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Comments
Some auto manufacturers recommend slow and gentle driving at a variety of speeds for the first 1000 miles. Will this cause seating problems for the engine parts?
I could have the car put on a trailer, but want to save the $300, and also inspect the car in person before accepting it.
- Power Tailgate open/close
- Parking Assist on/off
- VSA on/off
There is a blank for a 4th switch, which I assumed would be for the fog lights. If not, what is the switchblank for? Another option?
good luck! if you get them as an accessory in the Ex, then the switch is installed in one of the empty switches on the panel.
- Power Tailgate open/close
- Parking Assist on/off
- VSA on/off
There is a blank for a 4th switch, which I assumed would be for the fog lights. If not, what is the switchblank for? Another option?
New cars don't tend to have any elaborate requirements, but you should still try to avoid long distances at one speed. If you can make a little longer trip out of it, get off the highway every so often, take side roads, go sightseeing, or whatever, just to give the engine some variety.
If you do need to pretty much haul straight through, at least vary speeds as much as you can. That is, run 60 for a bit, accelerate up to 75, and fluctuate in between.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
We have an EX-L on order, and I do sometimes have problems with my back (and certain car seats), although I'm sometimes happiest with seats that others find uncomfortable for some reason.
I have taken only 1 short drive (my wife did most of the testing), and did a few test sits in the showroom. I seem to recall that they flet good to me, but I will do some more investigating. I do really like how you can tilt the front edge up. Really helps with thigh support.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
--> Andy
-JJK
We have taken three separate one hour road trips over varying road surfaces and logged lots of around town miles in the last three weeks.
Though my wife is the primary driver, it seems to be an excellent vehicle, and I know you could not convince her otherwise!
Over some types of road surfaces, the tires transmit a bit more noise than I am use to sensing from, say, my Suburban, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Quiet over most road surfaces.
I have washed, clay barred, and waxed this thing and have yet to find a flaw, inside or out. Yeah, there is too much plastic it in, but doesn't this seem typical anymore? I've got my aftermarket wood kit ready to install this weekend. That will help break up some of that. At least all the pieces in ours seem to fit well, no rattles or squeaks yet.
Ergonomics of any vehicle are obviously not going to work for every person's body. I'm 5"10" 180 lbs, wife is 5'8" 125 lbs. and the seats work fine for us. My biggest complaint is the reach to the steering wheel. It does seem a bit excessive.
Anybody considering laying out a big chunk of change for the Odyssey, or any other vehicle, should check them out thoroughly and come to their own conclusion. To be totally turned off by the negative postings of any vehicles contained in these boards could be a mistake, (it seems people are more willing to spend more time and energy griping rather than praising).
And, in forums such as this one we see a lot of "me too"'s thrown into the mix.
Even myself. I never noticed my moonroof in my Accord Coupe squeaking until I read of that horrible "problem" in an Accord forum a few years ago.
So, the next time I drove the Accord, I turned off the radio and listened carefully. Sure enough, when I hit rough places on the street, It squeeked!
Took me five minutes to lube it up.
Guess no car is perfect?
I test drove an EX and the Touring and I didn't notice any real difference in road noise or ride (This test drive was approximately a week apart, so I can't be certain).
Personally, I find the ride slightly firmer (just over certian bumps) than I would prefer for a minivan, and I do hear more road noise than I may have initially anticipated. In this regard, the Sienna I drove was a little better.
That being said, the overall noise, refinement, wind noise of the Honda is very good and I think these are the things you notice when you are nit-picking about the details. I also like the overall interior quality/design of the Odyssey over it's competitors.
I would have to agree that the Odyssey and Toyota just have different personalities. The Honda seems like a newer design, with slightly better ergonomics, and just plain feels uplevel (personal opinion). The Sienna that I drove had a very soft/quiet ride and in some ways I liked it better. Although, I understand that it would compromise the handling and driving experience somewhat. I also felt the dash was a little more outdated (Buick?,personal opinion). I actually liked both vehicles.
