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About two
months ago my dad decided he wanted to get a mini van to replace his old 1989
Mazda MPV. So we discussed it and decided that the new one will either be a
Toyota Sienna or the Honda Odyssey. Mazda was out of the question as we
personally do not like vehicles made by Ford; we have always had reliable
Toyotas and Hondas in our family. We got a chance to try out the Sienna
when my uncle visited use with his new one, so the only one left to check out
was the Odyssey. We went to the Honda dealer in Colma,
California to look at the newest Odysseys. At first we looked at the EX-L
model then the Touring and fell in love with it. We negotiated for
an hour or so and finally got a price of about $37,000.00 with tax and license
included; even though my dad was pushing towards $36,000, we decided to go ahead
with the deal because they would not go any lower since these Touring models are
very rare and they only get one or two at a time. The invoice price for this
model is about $33,000.00.
THE TRIM :
The Honda Odyssey comes in many classes (LX, EX, EX-L, and Touring), so we had a
lot to choose from. We all wanted a high-end luxurious van for all our touring
needs so we mostly looked at the EX-L and Touring models; my dad also wanted ]
leather interior, DVD player, and maybe the Navigation system if the price was
right. Both the EX-L and the Touring models have DVD and Navigation options. We
decided to get the high-end Touring model with DVD player and no navigation
because they were all sold out and no other dealer near had one in stock. This
particular model has a 6-disc CD changer, heated leather front seats, DVD
entertainment system, power side door and tailgate, front and rear parking
sensors, tri-zone climate control, a lazy Susan, cargo-net, and run-flat tires.
THE EXTERIOR :
I personally like the body color parking sensors on the front and rear bumpers
so they do not stand out that much. The run-flat tires are great for long
travels because you would not want to stop in the middle of nowhere to change
tires. I read in the manual that you can drive about 150 miles on a flat with
these tires on an average of 55 miles per hour. We decided to get the silver one
because we have always like silver and it will not look dirty too quickly; we do
wash it every week though. I also like the heated rear view mirrors. We all
think that the Odyssey is one of the nicest looking minivans in out on the road
nowadays; I see a lot of Siennas on the road but these Odysseys
look way better. Although I wanted to get the body protection kit (the full
leather nose guard and door protectors), but my dad said he did not need it.
THE INTERIOR :
I have looked at many minivans but I think the Odyssey has more room and space
inside. First of all, the leather seats are really comfortable (for those long
drives) and are of really good quality. In out Touring model the driver seats is
powered and has two memory settings; meaning you can save two seat positions so
every time you unlock the doors with the remote (drive 1 and driver 2), the seat
will automatically adjust to your setting. The foot pedals are adjustable; you
can bring them toward yourself about 6 more inches. This is nice for smaller
drivers. The dash display is nicely illuminated and easy to read and understand.
One thing I wish this had an adjustor for the illumination (maybe it does and I
just have to figure it out), but it is not a big deal. The steering wheel can
tilt up and down but does not telescope so you have to move the seat closer when
needed. The gear shifter is on the right of the steering wheel on the dash next
to the 6-disc CD changer and the tri-zone climate controls.
There are a lot of cup holders in this vehicle so you will never have problems
storing those soda cups, cans, and more. There is also a lot of storage space in
there like the two glove compartments (upper and lower), the hidden lazy Susan,
and the huge trunk space. All of the leather seats have magazine holders and a
zipped up section with netting for smaller items. The interior rear view mirror
automatically dims so at night the headlights do not bother your eyes from the
back.
All of the power window, doors, climate, and stereo controls are nicely
organized for easy access. The driver can control all windows, doors, and the
moon-roof. Only the driver window has auto up and down. I wish the moon-roof was
automatic but it is fine. The turn signal, lights, and wiper control levers are
placed properly and work as expected since we are so used to Hondas
configurations. I really admire how easy it is to use the tri-zone climate
control; the driver can have their own setting, the front passenger can have
their own, and the rear passengers have their own. We usually set it to Auto and
synchronize it so everyone stays the same, but adjust it as needed.
