(1) There is a clunking under the gas pedal right after we start the van up and reach 12 miles per hour. Is this the ABS kicking in? Is this normal?
Yes and Yes.
(2) I do not believe we are getting the gas mileage around town that we are suppose to be getting. Anyone else having this experience?
There has been a bit of discussion on this recently here at Edmunds. Give it time. Hondas take a while to break in (5k-10K miles) and the EPA number on the window sticker is an estimate to allow you to compare models - not an absolute.
My wife and I had the same question about the oil change interval because the manual is not clear. (2005 EX-L) I spoke with a service advisor at the dealership and he stated that there are two oil change service recommendation; Severe and Normal. For Normal driving condition you can change oil every 7500 miles. For Severe driving conditions you should change oil ever 3750. Basically they add an oil change in between each 7500 mile service. Severe driving is considered a lot of short trip, stop and go traffic, etc. I live in Atlanta and he told me that we should consider our driving as severe due to the traffic. One other thing he told me, was that the oil indicator (% life) only goes against the odometer (7500 mi) and does not monitor your driving habits.
I was getting about 15-16 mpg on my 05 Ody w/NAV around town. The Las Vegas valley is infamous for its 3-4 minute stop lights every couple of blocks.
Yesterday, my wife and I took our daughter and her boyfriend to California. Round trip we put on about 900 miles. Average mpg for the entire trip, which included climbing some mountains, was 23.4 mpg which I consider acceptable. On one of the flatter sections after just gassing up, we got 26.5 mpg until we started climbing back over to Las Vegas where it dropped to 23.4.
The car only has just over 2,400 miles, so I consider this a good indication of future mileage when we go to Wisconsin and Florida this summer.
Agree that your gas mileage was acceptable but I wonder where the "flatter sections" are located. Is the Las Vegas - Nevada/California border the "flatter section"? Did you drive Interstate 15 or go the back roads to San Diego? (There are many long, steep sections on I-15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles). My worst gas mileage is returning from Las Vegas to Cedar City, Utah on I-15 or going from Cheyenne to Evanston Wyoming on I-80 (Get fantastic gas mileage going east from Evanston to Cheyenne Wyoming with the tail wind or going downhill from Cedar City, Utah to Las Vegas).
My car just got its first oil change (Touring,NAV/RES) at 6700 miles. The yellow wrench light came on, indicating that it was time to get it changed. The oil life indicator was at 15%. The car monitors your driving habits and driving conditions and will let you know when it is time. Service dept said that my next oil change will not be for another 5,000 miles at least. He said to just bring it in when the wrench light came on again.
I think the Odys EX-L Hwy mileage is very reasonable for a vehicle with 4300 lbs. We normally get 24 for strickly hwy driving. My current GM van average about 22-23 and this vehicle is 300 lbs lighter and has 60 hp less.
The city mileage varies a lot depending on traffic patterns and driver habit. We got about 15 for our Odys vs. 15 for GM minivan
We went to Atwater, CA. Took I-15 to CA 58 and 99. On the way back, we gassed up in Barstow. The mpg kept rising until we got around Mojave National Preserve and started up through the mountain pass where mileage started to drop. When we got near Primm, the mpg started to come up again and leveled off at about 23.5 for that tank of gas. CA 58 and 99 both have some good changes in elevation and we ran into some heavy fog in both directions. The van handled great on the wet pavement. On another note, both me and my wife have noticed the great illumination provided by the headlights. Much better than the Toyota Solara convertible we traded in. It's amazing how much less stress there is when you can see more easily.
It's in the manual. If you have a Touring, it's programmed through MID. If you don't, you have to hold down couple of buttons on the remote until it beeps. Don't remember which buttons though; read the manual.
"(2) I do not believe we are getting the gas mileage around town that we are suppose to be getting. Anyone else having this experience?"
Everybody is. Just search through the forum. I haven't seen a single post saying they're getting anywhere near the estimate. I'm getting about 14-15 mpg in suburban driving in the Touring.
And don't expect this to improve much, if at all, as you put more miles on it, unlike rob2 says. It's a myth!