Hopefully this helps.
Our 2005 Odyssey EX-L NAV/DVD is our fifth Honda or Acura in the past 15 years. The only time we ever complained about a car was the one time we made a big mistake and bought a 1994 Ford Explorer. My fault, but my wife forgave me.
We thought our 2000 Odyssey was our best car ever, but the 2005 beats it hands down. Now we have two vans to drive around two kids and a big dog. The guy who bought the 1993 Accord we just sold, is pretty happy too.
The seats are perfectly comfortable on both the vans, and we have no issues with fit or finish.
The Odyssey feels more like a sport sedan (well, compared to the Sienna at least, its not like it'll beat a BMW 330i) with some luxury touches. It all just comes down to which one you prefer. Some people prefer a Camry. Some like the Accord. Either way, you really can't go wrong.
My gas mileage was 22.1 mpg (the EPA rating on the highway is 28 mpg). The Honda dealership told me that 22.1 mpg was within the acceptable range, and since my vehicle did not have any fault codes there was nothing they could do.
I understand there may be a variance from the EPA estimate but 6 mpg or over a 20% difference is not an acceptable variance.
I have owned approximately 20 vehicles and have never had a problem getting close to or even greater than the EPA estimate. So I am not sure what the problem could be, and Honda doesn't give a hoot.
If I remember right, EPA tests are done in a lab and the highway mileage is based on an average speed of 48 mph, with the A/C off, for 10 miles.
You are pushing a lot more air (drag) at that 70 mph average versus the 48 mph average.
It has 'Bridgestone Turanza' tires
btw, has anyone that is complaining about seat complainers actually rode in a LX that does not have the adjustable lumbar? My husband thought I was exaggerating about the back pain until I let him drive it for 1 day (80 mile round trip). He and his carpooler has voted it 'most uncomfortable seats'. They both ended up riding with the seats really reclined so that lumbar thing would quit poking them in the back.
I have driven the van for about 40 minutes above 50+ mph and it drives great, good pickup, smooth transmission, little wind noise (I don't have a rook rack or moonroof), but my back pain was intolerable and my legs went to sleep (and stayed asleep throughout the night). I have discovered that if I drive it without my back resting on the seat then I am OK. I don't think I could do this for a long period though. I am going to call the dealer on Monday and discuss options. I love the van and want to keep it but being able to lean back in the seat would sure be nice!
Pls. keep posting since MPG will be a pretty big issue in our purchase decision--I would expect 25-26 at about 65 mph under decent conditons with VCM.
The seats are not as comfortable as those on our Volvo, but they are not uncomfortable. My wife even rode in the center of the second seat for 20 miles and said the Plus One seat was fine. I had a disc removed in my back, and I spent many months this year at the physical therapist eliminating some bad back pains from posture problems I have. So my back is not the model back, yet the Odyssey's driver seat doesn't cause any problems.
With 700 miles on it, I calculated the gas mileage for one tank of gas for mixed highway and around town driving, and it was just over 22 mpg, which is about what I would expect. Much of the highway mileage was with the van loaded with passengers and cargo.
The acceleration and handling are very good for a utility vehicle. I'm not sure how well the traction control works, though, as I have spun the wheels for a second or two accelerating from a stop on dry pavement.
Add me to the list of satisfied owners.
I had a 2004 Sienna loaner from a dealer (long story) that I picked it up in.
When I picked the van up, I filled them both side-by side and drove back to my folks house.
Honda used 12.5 gallons, 20 MPG, Sienna 10 Gallons 25 MPG.
After the weekend, I refilled them both again. I drove them both back home, 300 miles, all interstate, one behind the other (we did switch leads a few times).
The Sienna again beat the Honda by a solid 20%. 26.5 MPG in the Sienna, 22 MPG in the Honda.
Just finished my first tank locally, 16.5 MPG.
I'm disgusted. The Honda people take the EPA #'s as a key selling point, and frankly the Sienna makes it look silly out there.
