, drivability, practicality and good design. If you want hear anything different, move along as this latest version of the Odyssey continues the legacy of good.

For 2021 it received minor updates to the exterior design including a new front grill, headlights and bumper fascia sporting new gloss black finishes and lines. LED headlamps and fog lights are redesigned and work well at night.

A the rear, the tail lamps are new as is the trim that connects them together, getting updated finishes too. The wheel design on our top-line Elite model were a new 19-inch design.

The cabin received new finishes on the dash to give a new look. Our leather seats featured contrast piping that was handsome and as always they were very comfortable – Honda knows how to do chairs mind you.

A new feature notable this year is the enhanced rear seat reminder that uses not only an instrument cluster visual prompt and chime but also lights up the center screen with a video image of the rear seat area utilizing the Cabin Watch camera. Brilliant.

Powering the Odyssey is the carried over 3.5-liter V6 with 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Mated now to a well done 10-speed automatic transmission it purrs away underfoot with the refinement we’ve come to expect from Honda.

It’s thirsty however in-spite of annoying systems like the idle-start-stop. It’s rated at 19 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined. Even with the cylinder deactivation system and idle-start-stop we only managed about 20 in our week.

The Odyssey nonetheless is likely the top choice among its peers Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica. It has impeccable quality, unique design and even at $49,335 represents a solid value