Our 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan has only been with us for 2–months, but we’ve already racked up 4,000–miles, had the seats arranged in every configuration possible, and loaded it full of equipment for our annual trek south to our winter testing facility. 

This family truckster may not win anyone over on its exterior design, but that clumsy styling is just a clever disguise; as spending any time at all inside the cabin, reveals the Odyssey is really a luxury-sedan in mom-mobile’s clothing.

At least in this well-outfitted Elite; where heated steering wheel, ventilated seats, and premium audio are all standard.

Early reports are positive, with the 3.5-liter V6 averaging a fine 23.7 miles-per-gallon so far.

We’ve put just over 6,000-miles on this 2018 Honda Odyssey since it arrived in December. And it speaks volumes about how things are going when the only complaint in our log book over that time, is in regards to the cup holders. It seems one of our constantly hydrating staff members can’t seem to find a substantial water bottle or coffee mug that properly fits them; first world problem indeed. Otherwise, it’s been smooth sailing, whether we’re daily commuting or weekend getawaying; the 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 has provided smooth and seamless power. 

Aided by an equally good-natured 10-speed automatic transmission, we’re averaging 22.4 miles-per-gallon. And we still love the numerous storage options seemingly everywhere in the cabin, as well as space galore for hauling just about anything. With warm weather arriving, vacation season is about to kick in full, and the Odyssey will no doubt be a big part of that. 

In just five months’ time, we’re at the 10,000-mile mark in our Honda Odyssey minivan. Everyone thinks they’re above the “lowly” minivan, until they need to move something big, or take a basketball team to a post-victory party; and then they’re not so worried about the mom-mobile image.

The fact that the Odyssey’s 2^nd row seats don’t fold into the floor like the Chrysler Pacifica is well documented; but the seatbacks in our Elite tester don’t even fold flat, requiring you to remove them to haul long, bulky items. And, boy are they heavy. And while we’ve also commented before on the 3.5-liter V6’s great power, and are on record as not being fans of the push-button transmission control; we’ve heard no complaints yet, about the 10-speed automatic’s operation itself. It’s been smooth all the way.

Long term mileage has stayed fairly consistent, up a tick this go-around to 23.8 miles-per-gallon.

Another 2,500-miles added to our 2018 Honda Odyssey’s odometer.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again; minivans truly are the most practical vehicles out there. What other vehicle allows you to haul 7 or 8-adults in comfort one minute, and after folding and removing seats, haul full sheets of plywood or an 80-inch flat screen the next; all while being so easy to drive and park, you wouldn’t think twice about letting your neighbor borrow it for a few hours. 

While doing all of that and more, we’re averaging 23.3 miles-per-gallon from a 3.5-liter V6 that delivers power better than many V8’s from not long ago. Yes, there are many ways to “haul” in this family truckster.  

As for our 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan, this summer has been a busy one. We managed to travel another 4,500-miles since our last report, bringing its 7-month total to 13,900-miles. 

And we also made our first unscheduled trip to the dealer. We were getting some pulsing through the brake pedal, which was quickly remedied by a resurfacing of the rotors; no charge to us. 

Nothing else has gotten in the way of our enjoyment of this quiet and an quite luxurious cruiser. The 3.5-liter V6 engine continues to deliver gutsy performance, making uphill chores not so chorish. All while delivering 25.7 miles-per-gallon.

Visibility is great; and all of the tech. features are working just fine, including the much easier to use Garmin-based navigation system.   

We’ve covered 18,000-miles of mostly highways in the 8-months that this 2018 Honda Odyssey has been in our fleet. And as expected, this summer has been a busy one, taking us on odysseys up and down the East Coast. 

We’ve had interesting weather around here, epic rainstorms… extreme heat… and the Odyssey has handled it all in stride. 

We still enjoy the highly refined, almost luxury car experience; as well as all of the power from the 3.5-liter V6. Mileage is averaging a fine 25.6 miles-per-gallon, and it nudges 30 on long hauls.