Maybe you get 28 MPG on a perfectly flat course with 3 cylinders all the time, but you sure don't see that longer haul.
Road noise is a little higher than it should be, personally I like the radio.
Some very basic features (for instance a trip computer to compute the mileage!!) were "conveniently" left off the $32800 car-- coincidence?? (Ha ha)
I have 1 final problem-- the tailgate often fails to fully latch when I close it. I'm a big dude, I guarantee I am not being too gentle. It sticks in the "half way closed" position, unless I hold on the the door and push it all the way into the frame of the car.
OK-- As far as I'm concerned it is definitive-- if you care about the mileage as a selling point, buy Sienna. Open, closed. 20% savings.
Cheers!
Jeff
1. 70 mph is not the ideal speed for gas mileage, but it is the speed limit on a lot of interstates, and it still does not explain a 6 mpg difference.
2. The EPA test is performed at an average of 48 mph however, the estimate is reduced by 22% highway 10% city to reflect "normal" driving conditions.
3. You have owned more cars than I.
4. Your driving habits are different than mine.
Reading the maintenance record, I do not see a mention to replace an interior air filter. Does this vehicle even have one? The sales person said it did.
I've driven in a few "odiferous" areas and behind a few diesel trucks and wondered why I smell everything if there really is an air filter.
Now remember, I own a Pilot. I know how the Lumbar support lever works, that's not the problem. I have owned a '94 Civic, 1st gen CRV, and currently an '02 Civic as well. I have never had a problem with the seats. What's up?!
The dealer is giving me an EXL tomorrow for a two day trial (he really wants to sell me a van and I really want to buy one) Perhaps the leather will make a difference. Otherwise, no deal. Not when my Pilot seats are so comfy.
But on the highway the noise is unacceptable.
The radio snap crackles and pops due to losing signal.
so as you drive along and want to be happy the road noise and radio spoil the party
I finally found a link for more info on EPA vehicle testing for fuel economy, if anyone is interested.
www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml
I've always considered EPA numbers just a way to compare mileage between vehicle A and vehicle B. If I got somewhere around those mileage numbers, then I felt darn lucky.
1999 Ody EX delivered 18.3 MPG in 42,703 miles
2004 Sienna XLE has delivered only 16.0 MPG so far in 14,223 miles.
By comparison, the 2001 GC ES got 17.8 MPG in the 37,339 miles and the 2004 Quest SL got 17.8 MPG in 21,718 miles.
Edmund's accurate long term tests indicate the Odyssey is the winner of the minivans while the Sienna is the lowest.
I am extremely happy with my '05 EX-L and have gone to painstaking lengths to try and find things wrong with it. I have not heard any objectionable noise, except when the rear windows are down and nothing else. But to remedy that, just crack the fronts an inch or two and it goes away.
My only complaint is the quality of paint on the plastic rear bumper.
But what would the other two blanks be used for? Will I have to stare at these two switchblanks everytime I drive, as a reminder that I didn't get the Touring?
I had the same situation in a Mazda once, except that you could remove the switchblanks and pop-in a handy coin holder.
I really need to get an Ody out on the highway to see what this road/wind noise thing is all about. My test drives didn't include much higher-speed driving, but they did seem quiet during the drives.
One dealer is close to a local highway, so it should be easy to do a 5 mile run at 70ish, which should be all I need to test wind and road noise (seat comfort too).
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The basic Odyssey has different tires as noted by a previous poster.
The noise is like riding on rails in a train
The Odyssey has consistently had the highest EPA ratings which were validated by Edmund's drivers in the Long Term Tests.
As to Edmunds, I believe the Honda put no way more miles, leading me to believe it did more roadtrips. The Sienna seems to spend most of it's life stuck in traffic in LA. Plus, in '99, it may have been living in Denver?
Unless you are sure that each van had basically the same use, it's hard to tell which gets better mileage.
You can say that none is exactly a gas miser, if they can't even break 20 MPG.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.