Al-Futtaim’s Trading Enterprises elevates family journey experience with the UAE launch of redesigned 2021 Honda Odyssey

Al-Futtaim’s Trading Enterprises, the exclusive distributor of Honda vehicles in the UAE, is kicking off 2021 with new product offensive that will see more than three new Honda vehicles make their UAE debut over the next few months. Opening the product launch programme will be a new redesigned 2021 Honda Odyssey that will be hitting the Honda UAE showrooms this month. With a whole host of new and improved comfort and convenience features, the Honda Odyssey’s dynamic and versatile offerings makes it an ideal car for modern families.

Poised to be most sophisticated and technologically advanced minivan in its segment, the completely reengineered Honda Odyssey boasts a refreshed overall design, upgraded technology features, and advanced Active and Passive Safety specifications. The Honda Odyssey has been a class-leading minivan for over 20 years, and for 2021 the Odyssey gets a variety of innovations, setting a high standard for minivans by focusing on features and capabilities required by families with children.

Rhett Maxwell, Honda UAE’s General Manager at Al-Futtaim’s Trading Enterprises, said “I am proud to be announcing the UAE launch of the new 2021 Honda Odyssey – a perfect minivan for the modern families of the UAE. The 2021 refreshed Odyssey has been designed to appeal to progressive young families through its leading combination of innovation, space, flexibility, safety and style. Receiving numerous updates to styling, along with upgraded technology and safety features, the 2021 Honda Odyssey further strengthen its position as the top choice of UAE families looking for the ultimate fun-family vehicle”.

Sophisticated and Modern New Exterior Styling

The 2021 Odyssey now features more powerful and efficient LED headlights as part of a new front-end design that includes a new front bumper fascia with redesigned fog light, and a bold new blackout grille topped by a chrome strip. The design is echoed in the rear with new gloss-black trim under the rear window, accented by a chrome strip. The Odyssey Touring grade gets 19-inch alloy wheels in a new design.

A distinct feature of the Honda Odyssey in the EX-L and Touring grade is the Power Programmable Tailgate feature, which makes it easy to customise for drivers of all heights and protects the tailgate from damage in areas with lower ceiling heights. In addition, the Touring Grade has the Hands-Free Assist feature, which allows the driver to open and close the tailgate with a simple kick action under the rear bumper when their hands are full.

Spacious and Luxurious Interior Styling and Features

The Odyssey is comfortable and versatile when it comes to interior styling and cabin environment with different convenience features and state of the art technologies.

The EX-L and the Touring Grade feature new piano-black interior accents which gives the Odyssey a sophisticated and premium appeal to the car in its segment. The Odyssey can easily accommodate up to eight passengers and a multitude of cargo in different shapes and sizes. With the centre seat removed, the Magic Slide second-row seats can move to the centre and forward allowing for convenient access to the third row.

The second-row Magic Slide seats can be customised into four different positions:

• Full Mode: In this mode, the Odyssey can accommodate eight passengers comfortably with ample head and leg room
• Wide Mode: With the centre seat removed and two outboard seats in their outer most positions, this mode provides a wide centre walkthrough the third row.
• Super Mode: With the centre seat removed, the outboard seats slide laterally through five selectable positions allowing easy access to third row with one or two rear facing child seats installed in the second row. The centre most seat also slides forward to allow easy access of the child for the front seat.
• Buddy Mode: With the centre seat removed, the outboard seats are next to each other in the centre of the vehicle, putting two people in proximity and within easier reach of the front seat occupants.

The third row features a 60/40 Split Magic Seat configuration that folds down into the large recess in the cargo floor by pulling a single strap on each side creating a flat-floor cargo area.

The Odyssey boasts of a new and soft touch instrument panel, which includes a full colour and an interactive 8-inch Display Audio Touch Screen, Stop Start button, Electronic Parking Brake with Brake Hold function, ventilated seats and a new push button gear selector. In addition, the  7-inch Digital Driver Information Interface with direct sight to the driver ensures that relevant information such as phonebook, fuel consumption; remaining distance, select app control, turn by turn direction when using the navigation and even Honda Sensing^TM (touring grade only) are accessible and easy to read.

Audio and Connectivity

The Redesigned Honda Odyssey is a technologically advanced vehicle, which offers the latest features in technology and connectivity. Some of the features on the Touring grade include:

