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I've thought the Dodges offer a lot of value and you proved that point with your post.
I really wanted the stability control feature Honda had as well as the many other safety features. The roll up sun shades and great seats in back were also a plus. We got the power side doors, but no power tail gate. We ended up paying $4,000 more then you and we think it's worth the extra money, but hey I think you did well too.
Actually, we bought an '07 which is the "last of the breed" of that generation of van. They changed the material of the SnG seats after the initial model year (or maybe mid-year on the '06s..?), so as far as I know only the '05 vans had the paper-thin padded chairs.
I think stability control would be one of those "nice to have, but not critical" things. I think it would be more useful in a vehicle more prone to tipping over like an SUV. But, not having had a car with it, I can't really say how useful it would be.
Before I had ABS, I thought it was for people who didn't know how to brake. Now, I can see where it keeps the brakes from locking up, so IS nice to have in emergency situations. The thing that amazes me about ABS more than anything is how it allows you to brake even on icy roads. In Michigan, I've avoided getting rear ended (and sliding into intersections myself!) thanks to ABS.
Traction control can be neat "sometimes", but I think it is more useful in a RWD vehicle. Having only owned FWD cars, several of which HAVE had traction control, I never used it.
So, the wife's van has 2/3. Like a lot of people who need corrective vision she is a poor judge of distance, so the ABS for her is invaluable. Traction control, eh.
I have to say I'm more than impressed that nobody has called our Chrysler "junk" yet, given that this is a Japanese van forum. We minivan owners must be a mellow lot. :shades:
That said, the one thing that does concern me about buying a Chrysler product is the long-term mechanical quality of the thing. PARTICULARLY the transmission. Ironically, though, when I was researching vans the thing that came up again and again about the Odyssey was its flaky transmission. Now, Honda has been making them long enough where they've hopefully fixed it, but then again that's what I tell myself about our T&C.
At the end of the day, I had to put my aversion to Chrysler products aside and suck it up. I have no doubt the interior will disintegrate LONG before an equivalent Japanese van, if my Maxima is any indication. That car just doesn't seem to age.
The one negative thing I have to say is I don't get Edmunds' love of the Kia van. Honestly when I sat in the Sedona I felt like the Town and Country was a luxury sedan by comparison. The Sedona's interior reminded me of my wife's 1998 Chevy Cavalier; it was just really, really nasty and cheap. The Koreans, for whatever reason, love to just plow as much chrome and fake wood into their cars as possible. The problem with doing this is it has the opposite effect of what they intended; it comes off like a Lexus as imagined by a 3 year old.
That said, I actually like some of the newer Korean cars like the new Sonata. While I can't *personally* see myself owning a Korean car in my lifetime, I wouldn't be surprised if my kids do. I went against my old man when he said never to buy a Chrysler because they're all garbage, so I would imagine my children will do the same thing. :P
My wife also had a Hyundai Scoupe which was a pile of junk. However Korean quality scores seem to be getting better and that may be why Edmunds rate them the way they do. Remember Toyota didn't always have the stellar reputation it does now either.
I had a neighbor that was a carpet distributor that went through Dodge vans like we go through toilet paper, and his trannies kept failing right around 70-80k miles. Maybe it was the weight.
Funny thing was, he kept buying more of 'em, not exactly sure why. He just planned on one trans rebuild.
But yes, I've seen plenty of Honda owners complain, so I would not list that as an advantage for those.
And Toyota has had plenty of issues with new Camry transmissions. The older 3.3l Siennas were fine, but it gets the same 3.5l in the new Camry, so who knows.
I'd put a big question mark there, and not give any of them a clear advantage. Perhaps that's why, as you stated, noone called the DCX vans junk. They aren't.
-juice
I remember driving my folks' Pontiac Montana halfway across the country with 6 people + luggage, and that was SCARY. You could SMELL the brakes whenever you came to anything less than a really gradual stop. It accelerated like a pig with no legs, and wallowed like one too. It's no surprise that minivans are renowned brake and transmission eaters.
I can't imagine what the drive had been like if I had been towing anything.
GM made those narrow so they could also be sold in Europe, a big mistake IMO. The Uplander still shared a lot of that DNA and should be put out of its misery if it hasn't already.