But long or short haul, lightly loaded or packed to the gills, the Odyssey remains a great ride for a family on the move.    

Time with our 2018 Honda Odyssey is also winding down. We’re 9-months in, and the odometer has measured a healthy 21,500-miles. More than healthy, is our uptick in fuel economy, now sitting at 26.2 miles-per-gallon. 

It succeeds mightily at doing what minivans are designed to do, haul a big family around with great comfort, and once you remove and fold the rear seats, load lots of Costco sized cargo. 

Do we miss the all-wheel-drive and ground clearance of a crossover when the weather and roads turn bad? Sure, but it hasn’t stopped us from racking up the all kinds of miles in the Odyssey. 

“Most people are shocked when we mention a minivan in our list of favorite cars, but the Honda Odyssey has absolutely earned its spot. The miles we put on it this summer came mostly from vacation road trips; a number of those on flat highways to Maryland’s eastern shore, hence the increased fuel economy. It’s comfortable for the driver and the passengers, plus there’s so much usable space, we found ourselves bringing along completely unnecessary items.”

The summer travel season is now well-passed, but that hasn’t stopped our 2018 Honda Odyssey from racking up the miles. 

In 11-months’ time, the odometer sits at just over 25,000-miles. If that seems like a lot, that’s because it is. Factor in the…shall we say heavy-handed or footed nature of some of the drivers around here, and it’s amazing how well this Odyssey is holding up. 

Our 26.0 miles-per-gallon average is perhaps even more noteworthy, as power from the 3.5-liter V6 continues to be strong, no matter how many people or how much cargo we’re hauling. 

Most folks refuse to believe it, but the humble minivan is a much better choice for most families than the SUV they’re currently driving. 

We only have a few more weeks to keep driving and enjoying this one. 

Our year is almost up with this 2018 Honda Odyssey minivan, the most useful vehicle type of all time. With a few small exceptions, the Odyssey’s stay with us has been exceptional! Just like we are used to from Honda. It certainly “ran like a deer” over these last 26,000 miles of very hard use. 

Through all the road trips both long and short, seat comfort remains a true high point, and not just for the driver. Second row seats are equally comfortable; and that means less complaining from the brood in back.

There were a few nits to pick when the Odyssey first arrived, and we recently had a loose fuel filler assembly replaced under warranty. 

But, it’s been nothing but praise over the last few months; and average fuel economy has remained steady at 25.8 miles-per-gallon of regular, with over 30 during highway cruising.

Time to wrap up our time with the 2018 Honda Odyssey. This Elite-trimmed party for eight was a popular choice for road trips; evidenced by traveling 30,800-miles over just 13 months.  

In an automotive landscape that seems to have every possible automotive niche filled, sometimes you just need a minivan. And whether you are hauling the neighborhood’s brood; or just your own family with all of their gear, the Odyssey never disappointed. We even averaged a great 25.4 miles-per-gallon.

Other highlights were the exceptional ride, comfortable long haul seats, and near luxury-car refinement; not to mention the interior flexibility that truly makes minivans the Swiss Army knives of the automotive world. The Odyssey will be greatly missed. 

7 years ago, Volkswagen introduced the three-row Atlas utility designed specifically for the North American market. Clearly VW knows we Americans like our options because then they built a sportier two-row version called the Atlas Cross Sport. We briefly sampled the refreshed 2024 Atlas Cross Sport last year and now this one is here for an extended test. So, let’s dive into the details.

Let’s start with styling. Coming to us in Pure Gray paint, the 2024 Cross Sport’s front bumper gets a more aggressive look while all grades above base SE recieve a lightbar connecting the headlights…This Cross Sport comes in SE With Technology grade so it sits just above base and just below SEL. All grades get new wheels, but ours shares these 20-inchers with the aforementioned SEL. The rear sees a larger spoiler and another LED light ring.

