I see some parts of the Odyssey that looks like the Sienna and I see some parts of the Odyssey that look like the Quest. But to me it looks like the Quest had the dominant gene since I can think of more things that look like the Quest than the Sienna.
Well i think it has to be during this month that we find out everything. We thought or at least i thought it was July 04 yesterday that Honda was gonna make the debut and release official info, but it wasnt yesterday so from whatve heard it is July '04 when Honda will debut the 05 ODY, so lets just wait till Honda does the debut before July '04.
I am a bit disappointed with the new Odyssey. When I saw the Elysion I thought it looked great. Now the American version is higher instead of lower (tough to wash & wax the top), the current Ody front looks much better, and I am not too sure about the VCM - GM tried it before and it was a failure. Also - who needs windows that open in the back? Nobody opens their windows anymore.
HondaPreview.com, is a very reliable source adn it is sooo reliable that Honda of N.A. had to delete all the stuff they where putting up about the '05 ODY. So it actually is pretty good.
The only problem with that one line of "chrome" on the Sienna Limited is that it is made of CHEAP PLASTIC, not real chrome or metal! Just touch that cheap crap and you will see it moves very easily like flimsy plastic. What a total disgrace! Using cheap plastic as "chrome" on a $40K vehicle! Hell, even a cheap Kia just real chrome on the front grille! However, I still like the Sienna overall :-) I'm just disappointed with that slight blimish, which I hope Toyota will fix soon.
I guess I missed something over the holiday weekend. Nice photos of another test car (silver this time) with more close ups. That looks like a touring with sunroof, leather and navigation. I noticed the cruiser is integrated on one of the steering wheel stoke. I hope the finished product has less black trims (rear spoiler, lower body shirt, side mirrors and license plate garnish).
My impression of these pics: 1) Just as I fear, they totally screwed up the rear end. Not as bad as the Nissan Quest, but almost as bad. What were they thinking?
2) I don't think the 3rd row windows can be rolled down.
3) Where are the cross-bars? Cheap Honda people! Give us those cross-bars to go along with the roof-rack like Toyota why don't you?
4) I hope the door handles on the Touring model are not black!
5) The NAV screen looks like it's an "8" screen, which is good.
6) No gated shifter, just a dash mounted straight-line shifter. NO!
7) You get 6-Disc CD with the NAV, unlike the Sienna.
8) Looks like the DVD player is located below the coin/cup holder, and you get both NAV and DVD player, which is good.
9) I don't see any woodtrim. NO!
10) Still don't know if the grille will have chrome.
11) Overall, at this point in time without seeing the real deal yet, I still rank the Sienna above the new Ody in terms of looks: no woodtrim, no gated shifter, and terrible rear end. But the Ody gets higher points with the awesome NAV+DVD player+6-CD changer all in the front dash.
Some people may not consider it a luxury item, but I think Honda does. Why do all the Acura vehicles have the gated shifter and none of the Honda vehicles have the gated shifter? Until the Sienna and Solara, all Lexus had the gated shifter, but all the Toyotas did not.
Like Element, CR-V, Pilot and current Odyssey, it will cost you extra for cross bars, cargo cover and few goodies. I like woodtrim, but brushed aluminum looks sporty.
I hope it is the EX-L also, only because I want a moonroof and don't want to spend extra for the touring (if the eralier packaging guesses are correct).
I will go outside later & try ripping that strip off. I will just have to get past my husband & son before I can do so. Plastic huh? Seems rather cheap of them.
This is what I think of the new Odyssey:
1. I notice that the outside is a bit "squary". Not good for my tastes.
2. The rear end looks really messed.
3. The interior; buttons everywhere; reminds me of the Quest.
4. A huge navigation system. That's good.
5. No woodtrim; most of the interior is adorn with plastic/rubber. I like the Sienna's woodtrim.
6. Stereo is low. Sienna's is atleast on the way on top of the dash.
7. I notice the seat heaters are REALLY low. Literally above the floor. Not good.
8. No gated shifter. And isn't it a 5 speed?
I still have to see the final production to clarify my judgement but I don't like this one. I'm glad I have a Sienna. It atleast is a bit rounder,
Real brushed aluminum, if done tastefully, could be nice. Silver colored plastic - forget it, way too 70's. Plastic wood - ughh. Whats next, wood decals on the side like station wagons used to have?
Nicely textured plastic/vinyl is still my favorite.
one thing to keep in mind is that the Nav system often forces many of the other controls to be rearranged. It's possible that the non-nav (aka the way 99.9% of people buy it) will have the radio, etc. up higher, since all that real estate won't be lost to the nav screen.
