The Honda Odyssey is a minivan marketed for North America and introduced in 1994. It was conceived and engineered in Japan after the country’s economic crisis of the 1990s, which constrained its size and concept and dictated manufacture in an existing facility with minimal modification.
Honda Odyssey at a glance
| Maker | Honda |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1994, for 1995 |
| Class | minivan |
| First generation | RA, based on the Accord platform |
| Engine | four-cylinder |
| Transmission | four-speed automatic |
| Doors | conventional swing-open, not sliding |
| Third row | folds and tumbles under the floor |
| European name | Honda Shuttle |
| Larger model | from 1998 in North America |
| Japanese large version | LaGreat, until 2005 |
| Built in | Lincoln, Alabama, for the larger model |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the North American Odyssey.
History of the Honda Odyssey
A minivan shaped by Japan
The Odyssey was conceived after Japan’s economic crisis of the 1990s, which constrained the vehicle’s size and concept and dictated that it be built in an existing facility with minimal modification. The result was a smaller minivan in the compact MPV class that was well received in Japan but less so in North America. The first generation was marketed in Europe as the Honda Shuttle.
First generation (RA)
The 1995 Odyssey was introduced in 1994 as Honda’s first minivan. It was based on the Accord platform with a four-cylinder engine, all-disc anti-lock brakes, all-wishbone suspension and a four-speed automatic transmission with a steering-column shifter and a hill-hold feature marketed as Grade Logic. The design used unibody construction, dual airbags, dual gloveboxes, dual-zone heating and cooling, conventional swing-open rear doors instead of sliding ones, and a third-row seat that folded and tumbled into a compartment beneath the floor, with the space-saver spare tyre carried inside on the right rear wall.
Two sizes
Subsequent generations diverged to reflect market differences, and Honda built a plant in Lincoln, Alabama, able to manufacture larger models. Since 1998 Honda has marketed a larger, large-MPV-class Odyssey in North America and a smaller Odyssey in Japan and elsewhere. Until 2005 the North American Odyssey was also sold in Japan as the LaGreat. Both versions were sold in Japan at Honda Clio dealerships and both are sold in the Middle East.
Design and features
- Accord platform: car-based running gear in a minivan.
- Folding third row: tucks into a well under the floor.
- Swing-open doors: the first generation avoided sliders.
- Two size families: compact for Japan, large for America.
Honda Odyssey versions
- First generation RA (1995): the compact minivan.
- Honda Shuttle: the European name for the first generation.
- North American large Odyssey (1998): the bigger model.
- LaGreat (to 2005): the large Odyssey sold in Japan.
The Odyssey is built on the Honda Accord platform and sits above the Stepwgn and Mobilio in size. More Hondas are in the Honda collection.
Sources
- Honda Odyssey (North America), English Wikipedia: origins, first generation, sizes, LaGreat
