Road Tests: Long-Term Test

This month, our trusty Odyssey minivan was in the hands of features editor Miles Cook. During his tenure in the box-on-wheels, Cook drove the van to Las Vegas and made a couple of other trips around California.

As many other drivers have noted, there are several ergonomic flaws that Cook observed. For example, the column shifter blocks some of the radio controls when the shifter is in D3 or D4. The shifter itself is also somewhat un-Honda-like in that the detents are too weak between D3, D4 and neutral. To select D4 takes a conscious effort and you need to look at the gauge cluster, too, to see that D4 is where you really end up.

Those are little nitpicks, though. On the highway, the Odyssey really comports itself quite well. Some drivers have noted excessive wind noise inside the Oddy at high speeds of around 60-80 mph. During extended highway time, Cook was able to narrow down the noise to a leak around the passenger's side sliding rear door. The driver's side door still sealed tightly at the near 40,000-mile mark, so maybe a look by the dealership is in order.

Impressive is the 3.5-liter V6 in its ability to haul around a big heavy minivan with adequate power but still pull down 23 mpg on the highway. Some drivers have noted a lack of midrange power, but this could also be attributed to the transmission being too conservative in its shifting schedule. For example, under full-throttle upshifts, the transmission shifts from first to second gear about 500 rpm before the redline. Even though it's a minivan, the engine still has VTEC and is a free-revving 210-horsepower V6, so why the early shift points? Also, when downshifting from fourth gear, the transmission won't go into second at speeds above 50 mph, even though it could without over revving the engine. Instead, the gearbox goes only to third, which would explain why some might feel a lack of midrange power.

But when all is said and done, a minivan isn't meant to be a performance thrill machine. It's essentially an appliance. And in that area, the Odyssey excels. For example, look at cargo volume. Incredible as it may seem, the Odyssey basically has as much cargo volume, 146.1 cubic feet, with the middle seats removed and the backseat folded down as the mammoth Ford Excursion. With all its seats removed, the huge Ford SUV has barely more at 146.4 cubic feet.

Toward the end of the month, the Odyssey's 7,500-mile service interval came up, so to a trip to Santa Monica Honda was the next order of business. At 37,500 miles, the service calls for an oil and filter change; inspection of the brakes, suspension, charging and cooling systems; rotating the tires; and adjusting the rear drum brakes. We also got roped into a "power steering system flush" that included changing the fluid, checking the fittings and adjusting the belt. We really didn't think much of this "dealer recommend service" until we were slapped with a $135 tab. At only around 40,000 miles, it seemed unnecessary and we figure anything not mentioned in the owner's manual is just a way for the dealer to make more money. This was especially interesting because the next day we took our long-term Honda Insight to Santa Monica Honda for an 11,250-mile oil and filter change, which they performed free of charge. In any case, Santa Monica Honda had the Odyssey ready to go in a matter of hours, which slightly eased the $240.73 hit to the wallet.

Before his minivan duty was complete, Cook noticed a little glitch with the Honda. On the final fill-up for the period, the fuel gauge didn't show all the way full as it did for all other fill-ups during the month. Although this problem isn't constant (nor will it leave one stranded by the side of the road), it was notable enough to warrant curiosity.

Besides staffer Cook, research editor Erin Riches also noted lots of relevant info about our minivan this month. She relates: "The satellite controls for the stereo (on the steering wheel) worked quite well once I noticed them and learned how to use them. The lettering on the center button is not particularly descriptive, so I just pushed it and learned that it would advance tracks on the CD that I was playing.

"I was annoyed that it isn't a two-side button, that is, you can advance tracks but you cannot go to a previous track without cycling through all the tracks -- this forces the driver to look over at the center stack display to determine how many more times the button has to be pushed to get to the preferred track. The head unit design is also such that you really cannot safely change CD tracks without using the steering wheel controls. Although the center stack is angled outward and upward to minimize reach for the driver, the seek button is on the wrong side of the stereo faceplate. Additionally, the tune button is directly to the left of the double-sided seek button, and it looks exactly the same. I found myself leaning over to read the cluttered faceplate while driving on the freeway at night, and I quickly realized that the stereo setup just isn't optimized for driving safely.

