This is a very hard critic for me, I am not a big fan of the minivan or Honda as far as design is concerned. I find all Honda's, for the most part, very boring and uninspiring. The 2011 Odyssey definitely is not boring, however it is not pleasant to look at either. The most striking design feature of the Odyssey is the goofy window drop near the rear of the van. In that same area it looks like Honda had two different design teams work on the Odyssey and couldn't decide which one they liked so they cut the designs in half and glued them together. I believe that a good car design moves horizontal from the front to the back. Anytime designers add vertical movement into their designs it breaks up the flow and causes awkward lines. The Odyssey definitely got hit by the ugly stick!
The overall look of the 2011 Odyssey is a departure from previous versions. The Odyssey's of the past were very chiseled and had cleaner lines. This Odyssey has some curves to it but the pieces just don't match up.
The front of the Odyssey is very weak and looks like it received some design influences from the Honda Fit, and the tail lights of the Odyssey look like a very sad, droopy robot. The Odyssey has a good stance but is disrupted as you move from the rear sliding door past the rear wheel. The trim that is under the side doors does not continue to the rear of the van, which reinforces the notion that two designs were forced together. We will have to wait and see if the Odyssey's design is a glimpse of where Honda is heading in the future, I am hoping its not.
2011 Honda Odyssey
Grade: 3
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