The Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica are both well-regarded, top-selling minivans. The Pacifica tends to be the top-seller, but the Odyssey’s redesign makes it a strong contender. We’re here to help you navigate the landscape and pick the minivan that’s best for you.
Price
Minivans are already expensive, and you don't want to pay thousands more for a vehicle that is just mediocre. Thankfully these two are decently priced. The Chrysler is the cheaper option with a starting MSRP of $28,595 for the basic LX trim.
The Odyssey is the more expensive of the two with a starting MSRP of $29,850 for the LX trim. That’s not a terrible difference considering how much money is involved, but what do you get for that extra cash? Let’s look at the other differences to figure that out.
Fuel Economy
You want as much space as you can get out of a minivan, but that doesn’t mean that you want to sacrifice fuel economy too much. A minivan that uses a lot of gasoline may not save you money in the long run. Gas prices are staying pretty low, but filling the tank in a minivan still isn’t the cheapest thing you can do.
Both the Odyssey and the Pacifica get relatively good fuel economy based on their weight and V6 engine size. The Pacifica manages 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. The Odyssey gets better city mileage at 19 mpg, but slightly worse highway fuel economy at 27 mpg.
Cargo Space and Passenger Seating
How much can you haul? Whether you’re moving people or cargo, you need all the space you can get. Both of the base trims can carry seven passengers, but only the Odyssey can upgrade the passenger space to eight when you purchase the EX, SE, EX-L, Touring, or Touring Elite.
How much stuff can you store? Both minivans have a lot of space for you to store pretty much anything. The Pacifica has 32.3 cubic feet of luggage space with the third row seats up, but if you fold them down, you can get up to 140.5 cubes. Alternatively, there are 38.4 cubic feet of space with the Odyssey’s third-row seating up and 148.5 cubic feet with all seating down.
Interior
What made the Chrysler Pacifica stand out this year was the upgrade in the interior. There are many optional convenience and luxury-based features available for someone that doesn’t mind paying a little more, but even without them, the cabin has an upscale feel for the price.
The Honda Odyssey’s last major remodel was in 2014, so we were hoping for some upgrades. We got them. Major feature upgrades to the interior have put it on a better playing field in that department. The cabin looks sleek, but it falls a little short when compared to the Pacifica. The number of features included standard are nothing to scoff at, but the Pacifica just adds more for the price.
