The 2023 Honda Odyssey is one of the best minivans on the market, combining traditional minivan practicality with modern features designed to keep your family safe and comfortable on the road. Features like Honda’s Magic Slide seats, CabinWatch cameras, and CabinControl app make carting kids around less stressful for all involved. Add these novel features to Honda’s reputation for reliability and dependability, and you get an unmatched family vehicle.
For the 2023 model year, Honda has only made a few changes to the Odyssey, but major changes weren’t needed to keep this model relevant. The main improvements were the addition of a new blacked-out Sport trim to the lineup and the introduction of Honda Service Pass, providing two years of scheduled maintenance at no additional cost. This new trim option and easy maintenance only make the Odyssey a better choice for busy families.
The question for buyers of the 2023 Honda Odyssey is which of the five trims is the right choice for your family. While none of them are bad picks, each trim has its own pros and cons and will be best suited for a different type of driver. From the starting EX trim to the luxurious Elite trim, here are the major highlights of the different options for the 2023 Odyssey and why you might want to choose one over another.
2023 Odyssey EX
Last year, the basic Odyssey LX started off the lineup, but for 2023, the LX is gone, and the Odyssey EX is the new base trim. This change added roughly $4,000 to the starting price of the vehicle, but we think the EX is more than worth the higher cost. While the old LX was extremely basic when it came to tech features, the EX comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making it much easier to have access to media, navigation, and more. The EX also has standard second-row Magic Slide seats. This invaluable upgrade allows you to rearrange the cabin as needed, improving third-row access or increasing second-row comfort.
With the standard Honda Sensing safety suite, you will have all the most advanced safety features included in your Odyssey, ranging from automatic braking to blind spot detection and adaptive cruise control. Heated front seats, second-row sunshades, and tri-zone automatic climate control are other standard features that make the 2023 Odyssey EX an extremely well-equipped base model. For most families that desire a minivan, the EX trim makes an excellent choice and provides everything you need.
2023 Odyssey EX-L
Honda’s EX-L trim is best thought of as the “EX-Leather” because the most obvious change is the upgrade from cloth to leather seating and the addition of a leather-wrapped steering wheel. However, leather seats are far from the only premium feature you get for the roughly $3,000 price bump over the EX trim. Inside the cabin, you will also find a standard auto-dimming rearview mirror with Honda HomeLink, which allows you to open your garage door from a button on the mirror. The 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and side mirrors are also upgraded with two-position memory, which means it will automatically adjust to your preferred settings after someone else drives the vehicle.
Outside, the 2023 Honda EX-L comes with a power tailgate with programmable height. This allows you to access the cargo area with the touch of a button, making loading and unloading easier when your hands are full. There is also a standard power moonroof to let light and fresh air into the cabin. While it may not be as immediately obvious as the other exterior upgrades, the EX-L also has acoustic glass in the windshield, creating a quieter cabin. Overall, the EX-L is a great pick for families who want a more premium experience with all the traditional luxury features.
2023 Odyssey Sport
The Sport trim is a brand new addition to the Odyssey lineup for 2023. The easiest way to sum it up is “the EX-L trim in black.” If you are a fan of the menacing blacked-out look, the Odyssey Sport is well worth the roughly $800 upgrade over the EX-L trim. If not, then the Odyssey EX-L has all the same features as the Sport trim, so you won’t be missing out on anything by not choosing the new trim.
Just about every detail of the Sport trim has been blacked out, from the 19-inch wheels, side mirrors, and grille surround right down to the floor mats. As a final touch, the Odyssey Sport includes red ambient interior lighting, enhancing the feeling that this is the minivan Batman would drive. However, while this trim does, of course, come in black, you can also option it in white, red, or gray if you don’t want to fully embrace your inner anti-hero.
2023 Odyssey Touring
The 2023 Odyssey Touring is the trim to pick if you want all the latest technology in your family vehicle. While all the basic comfort and luxury features remain largely unchanged from the EX-L trim, the Odyssey Touring justifies its roughly $4,000 price increase with a slew of high-tech options designed to bring a bit more convenience to your ride. The headline feature is Honda’s unique CabinWatch and CabinTalk feature, making managing a car full of kids much less stressful. With CabinWatch, you can see a view of the cabin on the central infotainment screen so that you don’t have to crane your neck to see what’s happening behind you. With CabinTalk, headphones are no excuse for not listening, as you can override the Odysseys media system to talk to your passengers through their headphones.
Other fun tech features include the standard 10.2-inch high-resolution rear entertainment system that folds down from the roof to entertain your passengers. This includes a Blu-Ray player, HDMI interface, and built-in streaming apps. Your passengers can also take advantage of the standard Wi-Fi hotspot to access even more entertainment on their personal devices. Finally, the 2023 Odyssey Touring includes satellite-linked navigation, so you can find your destination even when you are outside of cell service.
2023 Odyssey Elite
At the apex of the 2023 Honda Odyssey lineup is the Elite trim. With a roughly $50,000 price tag, this version pulls out all the stops and offers arguably the most luxurious ride in the entire Honda lineup. In addition to all the features of the Odyssey Touring, the Elite trim includes a special 11-speaker sound system with multi-zone audio, which allows you to only play audio in the front or rear seats. The CabinTalk system is also upgraded to play through the rear speakers as well as any headphones hooked up to the entertainment system.
Additional luxury features for the driver include a heated steering wheel to keep your hands warm and a wireless charging system that will recharge compatible phones without needing to plug in. The heated and ventilated front seats are a welcome addition in warm weather, and the acoustic glass in all four doors turns the cabin into a quiet oasis on the road. Finally, the power tailgate is upgraded for hands-free operation, something any busy parent will be happy to hear.
Five Amazing Options
The 2023 Honda Odyssey lineup has seen more than a few changes, and the new trim options have something for everyone. Most families will be comfortable with either the base EX trim or the more premium-feeling EX-L trim with its additional features. If you like black accents on your car, then the new Sport trim is the best pick for you. The Touring trim brings additional tech features to enhance your ride, and the Elite trim provides a luxury ride that anyone will appreciate. While sorting through the differences can seem overwhelming at first, picking your perfect 2023 Odyssey isn’t difficult once you see them in person.