-juice
I have already eliminated the Sedona/Entourage twins, based on test drives yesterday (our daughter remarked that she felt like she was in a boat, but maybe that's the way all minivans are, giving you that sort of swaying feeling???), and depreciation.
I'm also wondering how the new '08 Chrysler might compare...?
We've owned Hondas for 28 yrs., which other family members drive, and I have neck/back issues, so we don't want to spend megabucks on a vehicle that will give me a headache, literally, every time I drive it, due to a rough or bouncy ride. Already have a pickup truck that does that! And, you can't always tell these things on a little test drive. Our dealers aren't too keen on letting you take the vehicle home for a day, either.
So, question to all you owners out there - which has the least bumpy ride, Odyssey or Sienna or Chrysler?
The Sienna is much softer, at least with only a driver aboard. Haven't been in one loaded up.
Don't know about the current Chryslers.
I heard one guy compare the Toyota van to a Cadillac as it has a relatively soft ride, while the Honda could be compared to a BMW with a more sport tuned ride.
The Sienna is much softer, at least with only a driver aboard. Haven't been in one loaded up.
Don't know about the current Chryslers.
I would put our T&C in between the Toyota and Honda vans as far as ride goes. The Honda isn't bad, but it definately carries the bumps into the cabin, which the others don't. I drive a Maxima so I don't mind this, but I can see how this wouldn't be a favorable trait to a lot of minivan buyers.
Actually, I think the Toyota -> Lincoln analogy works very well, although I'd be more inclined to say Toyota -> Buick. It's a very soft, wallowy ride. I personally like this kind of ride in a minivan, I'm more interested in comfort than cutting curves.
IMO the Chrysler's ride and handling are more similar to the Toyota, but it's not quite as numb and isolated and therefore has a touch of the Honda.
Better yet, cmh should go test drive all 3 and get back to us. :shades:
The Odyssey, in my opinion, is the minivan for people who really don't want one, therefore they have made it as carlike as possible (sportier handling, lower seating position). The other two fully embrace their mini-van-ness with a soft ride for its passengers, and no fun whatsoever behind the wheel as a result. The Odyssey tries to compromise, the others do not. As a result, you end up with very different driving experiences.
Too bad the driver's seat only goes like 13 inches back from the brake pedal. It is seriously built for dwarves and hobbits.
I found that surprising (both the Quest and the Titan) - coming from a Japanese carmaker that is probably making the next Accord fighter in the new Altima and whose models otherwise have fairly good reliability (I used to own a Maxima - great car).
-FS
In any case what I would do would be to first lay down a sheet of plywood, cut to cover the rear seating area over the top of the folded down seats, and place the oxygen generator on top of the plywood. The plywood should help disperse the weight of the equipment.
I probably would not put a lot of weight to their ratings. Historically, ODY and Sienna have been Nos. 1 & or 2&1... with new engine in Sienna, I suppose it also had a new transmission... who knows what problems it will have....
While the engine is new, they have data on that engine from other Toyotas.
I think they only publish the details if they get a sample size of 1000 or greater, so we won't know those until next year's auto issue.
-juice
I appreciated the posting comparing the Odyssey to a BMW and the Sienna with a Cadillac, regardless of offence taken by some. With a bad back I'd rather have a soft ride than a hard one that drives the seatback into your spine. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.
What was it about the Five Hundred that you didn't like?
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You are quite welcome. I do want to clarify that the Odyssey does not ride harshly. It is the firmest minivan on the market (with the best handling), but it also rides much softer than my Accord, which rides quite well as it is. I recently took a trip with my great aunt and grandmother from Birmingham to Oklahoma City to visit my parents. It is a 750 mile trip that my aunt's 2005 Odyssey made very comfortable. The seats fit me very well (that doesn't mean they will fit you well, it is best to try them out), and the ride is so much softer than my Accord it was creamy in comparison. A Sienna will ride softer than an Odyssey, with a loss of handling capability, but to be honest, it sounds like the Sienna is a better fit for you.
Not trying to sound like a know-it-all here, just trying to help. Make sure you test drive them both to get an idea of which you prefer more.
**By the way, halfway through the trip, we hit a massive hailstorm which turned the road into a nearly solid coating of hail/ice. The VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) light was blinking indicating it was working to keep us pointed straight around I-40s curves (even though we had slowed drastically at this point), and the system performed flawlessly. I felt it cut the power at one point, apparently keeping me on my intended path. After this experience, and the much better brake-pedal modulation and feel, I know I'd feel more confident in an Odyssey than in many vehicles. I didn't find AWD necessary at all. If you have a lot of snow for months out of the year however, you might want to give AWD a try.
