Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna

1959698100101107

Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Thanks for the detailed info.

    Usually I buy a Consumer's Guide book each model year, but my most recent one is 2008. It's late for an 09 so I'll probably wait until the 2010 model year edition comes out.

    I like the format they use - makes it easy to see what you get with each model. They will list the LX, then they list the EX and say "EX adds: ...".

    Even for the Sienna they list each package for each model. It reads like a menu, so it's simple to find what you want, if it is available.
  • madams1madams1 Member Posts: 101
    Just comparing the 2 MSRP and if you take the Sienna LE and add the #2 package which includes 2 power doors and 8 way power drivers seat adj. there is a big difference in the price. Including destination, the Odyssey EX would be 30,615 and the Sienna LE plus #2 package would be 27,440. Would have to drive to see if the Odyssey is worth 3K more for basically the same features. I picked the power package #2 for comparison since my wife insists on 2 power doors.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I made a similar observation back in 2007 when I bought mine. Back then it was called Package 3 on the LE, though. They changed it to EVP #2 for model year 2008.

    The Ody will have dual zone climate control, FWIW, while the Sienna has a trip computer.

    You'll find minor differences in equipment like that, but I agree those are roughly comparable models.

    I opted for the Lotus Evora's engine. ;)
  • toyojunktoyojunk Member Posts: 19
    What years and what model Siennas have you owned? Do you still own either one or did you dump each after you found out neither was as good as your earlier Chrysler van?

    The Sienna is a good van if a person wants the most cargo space behind the 3rd row and is satisfied with an uncomfortable front passenger seat, uncomfortable 2nd row seats, and overpriced Toyota routine maintenance. ;)
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    These posts are getting old hans, whether you include a " ;) " in it or not.
  • hause7hause7 Member Posts: 153
    We owned a 2004 Limited AWD model and now own a 2007 Sienna XLE FWD model. We only switched because we didn't need the AWD and wanted the upgraded motor(timing chain vs. timing belt) even though the 3.3L was fine. Our Previous Chrysler T&C was a POS and was not comparable to the Sienna in our Opinion.

    Your post about the Sienna are getting old. I agree with thegraduate.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Independently owned dealers set pricing for service, not Toyota.

    Everyone knows that.

    Manufacturers set pricing on the vans, though, and here's what you had to say 2 years ago in the "2008 Minivans" thread:

    I agree that the Odyssey is the MOST expensive and the Sienna has the MOST power at the lowest price

    That's quoting you, hans. :P
  • adiehl13adiehl13 Member Posts: 28
    I thought I'd just take a moment this morning to register some dissatisfaction with my 2005 Toyota Sienna. Now- for most of my life, I have been a Toyota loyalist. My first car was a Celica that I adored. I can't even say I ran it into the ground because my sister got it at 120k drove it to 150k and sold it....

    HOWEVER- I have not been too pleased with the Sienna. First- we had issues with the cooling system. We've had various mechanical issues (tailgate; back up sensors, you name it). Mechanically- it just doesn't live up to our Toyota expectations. And my chief annoyance complaint- the LOCKOUT on the Navigation and DVD. Yes- I eventually figured out how to override the lockout on the Navi- but, just look to Hertz- you press the "I agree" for liability, and then the Navi is unlocked. For the DVD it's even more problematic. My husband or I have to sit in the front seat, lean the chair all the way back so we can see the screen and handle the controls, while we're on trips. It's just ridiculous. If no passenger is there- I have to drive, and lean back and fiddle with it. Really safe.....

    Now- I love the comfort of the Sienna. Personally like the interior wood vs the aluminum look in the Odyssey. But not sure I would buy another until Toyota starts to listen to the consumer more.
  • hot2004hot2004 Member Posts: 26
    I am following this forum already some time. So I knew how to get the best price thru internet department. But when I said, I found some Toyota dealers as dishonest, I meant it. They try to trap the customer with very attractive price and want the customers at their dealership. Once the customer is at their dealership, they starts playing games with numbers or finance options (they will tell you that you are not qualified for Toyota finance with low interest rate and try to push their own finance with higher interest rate) or even will try to sell a demo car for quoted new car price.

    Did you ever heard that the dealer wants you to buy the car before they tell you if you are qualified for finance or not?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Garmin is the same as Hertz' system, in fact you can take it our of safe mode and not have to press any button at all.

