What is there left to say about the best damn minivan on the market that has not already been said? Well, a lot, apparently.
Keys to our long-term Honda Odyssey were passed through the hands of company employees like a hotcake this month--though everyone was sad to hand them off. The company president enjoyed having the van's doors open and close automatically during a chauffeured ride around town. Oceanside residents were impressed with the car's handling and visibility, especially given its large size. They also liked the automatic doors, which make loading and exiting easy, and prevent broken fingernails. Another driver found that because the Odyssey was so stylish, she and her husband snubbed the other minivans on the road.
Climate-control options are available for both front and rear passengers to select, which allows everyone to be comfortable. Large bins are convenient for storing knickknacks and creature comforts are abundant. Of course, everyone still loves the flip-down rear seat. But those with babies were less than thrilled with the car-seat accommodations. The second-row seatbelts are mounted up high and away from the seat, making it difficult to get a satisfactory level of restraint for the car seat. To avoid the issue, our managing editor strapped his small son's baby seat into the third row of the van.
Two editors took the van from L.A. to San Diego for a book edit this month. They were surprised at the van's responsiveness, how secure and solid it feels, and how it is able to thread through traffic easily due to excellent visibility and a strong V6 engine. Some chinks in our favorite minivan's armor did surface, however. Interior rumble at highway speeds seemed a bit excessive, even though reports claim that Honda's cabin is the quietest of all minivans. The transmission is slow to upshift at times; downshifting is also problematic and sometimes doesn't occur at all when it should. Detents in the shift mechanism are barely perceptible, making it possible to slip inadvertently from D4 into D3, and one driver complained that the brakes were too sensitive.
Other downfalls of the Odyssey include sub-par stereo sound quality with too-small buttons, rock-hard plastic along the upper portion of the door panel, and a dumb location of power outlet (at the bottom of the center stack near the floor). The distance between the outlet and the windshield is so great, in fact, that it upsets the sensitivity of radar detectors, unless they come with extra-long power cords. The middle folding tray needs a rubberized surface to hold items in place during stops and starts; we lost the cell phone three times before moving it into the cupholder. Seats were comfortable, but not plush, and our editor-in-chief noted that the dash and glove compartment intruded on the front passenger's legroom, though the driver's position is just fine. Also, the passenger cannot adjust the seat for height.
Overall, though, the van is a winner, with chiseled good looks, tight gap tolerances inside and out, and enough luxury appointments to keep families happy most of the time. Our vice president's brother and father of three is dying to buy one, but can't bring himself to pay the $3,000 over MSRP that the Odyssey is fetching these days. And so, like many, he waits.
Total Odometer Reading: 5,982
Best Fuel Economy: 20.0 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.8 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None.