I bought my 2005 EX less than 3 months ago in the Bay Area and I have already been back in the dealer 4 times! This is the first time I bought a Honda and it has been a bad experience. Really a joke the "quality" image Honda is promoting.
During all 4 times they had to adjust my front driver door to get it both properly aligned and easier to close (still not that easy but I give up). I have been experiencing some sharp chirping noise from the front suspension area (mostly driver side) for the past month, when driving on bumpy or bouncy pavement. I asked the dealer to check that last time. They tested drive with an electronic ear and could not find the reason. So they told me to come back when the noise would get worse. Now things seemed to get worse as I sometimes hear the noise constantly. I am thinking going back to the dealer but am afraid to waste another day there. Has anybody experienced similar things? Does anybody know what could have caused this? The technician told me it should not be a safety issue but I am still concerned given I have my two babies on board during the weekends.
I also had a rusty spot on the side for no reason. The dealer just touched up some paint.
In terms of gas milage, my EX gives about 18 to 20 MPG for a combined city/free way driving. I am not satisfied but that is not my major concern now.
THANKS for the information. There are some long, steep hills between Las Vegas and Barstow going each direction. I have never driven the Barstow - Bakersfield - Merced stretch. When we went Los Angeles-San Jose, we drove I-5. Does your Odyssey ever shift into 3rd gear climbing those hills or just out of Overdrive 5 into Overdrive 4? Your Odyssey gets about the same gas mileage as my 2002 T&C LX while having MORE power and weighing more. My T&C w/3.3L won't pull those hills in Overdrive and shifts down into regular Drive and instant economy drops to somewhere between 8 and 14 MPG but then is 99 MPG going downhill. I have to brake often between Mojave National Preserve and Primm. Although I got a good deal on my used 2002 T&C, I would prefer the 2005 Odyssey EX with cloth seats. The Odyssey has more power, more comfortable seats, better leg and foot room for all seating, the 60/40 split fold-into-the-floor 3rd row, flexible 2nd row seating, and gets about the same gas mileage.
Boy do I have a door rattle story. My 2005 Odyssey right side door rattled the day we took it home from the dealer. We took it back FIVE times, each time receiving a call the next day saying it was "all fixed". We had to throw a fit, in writing to the owner of the dealership, the general manager and the service manager. Took our Odyssey back, gave us a rental (Kia van my kids nicknamed the marshmellow) and kept our car for A MONTH. During this period, they would call and have me come drive it after they had worked on it, but it still rattled. They replaced latches, roller track assembly, realigned the door, etc. They called Honda engineers and had one fly out to look at the car. Still didn't fix it. Finally had their "Mr. fixit" guy (their name, not ours) from Honda America come and replace more parts. They PAID OUR MONTH'S PAYMENT on the car! Mr. Fixit got the thing to rattle less, and they called me to come drive the car I was now no longer familiar with as it had been over a month since I saw it. I drove 30 miles with the service manager, telling him it was better but still rattled, and THEN, I had an epiphany: I leaned hard on the upper rear corner of the door, and the rattle stopped. We took the car back to the shop, and while I had time to choke down a coffee, they tweaked the alignment of the door at that point. The thing is totally perfect now. The service manager then offered me a job as an analyst, which I declined (I have a job).
It was amazing to my wife and I that five service technicians, and two "experts" from Honda couldn't fix the door, but me saying, "hey, if I press on the door here, it stops. Can you adjust this out?", fixed the door rattle.
Do you know specifically what they aligned to fix the problem? What is written on your invoice?
I saw on a prior post that you had a conflict between your lo-jack and honda alarm. Were you talking about the Lo-jack alarm (as opposed to the main lo-jack or early warning system)??
I am still trying to figure out the first problem.
I can answer the second question. It is due to the ABS break. I did not understand 100% when the service manager at the dealer told me. but it happens to all the 2005 odysseys. I test drove another one to verify. but it is kind of bothering sound, isn't it?
p/s Do you have visor that extends out? I think 2004 Odyssey have it. why not 2005?
