Fiat 500X vs Honda Odyssey

What's the difference?

Fiat's indomitable 500 is one of the great survivors - not even VW's recently deceased New Beetle could keep riding the nostalgia wave, partly because it made itself just that little bit out-of-touch by not being a car anyone can buy. The 500 avoided that, particularly in its home market, and is still going strong.

Fiat added the 500X compact SUV a few years ago and at first I thought it was a daft idea. It's a polarising car, partly because some people complain it's capitalising on the 500's history. Well, duh. It's worked out well for Mini, so why not?

I've driven one every year for the last couple so I was keen to see what's up and whether it's still one of the weirdest cars on the road.

Nearly every car brand has jumped well and truly onto the SUV bandwagon in 2021, offering models in small, medium and large varieties for buyers of all budgets and lifestyles.

Honda Australia is a notable exception here however, and while it has the HR-V and CR-V to satisfy small- and medium-crossover buyers, there is nothing for those after a large SUV that seats seven.

To try and fill that gap, Honda has updated its Odyssey people mover with fresh looks, more safety and new tech to not only compete against the Kia Carnival and Toyota Prius V, but also the likes of the Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-8 and Hyundai Santa Fe.

Can Honda’s Odyssey still cut it in a world that has gone SUV crazy? Let’s find out.