With crossovers and people activity vehicles offering lots of high seating positions and station wagon-like cargo capability, it would seem not many do. Then you see a parent, football Dad, suburban office commuter or someone who needs to carry lots of folks in one, eschewing a CUV.
Sure, Ford and GM abandoned the minivan in favor of CUVs, leaving Dodge and Chrysler to soldier on domestically with theirs, plus a Volkswagen version. But Hyundai and Kia have minivans, while Toyota still has one after 27 years, a Nissan is coming, and Honda has offered an Odyssey in its fleet since the first midi version of 1995. Now comes the fourth-generation Odyssey, a veritable cornucopia of technology packaged in a stylish shape that offers lots of versatility and decent driveability.
Does anyone care?
Well, a neighbor with two children and a cocker spaniel crawled all over it when I dropped by to chat, and the owners of a last-generation Odyssey (with four teens) sure liked looking it over stem to stern.
· Odyssey outside – Honda’s newest people mover retains a bit of its familiar three-bar grill nose in the 2011 makeover, but the rest has changed to make this minivan stand out in the school pickup line. The hood line is higher. And that grill is a more aggressive design flanked by upward-angled headlights with a prominent projector lens design, over a faceted bumper with deep lower air intake and integrated angular fog lights – there’s some CR-Z in that face. A design line comes off the top of the headlights and becomes the upward-angled beltline, then zig-zags down like a lightning bolt at the C-pillar that improves the outward view for those in the third row. The jury is still out on that zig-zag. The wheelbase remains the same (118.1 inches) as the 2010 model, but that zig plus a wide (for a minivan) lower sill and the channel cut above it made our gray metallic Honda look longer than the .8 inches it gained for 2011. It is lower than the 2010 model by .4 inches, the windshield starting low on the hood and swept back, the roofline sloping gently aft to the gloss black rear window shade/spoiler. No more factory-installed roof rack – get that dealer installed or leave it off for a sleeker look. Dig that D-pillar shape with angled side window design, the result a thicker pillar back there that didn’t seem to hinder rear visibility. The rear end looks similar to the 2010 version, with big taillights joined by a clear lens strip over the license plate with slim step bumper. Five-spoke alloy wheels wear 18-inch Michelin Primacy rubber. And yes, sports fans, it is wider by more than two inches, so it gains a more muscular stance on the road. It’s clearly one of the most styled minivans on the market outside of the 2011 Mazda5 mini-minivan’s wind-sculpted flanks, and I liked it.
· Odyssey onboard – Honda expects the minivan market to increase as the children who grew up in them in the 1980s now seek one to transport their own kids. It claims many also want some serious luxury, hence an “ultimate-luxury” level minivan, as Honda calls its (and ours for a week) Odyssey Touring Elite. Company PR also adds that it embraces a "cool and intuitive" theme consistent with its increased levels of technology and family versatility. In English, that means a mostly well-designed discrete dark gray over light gray interior with leather seats and nice touches of pewter alloy-like plastic, an evolutionary design. The dash top is hard plastic, but the graining has a nice finish that meshes well with the pewter center band. A leather-clad 4-spoke steering wheel with stereo, cruise, Bluetooth, trip computer and voice command buttons is manually tilt and telescope-adjustable. Under a small angular cowl reside a cleanly-designed 140-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tachometer with gray LCD trip computer center stage. To its left are well-placed buttons for the twin power side doors, power rear hatch, sonar parking sensors, blind spot warnings and stability control. To the right, an 8-inch inset color LCD screen for satellite navigation, audio and other functions over a simple three-zone climate control button and display. Under that, a blue-lit LCD display for the audio system, with clock, then the audio system’s basic controls with buttons for 12-speaker, 650-watt AM-FM/XM Satellite/CD/HDD/USB-auxiliary/DVD system. But there is more tech here. The navigation system has a high-resolution display with improved graphics, a 60GB hard drive that replaces last year’s DVD-based system, and the option to import a favorite photograph to use as "wallpaper." In select cities, an FM traffic system displays updated traffic data from certain roads on the map and indicates incidents or construction. If not, XM’s traffic system alerts the driver to accidents and construction. Listen to music via your Bluetooth phone or plug in an iPod and play it via steering wheel controls or voice command as it nestles in a rubberized glove box slot, out of sight and protected. There’s a 15GB hard disk drive that can store about 175 CDs. While the surround sound system is great for those in the front seat, the coolest part is the rear seat’s 16.2-inch Ultra-Wide Display screen with backlit controls that pop out to become the remote. Standard on the Touring Elite, it is the largest ever in a Honda. It shows wide screen movies, or can be split to show a movie on one side and a gaming system or second video source on the other, audio heard via the surround sound, wireless headphones or corded headsets. There’s even a multimedia interface port for attaching high definition players and certain gaming consoles. It looked and sounded superb. But wait, there’s more. Under the audio/video control panel up front, which included a CD and DVD player and rear DVD start/stop button, is a familiar twist and tap knob and audio, map, phone and info button panel to access those functions. Under that, two 12-volt outlets, a slide-out drawer/cup holder and a cool box that fits four bottles or cans and chills them via an air vent. A friend with the last-gen Odyssey said that was great, as was moving the stereo controls higher so a purse stowed on the floor didn’t hit it. The driver gets a 10-way power bucket seat with two memory presets and heat, while the passenger gets a 4-way power seat. They were quite comfortable