Enjoy a relaxing cruise with your whole family.
minivanswere once the cool alternative to boring family station wagons. Ironically, the wagon’s title as boring family vehicle was inherited by them. SUVs were the new cool alternative. Even more, wagons are now cool. In some cases, such as the Audi RS6 Avant they can be extremely fast. This is a topic for another time.
Minivans may be almost extinct in the age of SUVs but Mugen isn’t stopping them from being cool. The Honda tuning firm recently announced a multitude of upgrades for the recently upgraded Honda Odyssey. It’s not loud and proud, but it adds some visual variety. Some under-the-skin improvements are available, but it is not the crazy twin-turbocharged Odyssey that everybody wants. These upgrades are only available for the Japanese-market Odyssey, as you may have guessed from our US audience. We’re not able to use the North American model because it is so different.
What is the problem? The Odyssey’s newly updated face features a modest carbon fiber chin spoiler and more carbon fiber trim for its grille. Although it’s only a minor update, it adds some visual appeal to this people-mover. These are the latest additions to the Mugen people mover. Mugen also offers a rear spoiler, chrome garnish above the rocker panels, window vents and an upgraded set 18-inch wheels.
The Odyssey’s only performance enhancement is hidden behind the wheels. There are two types of upgraded brake pads: front and rear. However, Mugen lists everything from high performance fluids to cool oils filler caps and even an odd-looking cover that fits over your brake reservoir. It is designed to capture any fluids that may leak “due to different factors while driving”. It is likely that it will be used by other Hondas with high performance aspirations. But, the Odyssey can use it.
The minivan can be ordered in Japan with either a 2.0-liter hybrid powertrain, or a 2.5-liter mill. Both have under 200 horsepower (149kilowatts). In the States, an Odyssey is available with Honda’s 3.5 liter V6 producing 280 horsepower (209 kW). If you are disappointed about not being able to get Mugen parts overnighted from Japan for your vehicle, you can rest assured that it will still be quicker.