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Changes for 2002 include a larger "H" badge in the grille and new seven-spoke wheels.
(Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Company, Inc.)
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Large gauges and functional controls make driving the Odyssey a pleasure, but the shifter does block some climate knobs.
(Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Company, Inc.)
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Amber turn signal lights (as opposed to red) are the only visual difference between a 2001 and 2002 Odyssey rear end.
(Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Company, Inc.)
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Road Test: Follow-Up Test
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Follow-Up Test: 2002 Honda Odyssey EX
Trampling its Laurels
By
Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com
Date posted: 05-23-2002
If you read our 2001 Minivan Comparison Test, it's pretty obvious which minivan we preferred. The Honda Odyssey positively stomped the competition, beating its next closest rival, the Toyota Sienna, by 8 percentage points. We knew when the test posted there would be readers complaining that, when you figured in typical dealer gouging, the van was just too expensive to justify a purchase, no matter how good it was. For arguments sake, we ran all the final numbers with a $5,000 premium added to the Odyssey's price to see how things shook out. While the rankings got closer, the "big O" still won, proving that even with, ahem, "market price adjustments," as some dealers like to call them, Honda still offered the best people mover out there.
Despite this lofty position, there were some areas in which even the 2001 Odyssey fell short. It was one of the few vans in that test without a video entertainment system or a leather interior (with neither item available as a factory option). It also had rear drum brakes, no side airbags, and one of the worst power point locations we'd ever seen. Many of these items, like side airbags and rear disc brakes, pertain more to sales brochures and advertisements than they do to everyday functionality. For instance, the Odyssey already had a five-star crash rating for side impacts; why add side airbags? So that when the young couple strolling through the Honda dealership asks, "Does this minivan have side airbags like the Dodge Grand Caravan?" the salesman can reply, "Yes, it does."
But a video entertainment system is something that minivan buyers use every day. Like so many modern automotive features, you only miss them after they become available. Thankfully, when Honda finally decided to make the leap to in-car entertainment, the company didn't mess around. Opting for a DVD-based system that provides crystal-clear images on a 7-inch flip-down screen, along with wireless headphones, Honda has given Odyssey buyers one of the most valuable features they could hope for: rear-seat passenger pacification (we'll save the philosophical argument about kids staring at a video monitor instead of appreciating the world rolling by outside their windows for another story).
Another noticeable upgrade happens under the hood, where the 3.5-liter V6 jumps from 210 to 240 peak horsepower and the transmission goes from a four-speed to a five-speed unit. Like many of the previous van's components, the Odyssey's drivetrain was already among the best in class. During our last comparison test the Odyssey beat every other minivan in acceleration testing, including the slightly more powerful (215 horsepower) Chrysler Town & Country. But Chrysler had been threatening to bring out a more powerful V6, making 230 horsepower, by the end of 2001. Honda was likely responding to Chrysler's claims when it decided to put the 240-horse engine in the Odyssey for 2002. Even more interesting, Chrysler's engine never materialized, leaving the Odyssey with a healthy 25 (rather than just 10) horsepower advantage over the Pentastar offerings.
At the test track, this new drivetrain pushed the Odyssey to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 16.2 seconds at 82 mph. Compare those numbers to the 2001 Odyssey's 9.1-second 0-to-60 figure and 16.9-second quarter-mile times, and it's clear that while last year's version was quick, the new one borders on sporty, despite its minivan status. Also worth mentioning is a drop of 7 feet, from 141 to 134, in stopping distance from 60 mph.
More subtle, but notable, upgrades include an honest-to-goodness tuning knob for the radio where previously there was a rocker switch, improved steering wheel controls for both audio and cruise control functions, heated seats, cupholders that deploy from the base of the second-row seats and quicker power-sliding doors.
In terms of ergonomics, Honda still has some finishing work to perform. For instance, the window switches and steering wheel controls aren't fully illuminated, making nighttime operation of these functions a "try and see" endeavor. Additionally, the shift lever partially blocks the temperature controls, and the power point is still located at the absolute bottom of the center stack just off the carpet (if you mount your radar detector on the sun visor, plan on getting an extension cord).
We'd also like to see Honda upgrade some of the interior materials used for the Odyssey. None of them are truly atrocious, but hard plastic on the top of the front door panels, where your arm is likely to rest on warm days, is something even the new Kia Sedona has addressed. The Sedona also offers a ratcheting armrest with multiple positions for the front seats, while the Odyssey's armrests are either up or down. And where is our outside temperature display and compass? Actually, you can get those on an Odyssey if you order the navigation system, but most other vans offer these useful bits of information as standard equipment.
If you get the sense that we're nitpicking, you're right. But that's all we're left to do after these latest upgrades to what was already the best minivan you could buy. Unless you're stuck on the SUV image (in which case, you'll be wanting the Odyssey-based Honda Pilot) or need to spend as little as possible (check out Kia's Sedona), this is simply the best vehicle you can buy for moving bodies around the planet.
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