    Manufacturers should use the airbag sensor in the passengers seat - if a passenger is there the Nav screen should be unlocked automatically, because it means you have a co-pilot to enter destinations.

    Voice commands help somewhat, but this is what all manufacturers should do.

    Check out the Sienna Nav threads, people have figured out ways to hack the system, involving creating a hybrid DVD yourself.

    I agree with your suggestion, though. They could learn from Garmin.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I had the dealer calculate an out-the-door price, with taxes and everything, before I ever stepped foot in the dealership (DARCARS 355 Toyota, Rockville, MD). They obliged. The price was accurate to the penny. I took a cashier's check and that was that, no nonsense.

    I did not have to finance, though. Rates will vary by your credit score. What I suggest is you get a rate quote before you go to the dealer, then have them match or beat it.

    There are also no-haggle dealers that take some pressure off, here in the Mid-Atlantic that includes Fitzmall.com and CarMax Toyota Laurel.

    Best of luck.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Just got this offer in the mail:

    http://experience.toyotarewardsvisa.com/

    Interesting that someone was complaining about service being expensive - now you can get 5% back on any Toyota service plus 1% anywhere else. No cap at all, though.

    Subaru has such a program but you get 3% back no matter where you shop, though they cap it at $500/year.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    And my chief annoyance complaint- the LOCKOUT on the Navigation

    This user just shared a fix that may also help you, if you're still looking:

    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0e6c06/178#MSG178
  • pasodavepasodave Member Posts: 2
    You said you had 8 seats for adults.
    Do eight adults fit "comfortably" of is it recommended just for short trips?
    Where ever I saw description that said 8-passenger, I eventually got something that "indicated" 6 adults and two children.
    Any thoughts or advice?
  • minniemouse27minniemouse27 Member Posts: 7
    We have two very large car seats in the outboard 2nd row seats of our 8 passenger and can easily fit an adult in the center between them (or another car seat!).

    I don't think I would put an adult there (between the car seats) for a 10hr trip but I would think up to an hour or two would be fine.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I looked it up...

    Per C&D's specs, the Sienna's interior has:

    1st row: 66 cubic feet
    2nd row: 60 cubic feet
    3rd row: 51 cubic feet

    That's pretty darn roomy.

    For comparison's sake, I have the Feb 08 C&D issue in front of me, and I looked at the compact SUV comparison. The roomiest 2nd row of those 9 crossovers was the Jeep Liberty's, and that has 50 cubic feet in the 2nd row.

    So the Sienna has more room in its 3rd row than even the roomiest soft roader has in its 2nd!

    Unless you're talking about 8 NBA players you ought to fit just fine.

    Also for reference, Honda's 2008 brochure says it has 171.4 cubic feet of passenger space in the LX and EX, and 168.3 cubes in the EX-L and above (the small loss is probably due to a moonroof, I'm guessing).

    That's also quite good, but the Sienna's adds up to 177 cubes so it's a tad bigger.

    The width of the 2nd row seats in the Sienna are 22" for the outer chairs and 20" for the middle chair.

    My office chair is exactly 20" wide and I sit in it for 8-9 hours every day.

    I haven't measured the 3rd row, but you may want to do that, better yet take the whole gang with you to sample it in person.

    Best of luck. :shades:
  • yatesjoyatesjo Member Posts: 186
    The second row easily fits three child seats so I would have no problem putting 3 adults there for an extended trip (unlike the Odyssey's mother-in-law seat). I've had 3 adult men sit in the third row (one of them none too small) and they were perfectly comfortable for an in-town trip.

    There is nothing "mini" about minivans these days. On a recent trip we visited people with 12 y/o Chrysler and 15 y/o Honda minivan. Our Sienna was significantly bigger than the Chrysler and dwarfed the Honda.
  • minniemouse27minniemouse27 Member Posts: 7
    In our case...our two outboard car seats are pretty large (a Sunshine Kids Monterey and a Britax Regent) so the center seat space is a bit smaller than if we had car seats w/ a slimmer footprint....hence why I wouldn't put an adult there for a 10hr trip (over and above the idea of them having to travel between an 8yo and 4yo for that length of time!).

    I agree...the third seat is a "full size" seat and I have way more room there than in the back seat of our sedan (VW Jetta)!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Back then Honda was really selling a tall 5 door wagon, really.