I have a big question and if anyone can answer this I would sincerely appreciate it. I have been hearing recently about recaro seats and having them installed in your car. Well I do not know much about them other than the fact that they are expensive, but are they a really good alternative for people that have back problems and don't like the seats that are in a lot of cars/vans. I really liked the Odyessy and Sienna but I have had problems with the seats in both of them, so I am interested in looking into these Recaro seats. Please advice if anyone knows about them and their record/safety etc. Thx
I know this is a dumb question. But, my wife does not know how to operate the front entertainment system while allowing the kids in the back to operate RES so that they could listen/watch different programs.
I suppose I could look it up in the manual. Can anyone help? Thanks.
I really didn't monitor where the transmission was on the uphill climbs. I did look a couple of times at the tach and never saw it much above 3,000 rpm. I am sure it had downshifted, but I really don't know if it went down one or two gears. With the XM radio on and listening to good old fashion rock'n'roll, I couldn't tell by the sound that any shifting had taken place. We just got back yesterday from another trip to the left coast. We took the PCH up from around Morro Bay, stopping overnight at San Simeon. We did the Hearst Castle thing and then continued up to Seaside then went to pick up our daughter in Atwater. We then came down CA 99 and 58 to I-15 and returned home. This time we put about 1200 miles on and the mpg went up to about 24.5, with a top reading of 27.4 mpg for over 100 miles after gassing up in Kramer Junction, near Edwards Air Force base. Yesterday, we drove for about 12 hours, stopping for dinner, and we never got tired or had any aches or pains. I do get back pain from other activity, and have gotten back aches in other cars, but I think this just goes to show that car seats can be a very personal thing as far as comfort. I find that the firm leather seats provide comfort for me for long stretches of driving. Others may find softer seats more to their liking. During the trip, I did adjust the seat tilt and back a couple of times for variety. I think this also helps since staying in any one position, no matter how comfortable initially, leads to discomfort. Before buying our Touring w/NAV+RES, we checked out all the major competition at the LV car show. Since we owned a Toyota Solara convertible at the time, we were predisposed to thinking the Sienna would be our choice. After comparing the seats (especially the second and third row) and the ease of dropping the third row down, we decided we liked the Ody better. The quality of the interior also seemed to be better in the Honda. The adjustable pedals, auto night rear view mirror, power tailgate, corner and backup sensors, leather upholstery and included audio upgrade, among other things convinced us to spend the extra $ and get the Touring model. I'm sure that if we had gotten anything else, we would have had a touch of buyer's regret. As I've mentioned in other posts on this and other boards, the main thing I wish Honda offered was a power adjustable front passenger seat. I just believe that, although comfortable for my wife, it would offer even more comfort on long trips.
If ever a van was crying for a grille redesign it's the 05 Odyssey. Looks like the designers could not make up their mind, "paint it" "no chrome it" "no paint it and chrome it". The rest of the van is OK, but why not put the rear door slider slots below the rear window like every one else?
I think the DC minivans are more stylish than the Odyssey but the Odyssey rear door slider blends in quite well with the sheet metal curve on the side of the entire van. Isn't the structural integrity compromised when the rear door slider is just below the rear window than to have it where it is located on the Odyssey? The Odyssey middle slider is located more evenly spaced between the one at the top and the one at the bottom. Honda usually considers safety and function more important than styling.
Your argument does hold up if structural integrity refers to the mechanism of the door. Honda believes that its door mechanism will work better in the long run. It easily could have put the groove below the window but chose not to for practical reasons.
Honda's groove does a good job of breaking up the mass of the rear quarter panel. The Sienna's design results in too much mass between the wheel well and window, making the wheels look too small. Large wheels in comparison to body mass is the current fashion, and Honda's groove visually improves the balance between the two.
If you want to see an even greater improvement over the '04 Oddessey than the '05 is, check out the '05 Town and Country. Its quieter AND smoother than the Honda ( One exception, the HD T&C with load-leveling and a 3800 lbs towing capacity is just as rough and bouncy as the 2005 Oddessy). Stay with a 2000-lb rated "Stow-N-Go" Chrysler ( but keep the 3.8 V-6) and I think you'll be VERY satisfied indeed. We were.
