Dear Honda Manufacturing of Alabama employees,

Just a quick note to let you know that your 2021 Honda Odyssey EX-L (VIN ending in 7577) has arrived safe and sound, thanks to your colleagues at America Honda Motor Company and the folks at Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance, California.

Thanks for painting it in such a lovely shade of Obsidian Blue Pearl; the dark blue really helps the new chrome strip above the redesigned headlights pop and looks stunning against the gray “-L for leather” interior. You might be curious why we picked the Odyssey in the EX-L trim level, versus the fancier Touring or Elite models you build.

Well, when testing vehicles, especially over longer time periods, we try to ensure they best represent what a large percentage of the American population drives. As you know, minivan sales have taken a nosedive in recent years due to the rise of SUVs and CUVs; you’ve added the two-row Passport to your manufacturing lines out there in Lincoln. Still, according to your colleagues in PR, the Odyssey has been the No. 1 retail minivan nameplate in America for the last ten years and captures more than 40 percent of all retail minivan sales. We checked, and both claims seem accurate when you key in on the word retail, as other minivans have sold more units from time to time—but only if you include fleet sales. As for the mid-level EX-L trim, per your spokesperson, it’s “by far the most popular, representing almost 40 percent of sales.” This we can’t independently confirm but have no reason to dispute.

We also can’t dispute the options, because VIN 7577 came with none. We’re not complaining; after reviewing the long list of standard options that come with the as-tested price of $39,635, we’re quite satisfied with all the comfort and convenience amenities, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the dual-power sliding doors, power tailgate, and heated, adjustable front seats (12-way for driver, 8-way for front passenger).

We’ve had a bit of a baby boom at MotorTrend, so several staffers and their families will be testing the Odyssey in ways we haven’t been able to in the past; the multiple seating configurations and LATCH system for securing child safety seats should get a workout, and we’ll definitely be exploring the limits of your stain-resistant surfaces. We would have liked to try living with the onboard vacuum but heard that it’s on hiatus due to a supplier issue.

We’re also interested in exploring the newly updated Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver assistance features, which is now standard on all Odyssey trims, but hopefully not to their fullest extent. We’ve had good experiences with Honda’s adaptive cruise control and lane keep assistance systems in the past, but many have seen other car makers progress in this space.

Despite all the supercars and hot metal we profile online and put on our covers, please know that our staff really digs minivans. Your Odyssey came to us with only 30 miles on the odometer, and even though we’re challenged like a lot of Americans with ongoing closures of business and travel destinations and staying at home in general, we’ve already amassed well over 3,000 miles in just over a month. More on how that happened in coming updates. Watch this space as we begin our odyssey in your Odyssey.

Sincerely, MotorTrend.

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