We also got three months of XM satellite radio free so that was one of the nice
gifts from Honda. I immediately put six CD’s in the changer and they work like a
charm. The DVD drive for the DVD player is located in the bottom center of the
front panel. One thing I do not like about the remote control for the DVD
player, is that you cannot control the volume, only the driver or the front
passenger have that capability (maybe that is a good thing if you have kids).
Since our van does not have a navigation system, the CD changer is located right
on top. The steering wheel controls the volume and track changes of the audio
and the cruise control settings.
One thing that I would have liked a lot is an
iPod
integration connector, but I guess they are still working on that; there is an
audio/video auxiliary input connectors in the third row seat arm rest. You can
hook up MP3 players, video games consoles, VCR’s, and more; plus there is a 110V
AC power outlet available there also with a maximum of 100 watts.
My dad and I were talking about getting a portable navigation system like the
new
TomToms; they will cost use a lot less than the
built-in navigation system. Right now I use my laptop for directions as it has a
software that does not even require an Internet connection; plus I can charge it
if the battery runs out.
The power tailgate and rear doors are a nice touch because sometimes you just
want to jump in and be safe (like in the rain or something). The rear doors have
a manual sunshade that you can pull up and hang on the special clips on the top.
I wish it had shades in third row windows. The third row seats fold flat into
the flow for better storage.
OTHER NICE TOUCHES :
Like I said before, you get two keyless remotes (Driver 1 and 2) and a total of
three keys (one for valet). Every time you unlock and open the door with the
keyless remote the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen on the dash will say
“Welcome Driver 1/2” even before you put the key in the ignition. It will also
set the appropriate drivers seat position. The remote can also open the rear
sliding power doors and power tailgate. Like I said before, there are buttons on
the left of the steering but not on the driver door that you can use to control
the doors and moon-roof. The steering wheel also has two more buttons to
customize many user settings like the wiper, internal lights, auto lock, auto
light off, and more. There is also a sunglass holder and three home link buttons
that you can use to open garage doors, turn on lights, and more.
THE DRIVE :
So far we have driven about 500 miles in this baby and I only have one word for
you: comfortable. The brakes are nice and smooth so you will not have your
passengers flying out of their seats every time. The engine is quiet so you will
not get distracted during a conversation. I really like to drive this van as it
is very stable, almost like a car.
Speaking of the engine, it has a 3.5 liter V6 engine that provides 244 horse
power at 5750 rpm (rotations per minute). It is enough to over take most other
vans and trucks on the road. This van may not be able to beat those fast sports
cars because of the total weight of 4655 pounds. The automatic transmission
shifts seamlessly with you noticing it. Another nice feature is the ability too
turn-off three cylinder when you drive below 25 miles per hour (to save gas).
The overall ride is great as it is quiet and smooth.
The ability to turn of three cylinders allows you to have better gas mileage
there for you have an estimated gas mileage of 20mpg (miles per gallon) city and
28mpg on the highway. So far we are hitting close to 20mpg on average mostly on
the highway.
We have not yet gone on very long trips yet, but we have traveled about 135
miles one way and we have not had a break down. Honda says that the first
scheduled maintenance will not be until we reach 100,000 or so miles. If you are
concerned about reliability, all I can say is that it is a Honda and they are
known for their reliability. But since this vehicle has a lot of electronics, I
do not know how long they will last; a friend of my dads who works at a Honda
dealer said that they mostly get to repair electrical problems.
FINAL THOUGHTS :
My dad has had this minivan for almost two months now and he just loves it, but
he regrets not get the one with the navigation system. But I assured him that if
he gets a portable GPS navigation system, it will cost him less and may provide
better quality maps. So for now, he is hanging in there but I think he will
purchase the portable one pretty soon. We have not noticed any problems with any
of the features of this vehicle as of yet and I am sure that it will stay that
why for years. My dad plans for keep this vehicle for three or four (or until
the 3 year warranty expires) years and after that he will trade up for the next
latest model. So, as far as recommending this minivan for your family, I would
say go for it. I mean, you cannot go wrong with a Honda ever. |