I noticed Honda's 2005 Odessey has problems with the doors popping open during crash tests. Is this because the sliding track is located too far below the window? How much cheaper is it to put the track where the new Odessey ( and 1984-1995 Chryslers and Dodges) put it? Is this why the Honda dealer can give bigger "dealer discounts" than the Dodge dealer?
"How much cheaper is it to put the track where the new Odessey ( and 1984-1995 Chryslers and Dodges) put it? Is this why the Honda dealer can give bigger "dealer discounts" than the Dodge dealer?"
[Cough. Cough. Sputter.] You think Honda gives bigger discounts than DODGE?
Here's how urban legend "problems" with vehicles get started. The driver's front side door opened during the most recent NHTSA test. Needless to say, this has nothing to do with the slider.
Also, please direct me to the Honda dealer giving bigger discounts on the Ody than are available on a DC van. I'm ready to buy.
I find this string of postings very amusing. A Honda zealot justifies the Honda slider door roller groove being not integrated with the window frame because it must be a less desirable place to put it--it must be inferior if Chrysler put it under the window frame. Everyone knows Chrysler can't do anything right!
Yet I have read very few posts about power sliding door reliability issues or door rattling problems with Dodge/Chrysler vans, and a whole lot of them with Odysseys.
I have a Yukon XL and a Taurus. By sheer volume of postings the Odyssey forums main topic alone would swallow the sum of all topics on both of those put together. Even considering that huge volume, the complaints about the Odyssey far out-percentage those for either the GMC or the Ford.
There are perhaps no more Yukon XLs out there than there are Odysseys, but there are certainly millions more Tauri around than both Odysseys and Siennas put together.
So, does the low number of posts and the even lower overall percentage of complaints imply that the Taurus or the Yukon XL is that much more reliable than the Odyssey or Sienna?
Now, I don't haunt the Chrysler forums, but I'm guessing that those forums are also amazingly quiet -- much quieter and less busy than these Odyssey topics. Am I wrong? Isn't that somewhat amazing considering the millions of D&C minivans in America?
Personally, I suspect that the expectations of Honda and Toyota buyers is much higher and their desire to try to verify that expectation all the more urgent. I also suspect that, having selected something for its supposed better reliability, one would be even more sensitive to any perceived lack of same; faster on the trigger to complain.
There may be other, better theories (and a vast plethora of worse theories, I've no doubt!) to explain the amazing over-representation of these makes in these forums -- all out of proportion to the numbers of each sold. But I think we are safe to rule out posting volume (whether complaints or praise) and percentages as a reasonable measure of the relative reliability or value of each product, don't you?
No doubt there is likely very little correlation of quantity of Edmunds posts with actual problems.
I have pondered the psychological reasons for the preponderance of posts of problems for vehicles that supposedly are much better than average in most reliability surveys, and cannot come to a conclusion.
It would make a good psychology major's PHD dissertation topic, however!
Our family owns both a Taurus and Caravan and have had two of each over the last twenty years, and have little to complain about on any of those vehicles. Must be my psychological makeup not to have problems, since we own such substandard vehicles!
that our odds of surviving unscathed as owners of these "poorly crafted" rattletrap American products (Chrysler's Teutonic affiliation notwithstanding), is several orders of magnitude higher than the odds of anyone participating in these forums winning any significant amount in any lottery or any gambling venue whatsoever. I'll continue to lay my bets on the best overall value for my overall needs at the time of purchase; not to mention putting off sale/trade-in and new purchases as long as my spouse and myself can fend off our constantly-vacillating new-car desires.
Happy Springtime one and all (at least here in North Texas, the robins are hopping around the lawns, mourning doves are nesting, plants are blooming/leafing, the sun is shining, and the cars are staying out of the shop in concert to make all seem right with the world.... ;-))
Here in SE Wisconsin, at least the snow we got Friday night was the wet sloppy kind, and above freezing temperatures have taken care of most of it. Spring is coming very slow here. Maybe I can finally wash the Taurus and turn the salt-white car dark green again and it won't turn back to white in ten minutes on the freeway!