As to the rear and the black trim outside, I think it might be part of the disguise. The current model has body color trim (on the EX), so highly unlikely they will go back. On the rear, a little tape to hide the details can make a huge difference.
Personally, it looks OK, and of all the aspects of a minivan, the styling of the rear end is pretty far down the list in trerms of importance. The interior and driving dynamics are the most improtant (particularly truning radius). Styling, well it is a big box, and I want maximum utility and visibility, not high style (like the Quest).
That new Ody's rear end has got to go! U--g--l--y! I think squarish can work well like BMW SUV or Lexus LX470 SUV. They should try to make it look like a BMW SUV on the back end. What a shame, unless it's a total disguise thing. The front looks like a lot of mesh metal look. That's okay, but it better have plenty of REAL chrome too. Yeah, what happend to the Elysion buttons and layout? I was hoping it would look more like the Accord's layout!
I just don't think the new Ody is good enough to be selling for MSRP. I have seen absolutely nothing at this point that would make me want to buy this thing. The NAV looks great, but everything else is very mediocre.
OK, so I have been anticipating this arrival for some time like many on this board. The exterior I like, however if they keep the crappy plastic Aztek, Avalanche junk instead of doing actual body color, then forget it. (especially the spoiler, that thing is really ugly) Assuming they chrome out the grill and stuff, I really like the front and sides, nothing too drastic, but nice. ( I wonder why they are taping over the rear corners around the lights? What could they be hiding there?) Now for the interior. CRAP! That looks like junk! GM even makes lousy vehicles with a more attractive interior than that! Did Honda farm out the interior design to Ford for some reason? And the button placement is ridiculous?!?! In the winter, I use the seat heaters religiously, and to put that button on the gound is just plain stupid. One suggestion for better placement would be . . . . . uh the door.. DUH! And finally, as we have all seen, Honda Japan obviously knows that LCDs have came a long way since the old crappy black on greed. Why would anyone still use that?!?! I can't believe that! It hurts for someone to tell you that your baby is ugly, but I have to agree on a few of these.
Wouldn't it be funny if these were an elaborate plan to distract everyone from the REAL '05 Odyssey. That would be so funny. If only it were true.
I have an 04 Ody and I like the looks of the new one. To me the Sienna looks like an 04 Malibu from the front and I won't even go into the Quests interior.
I think everyone should reserve judgement till we see the unmasked photos.
Maybe I have bad eyes, but I sure couldn't make out the level of detail from those pics of the interior (though a wet window no less). How can you tell what color the guages are?
I prefer to reserve judgement until I can see it in person (or at least decent pictures of the real thing). Things like seat somfort and ergonomics really can't be told until you get in and play with the darn thing.
Again, I don't mind if it doesn't set the world on fire, if it means I get a good deal sooner than I would otherwise.
I still hope the real deal looks much better than those pics, especially the rear view.
I think many of us have heard rumors that the '05 Ody would just "blow" everyone away in terms of looks and functionality. But based on these spy pics, it's very disappointing only because many of our expections are set so high.
I hope all the negative impressions, including my own, will go away once the real deal appears.
I still like the gated shifter of the Sienna a lot better, though. I don't think they will change the position and type of shifter in the finished product, do you?
But I am very glad Honda has given the Ody a HUGE (possibly 8 inch) NAV screen and bigger DVD movie screen (about 9" according to a source on Odyclub who has seen the new Ody with her own eyes). That will show Toyota and hopefully, Toyota will copy that in the 2006/2007 Sienna.
We will just have to wait another week or so to pass judgement on the finished product.
I just noticed something, the water jets on the 05 ODY are body colored (look at the silver ody spy shots)while the ones on the Sienna are not (theyre black)
I have a 2003 Accord EX-L, the rear styling which I STILL haven't gotten used to, but the interior which I feel is hands-down one of the best ever. I do NOT have the NAV system, and so the climate control is laid out much better than the cars with the NAV system and as shown in the recent spy pics. I hope that the non-NAV version of the Ody is similarly better laid out. From looking at the spy pics, the seats and steering wheel seem to be straight out of my Accord, which is a very good thing. Another thing I really like about my Accord is the white letters on black background for the radio/climate screen; alas, from the spy pics both the radio and the climate controls appear to be the black letters on lighted background, which is much harder to see in sunlight (or any time, for that matter).
One thing which really disappoints me, though, is that they can't get the damn cupholders right! In my Accord, the cupholders have four spring-loaded "grabbers" that keep your drink in place no matter how skinny the cup is (or in my wife's case, the standard-size bottle of Arrowhead water). Doesn't look to be the case here, which means that the water is going to constantly be shaking around.