Maybe you want to look at Mazda's minivan which is a lot smaller, but still a minivan?
I'm not a fan of the SUV, so I'd probably go with a cross-over or station wagon if not a minivan...
The Pilot is based on the Odyssey minivan, so their suspensions will likely handle similarly. My aunt is single, and has driven minivans (odysseys) since 2000. We had a 2000 model ourselves, and rarely had 3 people or more in it. It handled and rode just as well as when it had more people in it.
Trust me, I recently traveled with my grandmother and my great aunt in her Odyssey. Having the power doors and low load height of the minivan's cargo area made traveling much easier than being in an SUV.
But, how bad, I mean $$$ for replacing RFT. They are the standard on ALL AWD.
Sales not sure if ok to replace them w/o the rim.
'06 AWD on TireRack.com don't show RFT. What's the point?
The Bridgestone tires have a very stiff sidewall, do not offer great traction and they will probably wear very quickly from the looks of their UTOQ numnber. The local tires plus in MN rotates the tires free with their semi synthetic oil change for $15.00 so I will rotate every 5K and decide what to do at the time they are worn...
Sounds to me like you're one short. :P
If you only need 4 seats than a Yaris offers plenty of room.
I had a backache yesterday before trying both the Honda and Toyota so there's still uncertainty about which passenger seat is more comfortable. I do wonder why Honda ignores a passenger's comfort and only offers a power adjustment to the driver.
It would seem that our final decision will be based on the storage well and the passenger seat comfort. I just hope both features are in the same vehicle. Purely from a woman's point of view, or should I be specific and say THIS woman's, why do designers think that fake orange wood trim looks good with gray leather, i.e. Toyota. I prefer the look of Honda's brushed stainless dash.
Regarding the Ford Five Hundred, we drove over 1,000 miles in it last week and it was more comfortable than I would have thought but we wouldn't want to trade for a crossover. I made a mistake when I had previously stated that the mileage was 1,000 miles total...it was actually 10,000 miles and now has almost 12,000 miles on it. We'd keep it if we could get the medical equipment upright in the trunk. At time of purchase my husband had no need for an oxygen generator.
I call plastic wood "plood", and some of those designs warm up an interior. I think it looks OK.
Silver painted plastic simulates aluminum trim, which I call "pluminum". Often times that can look fake and cheesy. I don't recall the Ody's stuff in particular, but a lot of those tend to scratch and show marks more easily than plood does.
It's all a matter of personal taste, I guess.
After all the research of the morning I'm ready to cut and run, keeping the Ford Five Hundred and Toyota Avalon, putting the generator on its side and gambling on its welfare. My husband doesn't agree so forward we go. Any suggestions are appreciated.
We like Honda's back storage well...
Toyota has that same well - did you notice a difference between the two?
My husband is concerned about the postings re: acceleration problems on the Toyota.
I haven't seen those, but we've had no problem with either our '04 XLE or our '06 XLE Limited (we traded in our '04 after a pick-up truck whose driver was admiring the new cadillacs on the roadside smushed our XLE up against a delivery truck ).
The '04-'06s had good acceleration - the'07s have more torque and HP, so they should move well, too.
So the Ody, even with VCM, did no better, and it's not quite as quick. Not that 0.4s is a significant difference, especially in a van.
Sorry about the demise of your '04. I know I would still prefer our old '83 Crown Victoria with velour bench seats and the trunk that would probably have made this search unnecessary. It was easier for me to parallel park and driving it was a dream. I know "time marches on" but I hated to see that one deteriorate.
Wish us success and thank you for the input.
Okay, now I'm REALLY confused. We looked hard at both the Sienna and the Odyssey, particularly the storage behind the 3rd row in both vans. I DISTINCTLY remember that, just like the Odyssey, the Sienna had a deep well behind the 3rd row. The only time there is a 'level floor' is when the 3rd row is stowed in the storage well, but that is the same for both vans. The only real difference was the ease of stowing (and raising) the 3rd row seats in the well; and that was only a minor difference.
Did they change the Sienna for '07?