On the other hand, March madness is progressing well as both my alma mater Badgers and the local UW-Milwaukee Panthers have reached the sweet sixteen.
I know, this post is entirely off subject, but it's been a long cold winter!
"People do notice that now and then. We even had a topic about it (Why is the Odyssey So Over Represented in these topics?) but I don't remember any dissertations coming out of it."
Sheesh, Steve. That thread should be put down! What a strange series of rants. :-)
Now THAT was a shot!!! Long story made short: Wife had a 1994 Accord wagon for 7 years, not 1 problem, my father shamed me into buying American make when the family grew to the point of needing a minivan, I caved and bought an Olds Silhouette in 2000 for the wife, It has just come back from it's 20th trip to the shop during it's time with us. We pick up our '05 EX-L tomorrow, hopefully it will prove more reliable.
Ah! the Oldsmobile Silhouette "The Cadillac of minivans" from the movie "Get Shorty". Hardly the best example of US designed or best selling minivans. GM discontinued the whole division.
I'm looking at both the Odyssey and Sienna and was hoping someone could confirm a few things about the Odyssey for me:
1. In the EX, if you store the Plus One seat in the floor, I assume you must completely remove the lazy susan and that the seat takes up most (or all) of the available room.
2. In the Sienna you can get the rear audio without a DVD system. Am I correct in assuming the only way to get rear audio in the Odyssey is to order with the RES package?
I can relate....Bought a new DGC, after the third transmission, third computer, two anti-lock brake systems and numerous other minor problems, enough was enough. Didn't have any problems with 3.3L engine though, it was solid.
I would add that it is to be expected that the readers of edmunds.com will have a tendency to put weight on the opinions expressed on the edmunds website. Just have a look at the "Most Wanted" list and you will see what edmunds editors consider desirable. I don't remember ever seeing a Taurus on that list. The conclusion is, that readers of edmunds.com most likely are influenced by the opinions expressed on the edmunds site and, as a result, I think it's fair to assume that owners of vehicles, which do well in edmunds evaluations will have a tendncy to be overrepresented on the sites' forums. In other words, if you frequently read edmunds.com, you are less likely to buy a car that doesn't win a comparison test or gets a great review.
Add to that the fact that the Odyssey is new to the market and you will for sure get more people discussing the vehicle when compare to a car that's being sold for 5+ years without real significant changes.
Come back in 2 years and you will not see as high of a posting frequency on this forum.
Picked up the new Honda yesterday, darn near everything about the van makes our old van appear oafish. I gotta admit though, even though it gave us alot of problems (none of them major but aggrevating) I really liked that Oldsmobile van. Thanks for a great web site.....Mark.
I doubt you can install the recaro seats in the odysessy, because it has wiring in the seats for the airbag sensors. I know this because the seats are unbearably uncomfortable for me and my husband and I have tried every option, including getting the seats reshaped by an car seat uphoster. He couldn't do much because of all the wires in the seats. I am interested in any other options that can be suggested (Honda 'Care' does not care btw). Is anyone in the market for a 05 odyssey at a very reasonable price??? Selling is the only option I have left right now - what a pain!
Playing with the foam and/or getting a specialized cushion are about the most you can do. You are correct that the side bags make replacing seats much more difficult.
If you still can't drive it, sounds like your only real option is to sell it and get something else, hopefully after taking a test drive to make sure the seats are OK.
Not really sure what you expect Honda to do for you. 100K +/- have been sold by now, and the vast majority of owners are fine with the seats.
This does point out the importance of taking a decent test drive before you plunk down your $$. I know people that have bought cars without even driving them, which boggles my mind at least.
I'm in the market for a 2005 Ody EXL-RES and have yet to see any references to the availability of trailer towing packages/hitches, etc. from Honda. Has anyone had a hitch installed either by Honda or aftermarket suppliers?
I read somewhere, possibly in one of the Edmunds forums, that aftermarket hitches will void the mfg warranty. Also, somewhere I read the tow package items are available from Honda separately but the cost was pretty astronomical. They included items from the hitch ball to the transmission/radiator cooler.
