The transition toward bigger minivans was an important step for Honda.
After the successful Shuttle based on the Civic, the Japanese carmaker built a bigger car based on the Accord platform.

While on the European continent, Honda sold the minivan using the Shuttle name, in Australia and the North American market, it used the Odyssey badge. Regardless of the name used, both shared the same platform with the fifth generation of the Accord. It was the first time the European Accord and its U.S. version were not the same on the outside but shared the same underpinnings.

The Odyssey/Shuttle used the same grille as the Accord and similar-looking headlights. Everything else was different. A raked front end with the windshield almost in the same line as the hood was followed by a long roofline. In the rear, Honda just slammed the back and made the vehicle almost flat.

Inside, Honda made room for up to seven people. They did that by raising the seats’ height and thus allowed better legroom for all seven. The last row was better suited for kids, but even shorter adults could stay there or handle the situation for a short trip. With its instrument cluster inspired by the Accord, Honda offered the right information for the driver.

Under the hood, Honda installed a 2.2-liter engine for all the markets. Later on, it added a 2.4-liter and a 3.0-liter V6. With a variety of manual and automatic transmission and the option for an all-wheel-drive system, the Odyssey/Shuttle was a good bet for some countries, but not for the Europeans, where the minivan market started to slow down and diminish its importance.