Who knew the well-equipped 2018 Honda Odyssey was so… titillating? An unsuspecting journalist over at Forbes saw a few more — let’s call them entertainment options — than she expected while browsing through the video selection offered via her Odyssey tester’s rear media screen.
At that point, things became a little hot under the collar at Honda.
Before discussing that special kind of alone-time entertainment, let’s talk about the car that provided it: the Honda Odyssey. For 2018, the Odyssey received a full redesign and, as expected, the changes included a number of tech and entertainment upgrades. Namely, the van is now available with a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing music and video streaming while on the go.
The second relevant feature here is the inclusion of an EPIX entertainment app, part of a subscription service for the rear entertainment screen (which now measures over 10 inches). Here’s where things got sticky.
Reviewer Joann Muller was exploring the different kinds of fun you could have in the back seat of the Odyssey ahead of a Fourth of July road trip with her family. Bringing up the EPIX app, she browsed through the video categories, searching for the sort of family-friendly videos she knew Honda would provide for children residing in the Odyssey’s rear seats.
As her eyes scanned the available EPIX video categories, arranged alphabetically, one stuck out. See if you can tell which one:
Documentary
Erotic
Horror
As Muller tells it, “we stumbled across some rather interesting movie choices: ‘Gladiator Eroticus,’ ‘Kinky Kong,’ ‘An Erotic Werewolf in London,’ and ‘Lord of the G-Strings.'”
Muller immediately contacted her Honda PR representative regarding the smutty offerings. Caught quite by surprise, the rep snapped a photo of the questionable content and forwarded it on to other Honda employees. Post-haste, Honda and EPIX had a nice sit-down to decide how to proceed.
The automaker quickly reassured Muller that the erotic offerings she saw were not part of the Honda entertainment package. Thankfully for Honda, a key advancement found in the 2018 Odyssey proved useful for solving the eyebrow-raising issue. The model’s Wi-Fi hotspot allows for over-the-air updates, meaning Honda can push out system updates at any time to Odysseys with Wi-Fi capability. The next morning, the adult programming was absent from the tester’s entertainment options, as well as for the nearly 5,000 other families who purchased a 2018 Odyssey with a rear entertainment screen since May of this year.
Honda had apparently not received any complaints about the erotica prior to the Forbes report. If any owners noticed, they were keeping their flushed faces hidden.
[Images: Chris Tonn/The Truth About Cars; Honda]
I think a proper TTAC vehicle review should get to the bottom of this and include staff comments on ‘Lord of the G-Strings’ and ‘Gladiator Eroticus’ Chris or Corey should volunteer.
*10 inch screen*, eh?
Rumor has it that when you pull it out, it recites, “I’m a star. I’m a star. I’m a star star star. I’m a big bright shining star. Yeah, that’s right.”
(Cue E.L.O.)
Sweet Talkin’ Woman!
In other words, snitching mommy ruins it for everyone. Erotic content plus a spacious minivan could have been a lot of fun for a lot of people. Then again, the types of people who would buy a 2018 Odyssey with the entertainment package are probably too worn down by their kids to enjoy such pleasures.
Lol. Yes.
Snitches get stitches
This is true, and while today’s kids have unlimited access to that stuff anyway, I applaud Honda at least making them whip out their own phones.
Remember when your friend’s father’s magazine would be discovered hidden in a secret false wall in the back of a broom closet? The junior high would buzz with excitement.
This anecdote brought to you by 1958!
Was this due to Google like programming that recalls previous search preferences?
Just because this person is dealing with the repercussions of all the sex they already had, sourpuss throws some shade on people doing it for fun
There is something snarky I want to say about if-this-van’s-a-rockin’-etc. but it escapes me at present.
Does this entertainment option come bundled with a painting of a sunset on the Odyssey’s side?
Kinda ironic that the least sexy body style is the first with the factory-installed sexy AV content….
Or, like I said above, maybe it’s the *most* sexy body style. Think of all the space back there…
Would other vehicle type is basically a rolling billboard proclaiming the fact that you have successfully reproduced?
Did Muller say anything about Shaving Ryan’s Privates? I hear there’s a plot in that one.
Does it really matter, if its got a hot spot little billy or sally can watch his/her porn on his phone, tablet, laptop, etc.
The offerings on Epix are probably much more tame and family friendly than those on the general interwebs and likely have a plot, maybe even redeeming social/artistic content. (that’s what I would say if I got caught watching)
I say put the offerings back in. Don’t let censorship win!!
That would be a very unpleasant surprise–I’d be like “WHAT HAPPENED TO MY PORN?!!!”
“So that’s why the boys were so quiet back there!”
The HondaVac ain’t gonna pick THAT up!
(Ga-ross!)
@sgeffe,
I thought that’s what the HondaVac was for.
Pics or it didn’t happen.
Buy an Odyssey and if you don’t have kids currently the van will show you how to make some!
I think this goes to prove that nobody actually tests the user interface on half these “features” in new vehicles. This would explain the whole Ford Sync thing.
You’d think someone at Honda or EPIX would have scrolled through the Excel sheet of video categories at least once. Neither party could account for how it got there.
This shows me a lack of internal controls.
Somebody certainly shirked their Civic duty!
This mess is going to give lots of people Fits, that’s for sure!
God forbid there’s an erotic category but the Horror category is fine…
destroying people is great!
creating people is terrible!
Chevy has the Suburban; now Honda has the Sub/Dom/Basement.
We’ll just stick with the EX-L, thanks.
Oh man, I was wondering what happened to my favorite movies…Damn WiFi!!!