and supportive on highway trips. The center console has cup holders fore and aft and a deep center storage area, lit with a blue LED overhead. It can also be removed to make way to the second row, where more magic occurs. It’s wider back here, so there’s great head, leg and hip room for adults in the outboard captain’s chairs that slide fore and aft. The sliding power doors are power-operated, and their windows drop almost all the way. The center seat is 3.9-inches wider, so a child seat fits better. It can slide forward if the front passenger wants the baby nearer, turn into a wide armrest with three cupholders, or can be removed. The outboard seats can also be tilted forward and moved outboard by up to 1.5 inches each to increase comfort when child seats are being used. They also slide or tilt forward for easy access to a roomy third-row for three, although two adults are a better fit in outboard positions that have an inch more leg room, plus outboard armrests with cup holders. There’s a 115-volt outlet, audio/video input jacks and headphone jacks on the right rear wall, and lots of headliner air vents. The third row is also wider now that the spare tire has been relocated from the driver’s side wheel well area to what used to be under-floor storage between the first and second row. That’s not all – the third row is a 60/40 split seat that folds down into a deep well behind it for a flat cargo floor. All seats occupied, there is still 38.4-cubic-feet of storage behind the third-row seat. Fold them down into the well, perfect for holding grocery bags upright, and there’s 93.1 cubic feet of storage. Fold the second row forward, or remove them, and there’s 148.5 cubic feet of flat floor – 1.1 more than the previous model. Home improvement types take note - a 4- by 8-foot sheet of plywood fits with the second row seats removed and 10-foot-long pole fits with the front console removed. The rear hatch is power as well, with enough room for a 6-footer to stand under. The blind spot information system flashes yellow icons in the A-pillars when someone is in your way during a lane change. Sonar sensors in all four corners help when you are parking, while a new three-way rear camera shows wide, super-wide or bumper view aft. There are 15 cup holders inside, plus a decent-sized glove box. And in low-tech borrowed from Ford’s Windstar minivan of a decade ago, the front overhead sunglass holder also has a wide-view mirror so you can see what’s in the back two rows.
· Honda horsepower – A familiar 3.5-liter V-6 resides under the Odyssey’s hood, with a Variable Cylinder Management system that cuts it down to three cylinders when you are cruising to conserve fuel. Use all 248-hp (up 4 from last time) and our 2,400-mile-old Odyssey gets to 60-mph in a decent 7.8 seconds. That’s compared to about 7.7 seconds for the VW Routan (Teutonified Dodge Caravan) with a 253-V-6 and the 251-hp Caravan, or a hair over 7 seconds for the 265-hp Toyota Sienna. The six-speed automatic transmission shifted very cleanly, able to be locked in low or fourth gear for towing and hills. It helped the Odyssey Touring average 21-mpg in mixed use. Passing power was good, and transmission kick downs were smooth. Active noise cancellation and an active engine mount kept it quiet, especially when the V-6 went to three cylinders. On the road, with a long 118.1-inch wheelbase, wide front and rear track and independent McPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, the Odyssey smothered bumps with aplomb, yet handled pretty well for a minivan. Losing 103 pounds from the 2010 model didn’t hurt either, nor did a redesigned and stiffer platform that resulted in no creaks on the road, other than a few noises if some of the seats were folded down. We have two new traffic circles near us, and the Odyssey stitched them together well with a hint of stability control kick-in at the second one. It’s no sports car, but it handled well, the power steering offering a precise feel. The only competitor to drive as well is Toyota’s Sienna; a Routan is OK. The all-wheel disc brakes had a progressive feel and solid stopping power, with no fade after some hard use. For safety, front, front-side and side-curtain airbags, stability control, ABS, brake assist and auto-leveling HID headlights.
· Odyssey overdraft – The Honda Odyssey starts at $27,800 for the base LX, up to $43,250 for our “ultra-premium” Touring Elite. That means everything on board ours was standard, plus HomeLink, security system, three 12V outlets, tri-zone automatic climate control system with air filtration, leather and auto-dim rearview mirror for a final price with destination fee of $44,030. Almost every other fully-loaded minivan out there is less, and we eagerly await the boxy 2011 Nissan Quest, with its $27,750 base price ($41,000 starters for the top-of-the-line LE) and 3.5-liter, 260-hp V-6.
· Bottom line – The new Honda Odyssey Touring Elite is pretty much the cream of the crop of minivans, with a price that is commensurate with the solidly-crafted interior, the slick exterior, precision controls and the good engine and driving dynamics. A new Sienna might be a bit sportier in handling, and a Dodge offers fold-away second and third-row seats. But there are more than a few last-generation Odysseys in my neighborhood and circle of friends, owned by folks who like them. ‘Nuff said.
Statistics:
Vehicle type - 8-passenger minivan
Base price - $43,250($44,030 as tested)
Engine type – aluminum SOHC 24-valve i-VTEC V-6
Displacement – 3.5-liter
Horsepower (net) – 248 @ 5,700 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 250 @ 4,800 rpm
Transmission - 6-speed automatic transmission
Wheelbase – 118.1 inches
Overall length – 201.9 inches
Overall width – 79.2 inches
Height – 68.4 inches
Front headroom – 38.3 inches w/sunroof
Front legroom – 40.9 inches
Center headroom – 39.4 inches
Center legroom – 40.9 inches
Rear headroom - 38 inches
Rear legroom – 42.4 inches
Cargo capacity – 38.4 cu.ft./93.1 with rear seats flat/148.5 w/2nd and 3rd row folded
Towing capacity - up to 3,500 lbs.
Curb weight – 4,560 lbs.
Fuel capacity - 15.8 gallons
Mileage rating - 19-mpg city/28-mpg highway
Last word – An Accord with room to spare, and almost as nice to drive
By Dan Scanlan - MyCarData
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