Please advise. I frequently tow a lightweight utility trailer w/my Toyota Highlander but I must trade in or sell it due to the arrival of baby #3 in about 1 month!!
Comments
Yes and Yes.
(2) I do not believe we are getting the gas mileage around town that we are suppose to be getting. Anyone else having this experience?
There has been a bit of discussion on this recently here at Edmunds. Give it time. Hondas take a while to break in (5k-10K miles) and the EPA number on the window sticker is an estimate to allow you to compare models - not an absolute.
Good Luck.
Yesterday, my wife and I took our daughter and her boyfriend to California. Round trip we put on about 900 miles. Average mpg for the entire trip, which included climbing some mountains, was 23.4 mpg which I consider acceptable. On one of the flatter sections after just gassing up, we got 26.5 mpg until we started climbing back over to Las Vegas where it dropped to 23.4.
The car only has just over 2,400 miles, so I consider this a good indication of future mileage when we go to Wisconsin and Florida this summer.
My worst gas mileage is returning from Las Vegas to Cedar City, Utah on I-15 or going from Cheyenne to Evanston Wyoming on I-80 (Get fantastic gas mileage going east from Evanston to Cheyenne Wyoming with the tail wind or going downhill from Cedar City, Utah to Las Vegas).
The city mileage varies a lot depending on traffic patterns and driver habit. We got about 15 for our Odys vs. 15 for GM minivan
JT
On the way back, we gassed up in Barstow. The mpg kept rising until we got around Mojave National Preserve and started up through the mountain pass where mileage started to drop. When we got near Primm, the mpg started to come up again and leveled off at about 23.5 for that tank of gas.
CA 58 and 99 both have some good changes in elevation and we ran into some heavy fog in both directions. The van handled great on the wet pavement.
On another note, both me and my wife have noticed the great illumination provided by the headlights. Much better than the Toyota Solara convertible we traded in. It's amazing how much less stress there is when you can see more easily.
Everybody is. Just search through the forum. I haven't seen a single post saying they're getting anywhere near the estimate. I'm getting about 14-15 mpg in suburban driving in the Touring.
And don't expect this to improve much, if at all, as you put more miles on it, unlike rob2 says. It's a myth!
During all 4 times they had to adjust my front driver door to get it both properly aligned and easier to close (still not that easy but I give up). I have been experiencing some sharp chirping noise from the front suspension area (mostly driver side) for the past month, when driving on bumpy or bouncy pavement. I asked the dealer to check that last time. They tested drive with an electronic ear and could not find the reason. So they told me to come back when the noise would get worse. Now things seemed to get worse as I sometimes hear the noise constantly. I am thinking going back to the dealer but am afraid to waste another day there. Has anybody experienced similar things? Does anybody know what could have caused this? The technician told me it should not be a safety issue but I am still concerned given I have my two babies on board during the weekends.
I also had a rusty spot on the side for no reason. The dealer just touched up some paint.
In terms of gas milage, my EX gives about 18 to 20 MPG for a combined city/free way driving. I am not satisfied but that is not my major concern now.
I really wish I had bought a Sienna.
Does your Odyssey ever shift into 3rd gear climbing those hills or just out of Overdrive 5 into Overdrive 4? Your Odyssey gets about the same gas mileage as my 2002 T&C LX while having MORE power and weighing more.
My T&C w/3.3L won't pull those hills in Overdrive and shifts down into regular Drive and instant economy drops to somewhere between 8 and 14 MPG but then is 99 MPG going downhill. I have to brake often between Mojave National Preserve and Primm.
Although I got a good deal on my used 2002 T&C, I would prefer the 2005 Odyssey EX with cloth seats. The Odyssey has more power, more comfortable seats, better leg and foot room for all seating, the 60/40 split fold-into-the-floor 3rd row, flexible 2nd row seating, and gets about the same gas mileage.
It was amazing to my wife and I that five service technicians, and two "experts" from Honda couldn't fix the door, but me saying, "hey, if I press on the door here, it stops. Can you adjust this out?", fixed the door rattle.