    In Japan they still sell 'em, I think. Found a pic - JDM Odyssey:

    image
  • yatesjoyatesjo Member Posts: 186
    The old Odyssey did have seating for 7 passengers in a 2-3-2 arrangement. I think of it as an early experiment with a crossover because the rear doors swing instead of slide. CAFE has regulated away the true large station wagon so we have to settle for the more unwieldy and inefficient SUVs and crossovers.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'm sure manufacturers could find a loophole to categorize those as MPVs rather than cars. Look at the Venza, Crosstour, and Outback - all tall wagons basically.

    I like the concept of the Rondo and Mazda5, but they're a tad too small. The Mazda5 really only seats 4 comfortably, as you can't get a bench for the 2nd row (in the USA). The 3rd row in both has zero legroom.

    The JDM Ody is bigger.

    Subaru also has an Exiga model based on the Forester that is sold in Japan and Australia only, for now. There is no LHD version so no hope for US production of that car. It's a bit small, though, here's a pic with a human for scale:

    image
  • pasodavepasodave Member Posts: 2
    Thanks all.
    Your insights and information are very helpful.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You're welcome. Pop in and let us know what you end up with. Best of luck in your search. :shades:
  • yatesjoyatesjo Member Posts: 186
    I suspect that the redesign work needed to make JDM cars meet EPA truck definition is prohibitive for the projected market in this country. The Crossover/SUV/Minivan is the loophole manufacturers found for selling the larger capacity vehicles.

    There is a lot of good vehicles in the rest of the world that would be sold here if not for the over regulation of our so-called free country. SUVs would probably never taken off and we'd use less fuel as a country if only those choices were there for us.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The Mazda5 exceeded Mazda's sales expectations, and they didn't even market it.
  • islandvanislandvan Member Posts: 23
    hi all -

    a few questions on my sienna le 2010

    1- is there a way to make the power outlets work while car is turned off. i want to charge my cell phone overnight in the car while it is locked.

    2- it said in the manual that you had to have the dealer change certian settings like the way the interior lights cycle or if you want the chime to silence when you lock or open the car....anyone know where to find how i can do this? my old car was a series of turning the key on and pressing the break pedal etc.

    i did switch these door locks action when putting the shifter in park, so i thought there should be ways to do the others.

    3- the lower / larger glove box opens once and i feel like it should open one more position for easer access but do not want to force it...does it open once or twice?

    thanks in advance,

    glad i found this forum!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    1. I'm sure they do that to preserve the battery. When you shut the ignition off, there is a delay, so power remains for a little while until you exit the car. That's probably something you'd have to wire yourself to change, though.

    2. Yes, in fact besides the change you mentioned I was able to turn off the seatbelt chime for the passenger seat. Why, you may ask? Because unlike the Odyssey the front passenger seat can fold flat, and when you sit in the back and use the back of the seat as a foot rest (to lay down and watch a movie), it fools the sensor into thinking someone is sitting there. You could of course fasten the seat belt before you fold the seat flat, but I find it easier to just turn off that buzzer. I remind everyone to fasten their seat belts anyway.

    Now, do I know the specific procedure? Nope, sorry. I found it online by searching, though, so don't give up. The forum where I found my solution doesn't exist any more, but ask around in the Sienna threads, odds are someone will remember.

    3. AFAIK, it opens to one level. It's pretty deep so they probably don't want all that stuff spilling out.
  • islandvanislandvan Member Posts: 23
    thanks atexiera for the answers,

    i understand the battery saving idea but i have charged many cell phones overnight in different cars with never a problem and i think toyota would let us decide to take the chance if we wanted.

    and i will keep searcing for ideas on how to customize the car the way i like.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    ...as you should!

    I'm an aftermarket fan myself. 12" DVD player, Garmin GPS, and I'm still thinking about a tow hitch (in 07 Siennas came standard with the tow prep package).

    Good luck.
  • doggrandmadoggrandma Member Posts: 144
    We now have 2 large dogs (thanks to our kids moving into apts.), and it's not easy transporting them in my Mazda 3. I am thinking of getting a minivan, but I'm not sure how I feel about driving such a large vehicle.

    I would like to know which minivans have the best visibility, especially for changing lanes and merging, which ones have the best and brightest headlights (I'm not getting any younger!), which ones are most reliable, and if all minivans now have skid plates on the bottom of the vehicle to prevent fires if some debris were to be caught on the bottom of the vehicle.