"I didn't enjoy the stereo's performance, either - there is no pronounced bass, there is no speed-sensitive volume feature, the speaker setup doesn't seem to exploit the concert hall possibilities of a cavernous van, and there's no cassette player. Obviously, most people probably do not buy Honda Odysseys with the expectation that the stereo will blow their minds, but this one's annoying characteristics contribute to the bland overall experience of driving a minivan. Also, if people have to spend $30,000 to get out the door with an Odyssey EX, they ought to get a "nice" (if not premium) stereo with a CD and a cassette player -- with user-friendly controls -- that's capable of filling the entire van with sound.

"I was impressed by the Odyssey's powertrain, though. Despite the size of the vehicle, acceleration is generally smooth and downshifts are not hard and ragged (but I'm comparing the Odyssey's behavior to that of an SUV or pickup -- it still doesn't have the manners of a car). And even though this engine is based on the Accord's V6, it's capable of lugging about the Odyssey's girth under most circumstances. I did find that acceleration during lane changes, particularly in hilly/mountainous areas, was sluggish, and significant pedal effort was required. Low-range acceleration can also take a little more time than one might like, if for example, you have to stop at the end of a freeway entrance ramp due to a slow-moving vehicle in the right lane. Of course, it would be preferable to glide past vehicles during passing, but a larger engine would make gas mileage suffer and wallets empty faster. And where roads are flat or downward sloping, mid-range acceleration is decent. The engine is exceptionally quiet and refined, as the Odyssey will happily scoot along at 85 to 90 mph.

"The steering is actually rather responsive for this size of vehicle - not that there is abundant road feel (or that I would expect that), but there isn't a lot of excess steering slop, either. The Odyssey does seem to have a rather wide turning radius, and I sometimes found it difficult to park. While I'm sure that I would get used to parking an Odyssey if I owned one, I still wonder why space is so valuable to some people (I'm referring to those with two kids, not those with five) that they would rather pilot a dead bear on wheels (a very pleasant bear, mind you) rather than a sporty station wagon with superior handling and performance. If I was suddenly given two offspring to shuttle about a city known for inclement weather, I would appreciate the confidence that comes with the handling, acceleration and size of a station wagon. It'd be great if Honda made a sporty station wagon on its Accord platform -- they could stretch it a bit for added cargo space and/or a third row of seats.

"I'm unaccustomed to living with such a large vehicle, so yesterday when I needed to carry a third person during a quick trip, I was cheered up by the ease with which the Odyssey accomplished this task. There was a comfortable, adjustable captain's chair waiting for the third passenger. There was no need to fold a seat forward to access the backseat. There were no constraints on legroom for anyone. Obviously, minivans are renowned for their people-toting ability, but the Odyssey allows the driver to forget about the backseat passengers if they like -- not many SUVs (even the large ones) offer such deluxe accommodations for rear passengers.

"The Odyssey has a hesitant, rumbly demeanor when it accelerates from a stop or from low speeds to freeway speeds, or when it downshifts while traveling up a hill. This characteristic is not terribly bothersome given the generalizations that minivans are clumsy, Diplodocus-like vehicles. And mid-range passing power seems acceptable -- though I never had more than three people in the Odyssey and I never had any cargo.

"The engine is quiet at cruising speeds -- no flinching at 90 mph. But, the rattle in the rear is getting more noticeable. It's coming from the plastic trim piece that surrounds the back window in the tailgate.

"The rubber pieces in the cupholders seem to have gotten so 'stretched out' they can no longer hold the typical 1-liter-size bottles of water securely anymore and mine was tossed onto the floor. I guess anything less than a large water bottle or a thermos is out of the question.

"I like the suspension in the Odyssey. Though I haven't driven it on winding roads, I've been impressed by how stable the van remains when traveling around the curves/rough roads that I typically encounter. Body roll is also minimal."

With the Odyssey rapidly approaching the 40,000-mile mark and with about four months left on its lease, we've gotten a clear idea of how this machine performs. Despite its various shortcomings, it's still one of the best minivans on the market. Keep an eye here to see how the rest of our experiences pan out with this popular Honda people mover.

Current Odometer: 38,233
Best Fuel Economy: 23.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 18.3 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: $240.73 (37,500-mile service including oil-and-filter change, systems inspection, tire rotation, rear brake adjustment, and power steering system service and inspection)
Problems: Fuel gauge sometimes doesn't read full upon fill-up.