Do you know specifically what they aligned to fix the problem? What is written on your invoice?
I saw on a prior post that you had a conflict between your lo-jack and honda alarm. Were you talking about the Lo-jack alarm (as opposed to the main lo-jack or early warning system)??
I can answer the second question. It is due to the ABS break. I did not understand 100% when the service manager at the dealer told me. but it happens to all the 2005 odysseys. I test drove another one to verify. but it is kind of bothering sound, isn't it?
p/s Do you have visor that extends out? I think 2004 Odyssey have it. why not 2005?
Steve, Host
I suppose I could look it up in the manual. Can anyone help? Thanks.
can you post what was written on the work order as a fix. I have the exact problem on my 1 week old touring and would like to know the solution.
thanks,
With the XM radio on and listening to good old fashion rock'n'roll, I couldn't tell by the sound that any shifting had taken place.
We just got back yesterday from another trip to the left coast. We took the PCH up from around Morro Bay, stopping overnight at San Simeon. We did the Hearst Castle thing and then continued up to Seaside then went to pick up our daughter in Atwater. We then came down CA 99 and 58 to I-15 and returned home.
This time we put about 1200 miles on and the mpg went up to about 24.5, with a top reading of 27.4 mpg for over 100 miles after gassing up in Kramer Junction, near Edwards Air Force base.
Yesterday, we drove for about 12 hours, stopping for dinner, and we never got tired or had any aches or pains.
I do get back pain from other activity, and have gotten back aches in other cars, but I think this just goes to show that car seats can be a very personal thing as far as comfort. I find that the firm leather seats provide comfort for me for long stretches of driving. Others may find softer seats more to their liking. During the trip, I did adjust the seat tilt and back a couple of times for variety. I think this also helps since staying in any one position, no matter how comfortable initially, leads to discomfort.
Before buying our Touring w/NAV+RES, we checked out all the major competition at the LV car show.
Since we owned a Toyota Solara convertible at the time, we were predisposed to thinking the Sienna would be our choice. After comparing the seats (especially the second and third row) and the ease of dropping the third row down, we decided we liked the Ody better. The quality of the interior also seemed to be better in the Honda. The adjustable pedals, auto night rear view mirror, power tailgate, corner and backup sensors, leather upholstery and included audio upgrade, among other things convinced us to spend the extra $ and get the Touring model.
I'm sure that if we had gotten anything else, we would have had a touch of buyer's regret.
As I've mentioned in other posts on this and other boards, the main thing I wish Honda offered was a power adjustable front passenger seat. I just believe that, although comfortable for my wife, it would offer even more comfort on long trips.
Isn't the structural integrity compromised when the rear door slider is just below the rear window than to have it where it is located on the Odyssey?
The Odyssey middle slider is located more evenly spaced between the one at the top and the one at the bottom.
Honda usually considers safety and function more important than styling.
Honda's groove does a good job of breaking up the mass of the rear quarter panel. The Sienna's design results in too much mass between the wheel well and window, making the wheels look too small. Large wheels in comparison to body mass is the current fashion, and Honda's groove visually improves the balance between the two.
[Cough. Cough. Sputter.] You think Honda gives bigger discounts than DODGE?
Also, please direct me to the Honda dealer giving bigger discounts on the Ody than are available on a DC van. I'm ready to buy.
Yet I have read very few posts about power sliding door reliability issues or door rattling problems with Dodge/Chrysler vans, and a whole lot of them with Odysseys.
There are perhaps no more Yukon XLs out there than there are Odysseys, but there are certainly millions more Tauri around than both Odysseys and Siennas put together.
So, does the low number of posts and the even lower overall percentage of complaints imply that the Taurus or the Yukon XL is that much more reliable than the Odyssey or Sienna?
Now, I don't haunt the Chrysler forums, but I'm guessing that those forums are also amazingly quiet -- much quieter and less busy than these Odyssey topics. Am I wrong? Isn't that somewhat amazing considering the millions of D&C minivans in America?