    Also, if anyone else transports large dogs, what vehicle would you recommend? Thanks!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's a lot of questions! :shades:

    Where do we start?

    Minivans in general have excellent visibility. They are upright, so most of the glass is vertical and tall, narrow pillars help even more. No styled D-pillars here, just nice big boxy windows all around.

    Coming out of a Mazda3 they will feel big, relatively speaking, of course. Smaller than a Mazda CX9, though, and with fewer blind spots.

    The side mirrors are also enormous, at least on my Sienna. That helps.

    They're tall, though, so visibility straight behind can be tough. I bought a fish-eye lens, or you could get proximity sensors that beep, or even better a backup cam which comes with Navi on both the Sienna and Odyssey.

    Lane changes and merging are a snap, no issues at all. Keep in mind these are shorter than a Taurus, for example. Backing up is your biggest concern, because the rear windows are high up.

    I find the standard headlights are fine on my Sienna, but you can get HIDs on both of these vans, if you get them loaded up.

    Skid plates - no. But then again, most crossovers wouldn't have those, either. You'd pretty much have to step up to a truck-based SUV to get that sort of thing. The Sienna has an inch or so more clearance, which may help. The AWD Sienna has even more.

    You may want to consider a compromise solution, like a tall wagon (Mazda5, Kia Rondo), or maybe a compact crossover with good visibility (Subaru Forester).

    Remove all the seats, though, and the power sliding doors would give low step-in access to half a dozen great danes in any minivan. Tie their harnesses to any of the seat anchors to keep them safe.

    Woof! ;)
  • doggrandmadoggrandma Member Posts: 144
    Thank you so much for all the useful information!

    As the brilliant economist Thomas Sowell says, "There are no solutions; only trade-offs"

    In my research I have found that the Sienna has more "oomph" and better braking and headlights. However, the Odyssey gets somewhat better marks in safety tests. Oddly enough, neither of them do all that well in the complicated rear end collision tests that some group has devised. It's all based on the configuration of the head rests, etc., and not on any real-world test or outcomes, so I don't know how much stock to put in those ratings.

    I have test driven both vehicles now, and so far, I like how the Sienna handles better than I do the Odyssey. Funny, since many reviewers say the Odyssey is better on that score. Oh well, we all like different things.

    Skid plates (sometimes called underbody protection) are available on some vehicles, but not on these minivans. Perhaps it is not considered to be that important.

    Woof, to you, too. ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    complicated rear end collision tests that some group has devised

    You are correct, in fact the vehicle is not crashed - they basically use a sled to test the seats.

    And note that the Sienna has not actually been tested yet. The score is preliminary and based solely upon static measurements - the distance of the headrest to the dummy's head. It could do well or score poorly if they eventually do actually test it, who knows?

    like how the Sienna handles better than I do the Odyssey

    Take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning.

    Just kidding. :D

    You're definitely in the minority, but I will say I think the Sienna has a better ride and is generally more isolated from the road, which passengers may prefer if they want a quiet, soothing ride.

    The Ody provides more feedback - tire noise, road noise, most importantly - steering feel, which many drivers use as inputs to adjust their driving. The Sienna's steering has less feedback than my kids Nintendo Wii Wheel.

    Like lots of things - a trade off.
  • doggrandmadoggrandma Member Posts: 144
    Hmm, perhaps I need to test drive a few more vehicles, because the Ody I drove felt very "floaty" and the steering seemed vague.

    I'm looking at the Ody, the Sienna, and perhaps the new Subaru Outback. I like driving the Mazda5, but it's a bit too small and very underpowered.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    CR just gave the Outback a good review. The 4 cylinder model was rated higher than the Venza V6.

    Honda will soon add a competitor to that segment - the Accord CrossTour.
  • tylerwkutylerwku Member Posts: 13
    OK I test drove a 2010 Sienna and a 2010 Odyessey today and I am torn between the two! I like the looks, interior, and features of the Odyssey better, but I thought the Toyota drove better (less wind noise and bumps felt)had more pep to the engine too! I am interested to hear other opinions to see if my findings are true or perhaps the type of road I was driving on skewed my test drive.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    The general consensus (I think both Sienna owners and Odyssey owners will agree) is that the Odyssey is more sporty, while the Sienna is more comfy.

    The Odyssey drives like a scaled-up Accord; tight, accurate steering, slightly lower seating position, and less isolation from the road and noise. A good option if you really "like" to drive, but need a van.

