Road Tests: Long-Term Test

If it could talk, Edmunds.com's long-term Honda Odyssey minivan would tell you that it's awfully glad to be leaving the Midwest. Its three-month stint with Detroit editor John Clor and family didn't do very much to improve its ever-growing reputation as the best minivan money can buy. And to add a final insult to injury, the Odyssey suffered a cracked windshield during its last days in the Motor City, courtesy of a golf-ball size rock (likely a piece of crumbling Detroit freeway) that was launched from a rear tire of — you guessed it, a Dodge Caravan.

Life can be cruel in a blue-collar town. And life for a minivan with an active family can be equally as difficult — as our Odyssey discovered. This family happened to include a well-seasoned auto-journalist dad; an on-the-go lead-footed mom; and two rough-and-tumble boys, aged 12 and 14, who can screw up an iron ball. What's more, the Honda had to endure all sorts of real-world family-type activity — from serving as a shuttle during the spring ice hockey season (both boys are goaltenders), to logging three driving vacations (no, errant Pringles don't stay fresh under the seats), to serving as Costco shopping spree hauler and Home Depot delivery van (lots of room back there).

In the end, the Odyssey was praised for its spacious and well-laid-out interior, great gas mileage — and oh, that fold-away, third-row seat! Much like having sliding doors on BOTH sides, how does ANY minivan owner possibly get along without this seat feature? Stuff to haul? Flip the third-row seatback forward, pull the latch and tug on the strap - away it goes, all tucked neatly into a flat floor. People to haul? Reverse the procedure, and space for three more passengers magically arrives. With nothing to lift out and store in the garage, this "magic" seat feature is the bomb.

But our big, blue Honda also suffered ridicule for its lackluster mid-range power delivery and ill-timed transmission shift points during spirited, around-town driving. It also didn't win many friends with the amount of wind howl, road boom and tire roar entering the cabin, which seemed all too prevalent at speeds beyond 50 miles per hour. Then there was the matter of those confounding power sliding doors, which were slow, cumbersome and apt to simply stop if you just looked at them the wrong way. Well, OK maybe they're not THAT sensitive — but they would quit if you inadvertently pushed twice on the key fob button before the open/close cycle began, or happened to accidentally touch the door handle at any time during operation. Better off without them, the Clors say.

In any case, the Odyssey worked long and hard during its stay in Detroit. About the only reward it got in return was some excellent service from Jeffrey Acura/Honda in suburban Roseville, Mich. Our service advisor, Gil Ibarra, proved both friendly and efficient on each visit, and really impressed us on the last day our van was in town — a day on which the Odyssey was pampered with the factory's 30,000-mile service interval.

First off, we called on the same day we wanted the service performed, but Ibarra said that no appointment was necessary — "just bring it on down before noon" and he could still get it done for us by day's end. (Now, either he squeezed us in, or Honda's reliability is as good as its reputation and his mechanics are as busy as Maytag repairmen.) Secondly, after writing it up and noticing the aforementioned cracked windshield, Ibarra even tried to get same-day service on the glass replacement for us. And he almost succeeded — had the glass been in stock at the Detroit-area warehouse. But hey, that's more than we asked for, and we were happy just to get the 30K work done before our editor-in-chief pointed the Odyssey westward for the drive back to Santa Monica.

The bad news is, we shelled out a whopping $251.89 for that 30K service job. Honda said the work included changing the engine oil and filter, as well as the transmission fluid, air filter, spark plugs, brake fluid and engine coolant. Not only that, but a valve adjustment was supposedly included (though we can't imagine why) and the tires were rotated and pressures brought up to factory specs. Our windshield wiper blades were replaced, and a complete inspection of all other mechanical systems was done. (Funny, but they rated the front brake pads as having 55 percent of their life left — despite just replacing them back at 23,000 miles!) Even engine compression was checked.

By being brought back up to tip-top condition (not to mention the scrubbing the Clors gave it before its departure), the Odyssey, we were sure, would handle the drive back to Edmunds.com's home office in California without a whimper. It's just that in the few months it was in the Midwest, our Odyssey racked up some $450 in normal-wear service charges — which is a little more than we'd expect to pay in the typical Honda ownership experience.

Now, the Odyssey will get to live out its lease time in the Golden State, no doubt very happy that it won't have to deal with that Clor family again — and those goshawful Detroit-area roads. Upon the van's departure, Clor asked his family how they'd rate their time with the big Honda. One of his sons probably summed it up best when he said: "Oh, it was nice, and it had some nice features. But geez, dad, it's just a minivan ... hey — what's for dinner?"

So there you have it. Clor says it's pretty much the same way he felt about his own father's 1954 Ford station wagon back when he was a kid. It's just good to know that the young people of today still have their priorities straight.

Current Odometer: 30,303
Best Fuel Economy: 23.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 17.3 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $251.89 (30,000-mile service)
Body Repair Costs: None.
Problems: None