Personally, I suspect that the expectations of Honda and Toyota buyers is much higher and their desire to try to verify that expectation all the more urgent. I also suspect that, having selected something for its supposed better reliability, one would be even more sensitive to any perceived lack of same; faster on the trigger to complain.
There may be other, better theories (and a vast plethora of worse theories, I've no doubt!) to explain the amazing over-representation of these makes in these forums -- all out of proportion to the numbers of each sold. But I think we are safe to rule out posting volume (whether complaints or praise) and percentages as a reasonable measure of the relative reliability or value of each product, don't you?
I have pondered the psychological reasons for the preponderance of posts of problems for vehicles that supposedly are much better than average in most reliability surveys, and cannot come to a conclusion.
It would make a good psychology major's PHD dissertation topic, however!
Our family owns both a Taurus and Caravan and have had two of each over the last twenty years, and have little to complain about on any of those vehicles. Must be my psychological makeup not to have problems, since we own such substandard vehicles!
Happy Springtime one and all (at least here in North Texas, the robins are hopping around the lawns, mourning doves are nesting, plants are blooming/leafing, the sun is shining, and the cars are staying out of the shop in concert to make all seem right with the world.... ;-))
Here in SE Wisconsin, at least the snow we got Friday night was the wet sloppy kind, and above freezing temperatures have taken care of most of it. Spring is coming very slow here. Maybe I can finally wash the Taurus and turn the salt-white car dark green again and it won't turn back to white in ten minutes on the freeway!
On the other hand, March madness is progressing well as both my alma mater Badgers and the local UW-Milwaukee Panthers have reached the sweet sixteen.
I know, this post is entirely off subject, but it's been a long cold winter!
People do notice that now and then. We even had a topic about it (Why is the Odyssey So Over Represented in these topics?) but I don't remember any dissertations coming out of it.
Steve, Host
Sheesh, Steve. That thread should be put down! What a strange series of rants. :-)
1. In the EX, if you store the Plus One seat in the floor, I assume you must completely remove the lazy susan and that the seat takes up most (or all) of the available room.
2. In the Sienna you can get the rear audio without a DVD system. Am I correct in assuming the only way to get rear audio in the Odyssey is to order with the RES package?
after the third transmission, third computer,
two anti-lock brake systems and numerous other
minor problems, enough was enough.
Didn't have any problems with 3.3L engine though,
it was solid.
2. Yes
You've done your homework.......
I would add that it is to be expected that the readers of edmunds.com will have a tendency to put weight on the opinions expressed on the edmunds website. Just have a look at the "Most Wanted" list and you will see what edmunds editors consider desirable. I don't remember ever seeing a Taurus on that list. The conclusion is, that readers of edmunds.com most likely are influenced by the opinions expressed on the edmunds site and, as a result, I think it's fair to assume that owners of vehicles, which do well in edmunds evaluations will have a tendncy to be overrepresented on the sites' forums. In other words, if you frequently read edmunds.com, you are less likely to buy a car that doesn't win a comparison test or gets a great review.
Add to that the fact that the Odyssey is new to the market and you will for sure get more people discussing the vehicle when compare to a car that's being sold for 5+ years without real significant changes.
Come back in 2 years and you will not see as high of a posting frequency on this forum.
Everytime I price a used Odyssey, I always come away with the conclusion that I could buy a new one for a couple grand more
If you still can't drive it, sounds like your only real option is to sell it and get something else, hopefully after taking a test drive to make sure the seats are OK.
Not really sure what you expect Honda to do for you. 100K +/- have been sold by now, and the vast majority of owners are fine with the seats.
This does point out the importance of taking a decent test drive before you plunk down your $$. I know people that have bought cars without even driving them, which boggles my mind at least.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I read somewhere, possibly in one of the Edmunds forums, that aftermarket hitches will void the mfg warranty. Also, somewhere I read the tow package items are available from Honda separately but the cost was pretty astronomical. They included items from the hitch ball to the transmission/radiator cooler.
Please advise. I frequently tow a lightweight utility trailer w/my Toyota Highlander but I must trade in or sell it due to the arrival of baby #3 in about 1 month!!
Thanks for a great forum!!