    The Sienna is more Lexus-like; quieter, more softly sprung, but isn't nearly as carlike. The Odyssey drives like its smaller than it is.

    The Odyssey is your choice if you drive it every day (unless you crave power, which the Sienna offers more of without an economy penalty); the Sienna is likely to be the choice of your passengers, as its quieter and softer.

    Hope my opinion helps you a little!!

    Happy shopping!
  • tylerwkutylerwku Member Posts: 13
    Thanks for confirming what I thought. My wife is going to be driving it the most and she likes the Odyessy better, so I think it will be the winner! She wants a more "car like" drive and I agree 100% to your post... She could care less about the wind noise and the bumps anyway. She wants to be able to manuever it easily and I feel like the Odyessy will be the easiest to do that. The male in me wants the Lexus ride, but ease and functionality are most important to everyday driving!
    Thank You
  • jsseinfeldjsseinfeld Member Posts: 7
    So I read through the past 10 pages of this forum and tough to get some good info. Here's the situation I'm in. I need a car soon - my current car is just about had it. My wife wants a minivan - 2 kids, another one on the way. We both prefer the Odyssey (by a slight margin), mainly based on exterior looks and a couple nice interior features. However, the Sienna is about 2K cheaper for the models we like for both, plus Toyota is offering 1.9% financing currently while Honda has nothing, making it more like a $5K difference when you factor in interest. I almost feel stupid going for the Honda for that much more when I think they are that similar. Any thoughts, opinions? I appreciate it...I feel like I'm lost here...
  • islandvanislandvan Member Posts: 23
    i had the same experience as you... i could have gone either way but honda was about 2100.00 more and would not budge or offer any other incentive.

    i went with the le evp#2 and never looked back.

    i am very happy with the van and think it feels great when i "drive" it....... when i "push" it, i am in love with the power and response.

    i also feel the handling and ride are great for me and my family.

    good luck whatever your choice.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Happy wife, happy life. Let her choose. ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wow, that's a toughie.

    I usually tell people to buy what you love.

    In this case, though, $5 grand is a whole heck of a lot of moolah. You've got 3 college funds to build.

    Get the Sienna but spend part of that $5 grand getting, uh, a TV for your bedroom. :D

    You will find plenty to like - the engine, the smooth, quiet ride, and if you're looking at LE models, I strongly suggest the 8 passenger model.

    Your wife will love-Love-LOVE the front-and-center seat for the baby. She'll reach him/her from the front seat. The other 2 kids right there in the 2nd row, and 99 cubic feet of cargo space in the dungeon.

    Driving your 3rd home from the hospital, I bet you'll agree that was the right call.

    Good luck with whichever van you end up with.
  • doggrandmadoggrandma Member Posts: 144
    I, too, liked the way the Sienna handled better than the Odyssey I drove. However, if you look at all the safety info at various sites (safecar.gov; HLDI loss ratings; Insurance Institute site), you find that the Honda has better results. The thing that concerns me in particular is the poor rating on the Sienna for rear-end crashes. Although whiplash is not fatal, it can still cause years of pain and even disability.

    The Toyota salesman told me that the new Siennas all have active head restraints. I don't know if this will make a difference in the ratings for rear end collisions in the future.

    The Honda has better real world loss ratings (not by much), but both the Ody and the Sienna are above average. In the real world, it is almost always better to be in a large vehicle like a minivan or SUV than in a compact car. I can't even imagine what happens to those tiny smart cars in a wreck. No thanks!
  • jsseinfeldjsseinfeld Member Posts: 7
    Thanks very much for the info guys/gals - it's much appreciated.

    I'm going to the Honday dealer Sat. morning and following it up with the Toyota dealer and will make a choice next week. I'm just going to tell the Honda dealer my situation and see what they say. It would be hard for me to justify an extra $5K for something we slightly like better... Then again, we've only test driven the Sienna up until this point, so we'll see.

    Interesting point on the 8th seat. My wife said that with the 8th seat in the Sienna, you lose the 2nd row bucket seats that come with the 7 passenger and instead get the bench like seats (my wife likes the bucket seats). My point was who cares - we have young kids. I'll definitely look into that though. It sounds like either way I go I won't make a bad decision. I just wish the Honda had some sort of deal going on now. Ah well... Thanks again for your opinions. Any others are welcome! ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    the new Siennas all have active head restraints. I don't know if this will make a difference in the ratings for rear end collisions in the future

    You can bet on it.