Other than that, I like the new look. Not sure why everyone is complaining about the rear end, it looks MUCH better than my Accord...
I agree about the Accord. I love the interior, and would behappy if Honda would basically transplant it into the Ody. The back end, i still don't care for, but there is a big difference between plain (al a Minivan) and ugly.
We will be coming out of a previous generation ('99) Nissan Quest, so I'm sure the room and comfort will be a nice improvment, even if not up to some folks expectations. I do like the Sienna in many ways, but there are a few things that I would change. Not important enough necessarily to not buy it, but nothing IMO is perfect.
It looks like the pictures were taking in two different places. Look at the car (white or sliver) next to the driver's side door (picture with two coffee cups) and the Odyssey is sitting in the sunny parking lot with no car on the driver's side. It looks like with AL plate.
I just called Honda 1-800-999-1009, and the guy told me that they didnt know anything about the 05 ODY, he told me that what he knew was that all the 2005 Honda's were gonna go on sale Late Summer/Early Fall. He asked for first adn last name, address, phone #, and told me that they would mail me anything regarding the 05 ODY as soon as info or brochures come out.
Yes, I also dislike the rear-end, as I mentioned above. However, my taste is a little different than yours, and I totally hate the gated shifter. Especially if you have the indicators on your dashboard.
Example: Just look at the Sienna's instrument cluster. I love it. It's simple, clean and neat. 3 nice gauges with light blue color. Then, the shift indicators is messing up the whole thing! I prefer the Camry gauges due to it's clean design.
Besides that, I think it's not so safe that you don't have to press the button on the shifter. It's much easier for children to move your car, or accidently put the shifter in reverse/neutral...
I never liked Honda interiors. The current Odyssey is soooooooo plain, on black background, We definitely need some wood and chrome inside! I don't like the Ody steering wheel either.
I told you before, guys: Do not expect the new Ody to blow everything away! This will never happen! After some competitors, especially Toyota, tried hard to put in most everything in the redesigned Sienna, it's hard to beat. Sure, they can add some stuff here and there, but no more blowing away anymore.
Anyway, Andrew: Think this way: Honda is not crazy! They never was! So they probably made it as good as possible. We have to wait and try it out, see detailed pictures, and read some reviews from actual testers.
Keep in mind these are pics of camoflaged/disguised preproduction run (pilot run) prototypes. Features are regularly omitted or added regardless of model.
The painted handles and the faked ovals under them are intended to throw off the observer.
The handles, the fender arches and the wheels will likely be colored as one would expect, as will be the large black plastic section on the rear hatch. So expect body color on all these and silver rims.
The cars are complete, but trim and details may be slightly different. I suspect most will be happy with how they turn out.
"one thing to keep in mind is that the Nav system often forces many of the other controls to be rearranged. It's possible that the non-nav (aka the way 99.9% of people buy it) will have the radio, etc. up higher, since all that real estate won't be lost to the nav screen"
IIRC, when I looked at the Pilot, the EX w/o NAV had the radio in the spot where the NAV was located on upper level models, as described above. I'm not a big NAV fan, but from some of the tests I've seen on motorweek, some companies integrate the radio controls into one of the NAV screens. Is that a possibility here?
I think it's common for the radio controls to be integrated into the nav (or at least the nav screen). obviously any buttons have to be moved to make way for the screen. I assume the non-nav cars won't have the big screen, but maybe they will (like the Lexus RX300).
That's where I draw my line on how much I am willing to spend (in October). A Sienna LE with side window curtians is mighty fine. I may be able to snag it in under 25k. The big question for me is "what can the 2005 honda odyssey offer for under 25K? an LX, steel wheels, VCM, 1 month wait, plain interior, good instrument cluster, comfortable seats, lets wait and see.
With the Sienna I know I get better reliability, a proven engine (3.3 V6 is the same as RX330, highlander), smooth ride, good acceleration, better interior, pre-wired for DVD (will get aftermarket DVD if I go with Sienna)
For a large city/suburban driving of 12K per year with about 6k in traffic situations and 6k in freeway driving (and plenty of hours waiting in Montisorri car pools) I am assuming that the VCM would kick in for 6K miles only(for my expected driving situations)
The VCM fuel savings for those 6K miles: assuming a 15% improvement due to VCM. non VCM (sienna) would give 26mpg highway VCM fitted Honda would give 30 mpg highway
For 6K miles with VCM: 200 gallons/yr For 6K miles with non-VCM: 230 gallons/yr
Total savings per year: 30 gallons or 60 bucks. Total worries with this bleeding edge technology : plenty.
you sound like a perfect candidate to snag a deal on a 2004 Ody EX (based on your price limit). Of course, you also want all the latest features and the newest model, so that could be a problem.