As for the power that has also been upgraded, ditching the 3.6 liter V6, all Atlas models now come with a newly tuned 2.0 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder, sending 269 HP with 273 lb-ft of torque through an 8-speed automatic to all four wheels, or in our case, just the front wheels. At 23 MPG combined, not only is this engine more efficient than the VR6, it’s nearly a second quicker to 60.

Inside, the recent Atlas refresh added more premium materials on the seats and door trims – Leatherette here. Two-zone climate control now comes standard along with a redesigned center console, a 12-inch display screen, 4 USB-C ports and wireless charging. The driver gets a 10.25 fully configurable gauge screen and 10-way power seat.

With the technology package, our tester receives a hands free tailgate remote start and a second row 115V AC outlet.

All told, this 2024 Atlas Cross Sport stickers for $42,400 after destination.

Once we put a couple miles on the odometer we will give an official update, until then if you have any questions about our Atlas Cross Sport, reach out to us on our social sites at MotorWeek.

Time to meet the newest member of our long-term fleet, this 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

Most may know this Atlas Cross Sport as the more stylish five-passenger version of the seven-passenger Volkswagen Atlas, but we’ve come to know it as a very spacious midsizer that’s quite fun to drive.

Fresh off a significant update for 2024, our Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport SE with Technology is just one step up from base, yet comes with 20-inch wheels, hands-free power lift-gate, automatic climate control with heated and ventilated front seats, and even remote start.

Inside, there’s a huge 12-inch touchscreen for multimedia, VW’s 10-inch configurable Digital Cockpit Pro gauge display, and V-tex simulated leather covering the five seating positions. Power comes from a 2.0-liter I4 turbo engine rated at 269 horsepower, working with an eight-speed automatic transmission. We stuck with front-wheel drive for this warm weather extended road test, so are looking to capitalize on the 23-Combined MPG rating.

One of the updates to this refreshed Atlas Cross Sport was actually a subtraction. The venerable V6 is no longer an option, so this turbo four-cylinder now shoulders all the weight. There’s enough low-end torque to get things rolling in a hurry, but since it all goes to the front wheels here a lead foot can break traction. But we don’t always mind that so much do we, guys?

KIDS: Nope!

It’s hard to keep us out of the driver’s seat of our Integra, but our latest addition will try to do just that… this 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan.

This “larger than compact” SUV arrived in range-topping SEL R-Line, offering a cozy commuter experience with leather seating, a Fender sound system, and a 10-and-a-quarter-inch digital gauge panel. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter turbo-four, making 184 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. Although all-wheel drive is optional on most trims, it’s standard on our SEL R-Line.

We’ve gotten over the fact that R-Line trim doesn’t add any performance to the Tiguan because it’s already good as-is. The engine is torquey and even though the steering is relatively light, it still feels quick and accurate. So, there’s really no need to mess with a good thing.

Tiguan styling is tidy and business like, making it a great choice for those who like to express their practicality. We’ll see how much attention it grabs over its month long stay with us.

“Easy come, not so easy to let go.” That’s one way to summarize our month-long stint with this 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan. We know that’s way shorter than normal for a long-term tester; but we really made the most of our four weeks behind the wheel, including a trip down south for our winter track testing in Savannah, Georgia.

That contributed about 1,300 miles to our 2,500-mile total. And in one month of testing, we managed an average of 24.3 miles-per-gallon of regular– on par with combined ratings for an SEL R-Line with 4Motion all-wheel drive; and the eight-speed automatic makes great use of all 184-horsepower combusted by the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four.

Going beyond efficiency, this Tiguan proved very easy to live with thanks to a practical form factor and comfortable ride.

This Tiguan was only with us for a short time, but considering it maintained just about everything we’ve loved about it over the years, we quickly got used to having it around. Despite this third generation’s age, the ride is still as good, if not better than many of its newer competitors. So, it’s safe to say the Volkswagen MQB platform has aged well.

Some would argue that the touch-sensitive controls have not aged well, but we quickly got the hang of them. And all the convenience features they control are worth the effort. The Tiguan’s cabin, combined with the ride quality, made it a favorite for hauls long and short, and one we will miss!