    Every single current Honda model scored better than its predecessor, both cars and trucks, when this feature was added. No exceptions. Ody was Marginal as recently as 2007.

    One generation ago, all Hondas scored Poor or Marginal. Now they all score Good. Rigdgeline was the latest improved model, for 2009.

    This is good because it forces manufacturers to improve their headrests to match the competition.

    The bad things is that the headrests are closer and may feel a bit intrustive, so try it out. I liked my 98 Forester headrest better than our 09, but safety is probably more important than comfort.

    Avalon and Corolla went from Poor to good for model year 2009, as well.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I wouldn't call it a bench.

    You still get individual 3 bucket seats, only you lose the arm rests.

    So it goes from captain's chairs to bucket seats, basically.

    Keep in mind the kids will be in boosters and infant seats. You need as much width as you can get to fit 3 side-by-side. I simply got booster seats that had armrests (still using those) and cup holders.

    For sure take those seat with you. I doubt you can get 3 to fit in the Ody's 2nd row, and then the kids draw straws - loser sits by himself in the 3rd row. That's no fun.

    Also, with the middle seat all the way forward, they're staggered, so the baby is closer to mom. I'm not sure but I think in the Ody the seats move fore/aft together, so you can't really do that.

    Let me look for a pic...here's one, that middle seat slides several inches forward:

    image

    This pic is HUGE but it really demonstrates what I'm talking about quite well, note how the middle seat is half a foot closer to mom:

    http://www.familyeditors.com/craigslist/Sienna_flexseating-2.jpg

    Overall width is greater, too. What they did was move the outboard seats farther out, to make room for a 20" wide middle seat. The outer seats are 22".

    3 kids will fit easily. I put 2 kids in boosters plus a nanny in the middle, and everyone is comfy. The back is so huge that way we can fit the kids' bicycles inside.

    The seating arrangement is the main reason I bought it. Unbeatable versatility for 5, at any price, period.
  • yatesjoyatesjo Member Posts: 186
    Active head restraints make a tremendous difference in rear impact ratings. The seat and headrest are everything to rear impact ratings- when they test they don't even have the seat in the vehicle, just a dummy in the seat on a sled. Active restrains are the equivalent of airbags for safety ratings- they can instantly turn a poor safety rating into 5 stars.
  • yatesjoyatesjo Member Posts: 186
    I have to back up ateixeira on the Sienna's 8th seat. The front and center middle seat makes access to the baby much easier- especially helpful with a newborn. The Sienna 8-passenger is also gives a few more seating configuration options when carrying kids around in car seats- be it more child seats or carrying up to 4 adults comfortably at the same time as the three children. Also the Sienna has 2 latch positions in the third row compared to the Odyssey's single third row latch position.

    You do give up captains chairs to get it, but if your van is mostly used to haul children you have to ask yourselves if they will even notice. I've ridden the middle bench when taking a break from driving long trips and found it fine and comfortable.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Put a grand in each kid's college fund. That's $3000.

    Get a 12" DVD screen like mine. Kids will love it. Mine came with 2 wireless headsets but just plug-in the 3rd when the baby is old enough. That was $900 installed.

    Spend the $1100 on a 46" TV for your bedroom, wall mount, LCD. That way you'll have something to do and won't end up like the Duggars:

    image

    :shades:

    I think they had #18! :surprise:
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I doubt you can get 3 to fit in the Ody's 2nd row, and then the kids draw straws - loser sits by himself in the 3rd row. That's no fun.

    Depends on who you ask. I think I've mentioned here before, but will again for the sake of a new poster, my girlfriend has three little cousins, 3 years, 5 years, and 8 years. The 8 year old boy loves having the back row to himself for coloring, hot wheel driving, and no need for extra elbow room for playing on his little Nintendo DS. The girls (3&5) don't touch each other in their captains chairs/booster seats, so fights/quabbles don't happen readily. They have an older Navigator, but seating is the same setup as the Odyssey, but without the extra "PlusOne" seat the Honda offers for those moments when you need 8 passengers.

    Depends on the kids ages and temperaments I guess. :) Just wanted to add a differing idea here, something you might not have thought about. Atieixeira won't lead you astray, and frankly, neither van is a anything less than a good bet.
Sign In or Register to comment.