Admittedly looks like a small idea at the 1 van level. Where it gets more impressive is when the engine is rolled out through 150,000 vans 1st year. Gasoline saving is 4,500,000 gallons. (assumes full year benefit) Second year, the next 150,000 new vans saves 4,500,000 gallons and the original saves another 4,500,000 gallons for a total of 9,000,000 gallons. Third year is 13,500,000 gallons saved and so on.
Comments
No, it does not look like that - it looks like the old generation Ody had a baby.....:-)
I disagree, it looks like the old generation Ody still pregnant . lol
I think the new Odyssey is an improvement as well.
We are expecting an official press release from Honda within the next week regarding the 2005 Odyssey.
Just touch that cheap crap and you will see it moves very easily like flimsy plastic. What a total disgrace! Using cheap plastic as "chrome" on a $40K vehicle!
Hell, even a cheap Kia just real chrome on the front grille!
However, I still like the Sienna overall :-)
I'm just disappointed with that slight blimish, which I hope Toyota will fix soon.
1) Just as I fear, they totally screwed up the rear end. Not as bad as the Nissan Quest, but almost as bad. What were they thinking?
2) I don't think the 3rd row windows can be rolled down.
3) Where are the cross-bars? Cheap Honda people! Give us those cross-bars to go along with the roof-rack like Toyota why don't you?
4) I hope the door handles on the Touring model are not black!
5) The NAV screen looks like it's an "8" screen, which is good.
6) No gated shifter, just a dash mounted straight-line shifter. NO!
7) You get 6-Disc CD with the NAV, unlike the Sienna.
8) Looks like the DVD player is located below the coin/cup holder, and you get both NAV and DVD player, which is good.
9) I don't see any woodtrim. NO!
10) Still don't know if the grille will have chrome.
11) Overall, at this point in time without seeing the real deal yet, I still rank the Sienna above the new Ody in terms of looks: no woodtrim, no gated shifter, and terrible rear end.
But the Ody gets higher points with the awesome NAV+DVD player+6-CD changer all in the front dash.
Why do all the Acura vehicles have the gated shifter and none of the Honda vehicles have the gated shifter?
Until the Sienna and Solara, all Lexus had the gated shifter, but all the Toyotas did not.
I hope the Touring w/NAV+RES looks a lot more luxurious than that.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
This is what I think of the new Odyssey:
1. I notice that the outside is a bit "squary". Not good for my tastes.
2. The rear end looks really messed.
3. The interior; buttons everywhere; reminds me of the Quest.
4. A huge navigation system. That's good.
5. No woodtrim; most of the interior is adorn with plastic/rubber. I like the Sienna's woodtrim.
6. Stereo is low. Sienna's is atleast on the way on top of the dash.
7. I notice the seat heaters are REALLY low. Literally above the floor. Not good.
8. No gated shifter. And isn't it a 5 speed?
I still have to see the final production to clarify my judgement but I don't like this one. I'm glad I have a Sienna. It atleast is a bit rounder,
Nicely textured plastic/vinyl is still my favorite.
As to the rear and the black trim outside, I think it might be part of the disguise. The current model has body color trim (on the EX), so highly unlikely they will go back. On the rear, a little tape to hide the details can make a huge difference.
Personally, it looks OK, and of all the aspects of a minivan, the styling of the rear end is pretty far down the list in trerms of importance. The interior and driving dynamics are the most improtant (particularly truning radius). Styling, well it is a big box, and I want maximum utility and visibility, not high style (like the Quest).
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I think squarish can work well like BMW SUV or Lexus LX470 SUV.
They should try to make it look like a BMW SUV on the back end. What a shame, unless it's a total disguise thing. The front looks like a lot of mesh metal look. That's okay, but it better have plenty of REAL chrome too.
Yeah, what happend to the Elysion buttons and layout? I was hoping it would look more like the Accord's layout!
I have seen absolutely nothing at this point that would make me want to buy this thing. The NAV looks great, but everything else is very mediocre.
Wouldn't it be funny if these were an elaborate plan to distract everyone from the REAL '05 Odyssey. That would be so funny. If only it were true.
I think everyone should reserve judgement till we see the unmasked photos.