• 8-inch Display Audio Touchscreen: Full colour 8-inch Display Audio Touchscreen offers the latest in, device connectivity and acts like a command centre allowing the driver and the front seat passenger to customise according to preference. It also has the Apple CarPlay^TM app, a physical knob for volume control and Multi-Zone Audio, which allows the driver to choose which audio plays in which zone.
• Honda CabinWatch^TM: A camera with night vision allows the driver and the front passenger to view the rear passengers’ seats on the Display Audio Touch Screen.
• Honda CabinTalk^TM: It allows the driver to easily talk with the passengers in the second- and the third-row seats. Using the vehicles speaker systems or the wireless headphones, it also overrides the headphones plugged into the third-row seats of the rear entertainment system.
• Rear Entertainment System: Passengers in the second- and third-row seating can enjoy engaging content on a 10.2-inch screen using the HDMI input to connect major media devices or through the BluRay DVD/CD player. To keep the children occupied, it even has the “How Much Farther^TM” app, which provides a fun way to track remaining KMs and travel time to a destination. Five different themes can be selected by a simple press of the remote-control providing hours of entertainment.
• Premium Audio System: The Odyssey comes with Eleven Premium Speakers including a subwoofer for increased durability at higher output, delivering crisp and clear sound.
• Wireless Charging: Smartphones supporting wireless charging can be easily charged, using the Wireless charging platform in the centre console, available exclusively on the Touring Grade.
• Wide View Camera: It provides three different angles — normal, top-down and wide for a better view of what is behind the vehicle whenever shifting into Reverse.

Safety and Performance

The Redesigned Honda Odyssey is equipped with some of the best specs for Active and Passive Safety. It is equipped with the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE™) Body Structure, which is a Honda-exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions.

The Odyssey is equipped with Multilink Rear Suspension, and a low centre of gravity chassis, with revised damper and steering geometry settings. Therefore, the Odyssey is excellent for the daily school runs and even better on those long journeys fully loaded at the weekend. With Dual Pinion Steering and Variable Gear Ratio, the 2021 Odyssey is easy to park, whilst providing excellent steering feedback on highways.

The Odyssey is equipped with Dual Stage Multiple Threshold Front Airbags, Front Side Airbags, Three-Row Side Curtain Airbags, Drivers and Front Passengers Knee Airbags to ensure maximum safety.

Other Honda active-safety features include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Traction Control Systems (TCS), Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABS), Electronic Brake Distributor (EBD), Agile Handling Assist, Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS), and Hill Start Assist (HSA).

Powering the Odyssey is a 3.5-liter direct injected i-VTEC® 24-valve SOHC V6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM™). This engine is mated to an all-new front-wheel-drive (FWD) 10-speed automatic transmission (10AT) with Shift-By-Wire (SBW) and Paddle Shifters producing 280hp at 6000rpm and a torque of 355Nm at 4700rpm.

Honda Sensing^TM

The Touring Grade of the redesigned Honda Odyssey is equipped with the Honda Sensing^TM suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies designed to alert the driver to things they might miss while driving. It includes:

• Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™): To help reduce the likelihood of a frontal impact, the Collison Mitigation Braking System™ helps bring the car to a stop if the system determines that a collision with a vehicle detected in front or a pedestrian is unavoidable. A warning sounds, and if necessary, brake pressure is automatically applied.
• Forward Collision Warning (FCW): It scans the road ahead to warn drivers of a potential collision, and provides visual and audible alerts to prompt the driver to take corrective actions to avoid a potential hazard.
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW): It will detect if the car is straying out of its current lane without the turn signal activated, and provides an alert to prompt the driver to make a correction.
• Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM): Road Departure Mitigation System uses the windscreen-mounted camera to detect whether the car is veering out of its lane. It applies subtle corrections to keep the vehicle in its lane, and in certain situations can also apply braking force and provide a tactile warning.
• Blind Spot Information System: The Blind Spot Information System uses radar sensors to automatically detect vehicles in the driver’s blind spot and alert the driver via a warning symbol inside the car.
• Pedestrian Detection System: The Pedestrian Detection System warns driver of a potential collision with pedestrians with audible and visual warnings. It also provides autonomous braking to bring the vehicle to a stop as well as actively steers the vehicle away to avoid collision with pedestrians.
• Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)™: It helps to keep the car in the middle of the current lane, by detecting road markings with a monocular camera and making small adjustments to steer the vehicle within the lines.
• Head on Collision System: The Head On Collision System warns drivers of a potential collision with audible and visual warnings. It also uses a tactile warning with autonomous braking as well and vibrates the steering wheel to warn the driver in case they are tired.
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), allows the driver to set a desired speed and following distance from a vehicle detected ahead, allowing the Odyssey to adjust its speed automatically for a safe and comfortable journey.
• Low Speed Follow: The system uses a millimetre wave radar and monocular camera mounted to the windshield to continually track the distance to the detected vehicle ahead, and adjusts the Odyssey’s speed to maintain the set distance. The Low Speed Following function allows the Odyssey to come to a complete stop, if the vehicle in front slows down and stops. To move off again, simply apply the throttle.

Colour Availability:

In the UAE, The Honda Odyssey comes in the below exterior and interior colours for all the grades:

• Exterior Colours:
  • Platinum White Pearl
  • Lunar Silver Metallic
  • Crystal Black Pearl
  • Obsidian Blue Pearl
  • Meteor Blast Metallic
• Interior Colours
  • Beige
  • Brown

Introduced in three distinct grades, the 2021 Honda Odyssey is now available at Trading Enterprises Honda showrooms across the UAE, at a starting price of AED 149,900.