I prefer to reserve judgement until I can see it in person (or at least decent pictures of the real thing). Things like seat somfort and ergonomics really can't be told until you get in and play with the darn thing.
Again, I don't mind if it doesn't set the world on fire, if it means I get a good deal sooner than I would otherwise.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I think many of us have heard rumors that the '05 Ody would just "blow" everyone away in terms of looks and functionality. But based on these spy pics, it's very disappointing only because many of our expections are set so high.
I hope all the negative impressions, including my own, will go away once the real deal appears.
I still like the gated shifter of the Sienna a lot better, though. I don't think they will change the position and type of shifter in the finished product, do you?
But I am very glad Honda has given the Ody a HUGE (possibly 8 inch) NAV screen and bigger DVD movie screen (about 9" according to a source on Odyclub who has seen the new Ody with her own eyes).
That will show Toyota and hopefully, Toyota will copy that in the 2006/2007 Sienna.
We will just have to wait another week or so to pass judgement on the finished product.
One thing which really disappoints me, though, is that they can't get the damn cupholders right! In my Accord, the cupholders have four spring-loaded "grabbers" that keep your drink in place no matter how skinny the cup is (or in my wife's case, the standard-size bottle of Arrowhead water). Doesn't look to be the case here, which means that the water is going to constantly be shaking around.
Other than that, I like the new look. Not sure why everyone is complaining about the rear end, it looks MUCH better than my Accord...
We will be coming out of a previous generation ('99) Nissan Quest, so I'm sure the room and comfort will be a nice improvment, even if not up to some folks expectations. I do like the Sienna in many ways, but there are a few things that I would change. Not important enough necessarily to not buy it, but nothing IMO is perfect.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Example: Just look at the Sienna's instrument cluster. I love it. It's simple, clean and neat. 3 nice gauges with light blue color. Then, the shift indicators is messing up the whole thing! I prefer the Camry gauges due to it's clean design.
Besides that, I think it's not so safe that you don't have to press the button on the shifter. It's much easier for children to move your car, or accidently put the shifter in reverse/neutral...
I never liked Honda interiors. The current Odyssey is soooooooo plain, on black background, We definitely need some wood and chrome inside! I don't like the Ody steering wheel either.
I told you before, guys: Do not expect the new Ody to blow everything away! This will never happen! After some competitors, especially Toyota, tried hard to put in most everything in the redesigned Sienna, it's hard to beat. Sure, they can add some stuff here and there, but no more blowing away anymore.
Anyway, Andrew: Think this way: Honda is not crazy! They never was! So they probably made it as good as possible. We have to wait and try it out, see detailed pictures, and read some reviews from actual testers.
The painted handles and the faked ovals under them are intended to throw off the observer.
The handles, the fender arches and the wheels will likely be colored as one would expect, as will be the large black plastic section on the rear hatch. So expect body color on all these and silver rims.
The cars are complete, but trim and details may be slightly different. I suspect most will be happy with how they turn out.
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=249535
IIRC, when I looked at the Pilot, the EX w/o NAV had the radio in the spot where the NAV was located on upper level models, as described above. I'm not a big NAV fan, but from some of the tests I've seen on motorweek, some companies integrate the radio controls into one of the NAV screens. Is that a possibility here?
Well, we shall soon see.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
With the Sienna I know I get better reliability, a proven engine (3.3 V6 is the same as RX330, highlander), smooth ride, good acceleration, better interior, pre-wired for DVD (will get aftermarket DVD if I go with Sienna)
The VCM fuel savings for those 6K miles:
assuming a 15% improvement due to VCM.
non VCM (sienna) would give 26mpg highway
VCM fitted Honda would give 30 mpg highway
For 6K miles with VCM: 200 gallons/yr
For 6K miles with non-VCM: 230 gallons/yr
Total savings per year: 30 gallons or 60 bucks.
Total worries with this bleeding edge technology : plenty.
your mileage may vary!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
If someone drives a lot on trips, and a van is usually the designated trip car, they could double your savings, more if you drive >12k miles.
If you keep your van for 7 years, that's $840, or enough to buy an extended warranty for 7/100 and ease those worries away completely! Voila.
The warranty covers everything else, basically, and you get better range for those long trips.
Plus they've had it in the HCH, and do you really expect Honda to pull a GM V8-6-4 with this?
All I'm saying is that there are pros and cons.
-juice
Second year, the next 150,000 new vans saves 4,500,000 gallons and the original saves another 4,500,000 gallons for a total of 9,000,000 gallons.
Third year is 13,500,000 gallons saved and so on.
All I can say is wow!
-juice