Honda Odyssey 2005+

roo

My Honda Odyssey 2005 EXL has the worst radio reception of any car I have owned, including other vehicles with window antennas. I would like to install a normal exterior antenna similar to what was provided in 2004 Odyssey models. Please provide any experience you may have in improving radio reception or if you have successfuly installed an external antenna. Could dramatic reception improvement be obtained?

cpsdarren

I like that the new Odyssey doesn't have a mast antenna, but the reception on mine is definitely worse than it was in our 2001.

fljoslin

Could you install an antenna on your dash. You would probably get great reception under the glass and the install should be pretty easy.

macakava

From Toronto Star,

Not CAD not USD pricing.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_T- ype1&c=Article&cid=1134038830158&call_pageid=968867497088&col=969048871196

jnt

Roo,

The best you could hope for is similar performance to earlier Odys with the external whip antenna. With the whip, you do not have FM directional problem (ex: going in one direction is better on reception than the other due to antenna blockage in case of window antenna), lower noise floor (more listenning range for both AM/FM). If you listen to AM alot, you will experience less vehicle electronics noise (ignition, electric motors,defroster,..).

But then you have to drill a hole on the right fender for the whip assembly and route a coax cable to the radio.

GM used to have front windshield antenna on their old fwd minivan. It picked up every electrical noise under the hood. In recent years, they actually switched to an external whip for them (rare case nowaday). Doing that save them both money and better performance.

jt

mikemi

FYI

It looks like the Honda Music Link (iPod adaptor) indeed will be available for the 2006 Odyssey (not sure about 05 model).

Here is the install instruction I found.
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/gen3_odyssey/musiclink.pdf

Very exciting!

Mike

jcpress

I just got an '06 Odyssey. Didn't think to sit in the back seat when doing the test drive. When sitting in the driver or front passenger seat, the ride is nice. But I recently sat in the 3rd row seat during a drive and the ride was incredibly stiff and bouncy. I imagine this is standard for the car, since a soft suspension would probably not be a good idea if the car were fully loaded. Or is this due to overinflated tires in the rear? Anyone experience this and find a reasonable solution? Or do I just never sit in the 3rd row seat?!

Thanks,
Joel

cccompson

By all means check your air pressure. Other than that, there is no solution - the cars rides the way it rides. Bear in mind, though, that the third seat is right between the rear wheels (as opposed to the other two rows which are between the front and rear tires allowing for some cush).

I've found my '05 Touring to ride noticeably better when fully loaded.

yepper

Will be driving our Touring in the snow in a couple weeks - do you have chains with PAX system? Where do you get? - Also, is your mileage like ours? We average 15mpg city - 19 freeway - thanks

davant

Yep'r,

Check with your Honda and Michelin dealer first. Also, Ice-X tires were just introduced for full time snowbound drivers. Other than that, good luck finding chains made specifically for our PAX tires.

topgun7

I am thinking about getting a EX-L with Nav in the next couple weeks. Any thought on whether it is worth the money to go to Touring with Nav? The best I can find out is that the Touring has 1) run flat tire 2) power lift gagte 3) memory seat 4) power adjusted pedal 5) better sound systems (with the subwoofer).

sebring95

The Touring also has auto headlamps, programmable auto door locks, and a few other little things. The catch is you lose the 8th seat which I absolutely needed. Otherwise I would have bought the Touring without a doubt.

fljoslin

I am thinking about getting a EX-L with Nav in the next couple weeks. Any thought on whether it is worth the money to go to Touring with Nav? The best I can find out is that the Touring has 1) run flat tire 2) power lift gagte 3) memory seat 4) power adjusted pedal 5) better sound systems (with the subwoofer).

The Touring also has independent rear climate control from the front, but does not have the third seat in the middle. I would not want the run flat tires. Power pedals may or may not be useful depending on your size/height and memory seats are only useful if there is more that one frequent driver. Rear power lift gate is nice but not as nice as the dual power side doors. Do you need the NAV?
I got an EX-L which fit my price /option needs perfectly.

cccompson

I agonized between the various Odyssey model. While I am firmly convinced the extra money for the R&N is a bargain, the choice between a Touring and an EX-L boils down to personal choice. Unless you want the runflats, what you get for the extra cost is not a particularly good value. The failure to spruce up the interior of the Touring is a major shortcoming IMHO.

In the end, I went with the Touring and have had no regrets.

nowakj66

The left brain is analytical, the right brain is emotional. The Odyssey seems to really satisfy the left brain of many people including myself -- it is a totally rational family vehicle.

The problem is sales are made on the right brain - feelings, emotions. Here the Odyssey might come up short. Apparently not because they sell so many!

I think that may explain why so many are reluctant to buy minivans in general. They do nothing for the right brain.

For a family vehicle - any Audi, a Dodge Magnum, a Ridgeline, a VW Toureg, even a Pilot -- these are right brained purchases.

So any thoughts on how the Odyssey overcame this and became a sales sucess?

aaykay

Also, the Touring runflats are NOT typical run-flats. Regular run-flats can be removed and replaced with regular non-runflat tires, should the need arise. The Touring PAX tires CANNOT be replaced with anything other than a PAX "system" with the exact same specification, and only specialized Michelin dealers, who have the required PAX equipment can replace the "PAX system". This is NOT the runflats that are available in a number of other vehicles on the road (including Sienna etc), where you simply have to replace tires.

The Touring is a 7-seater, while the EX-L Navigation that I have, is an 8-seater. I too went through the dilemma of getting either the Touring or the EX-L, but after learning about the specialized nature of the "PAX system", I had no doubt in my mind about going with the EX-L NAV.

fljoslin

The left brain is analytical, the right brain is emotional. The Odyssey seems to really satisfy the left brain of many people including myself -- it is a totally rational family vehicle.

The problem is sales are made on the right brain - feelings, emotions. Here the Odyssey might come up short. Apparently not because they sell so many!

Have you driven an Odyssey, especially on a winding road. It is actually FUN to drive and there is enough room to live in.
Also, I believe that with the increased cost of vehicles, more people are making their choices much more rationally than emotionally. I know that with my family of five, the choice for a family vehicle was either a full size SUV or a minivan. In 2001 the Suburban won. In 2005 The Odyssey won.

davant

Good points fljoslin,
I agree totally on the fun to drive aspects of the Ody. Driving a Sienna, although still responsive above what you'd expect, it is still quite apparent you are driving a box on wheels especially in the twisties. The Ody hugs better, handles more like a sedan, easy to forget this is a 100 CF family truckster. Although it has been said may times before, the Ody is the... "Minvan Haters Minivan!" Left and right brains both chimed in on this purchase. Either that or the second lobotomy worked...

macakava

Totally agree!

Both Ody and Sienna are great vehicles. Very reliable and high quality.

But the Ody is more fun to drive energetically, especially on twisty roads. I believe that Toyota tends to be more "americanized" in the softer/quieter ride and handling of their vehicles; and Honda is more European sporty with more road feel/sounds. Hence the phrase: "Sienna is the Lexus of minivans; Ody is the BMW of minivans"

You cannot go wrong buying either one. It depends on your personal driving/riding preference.

dennisctc

Year of Honda

hayneldan

From the referenced article:
Despite the accolades, the Ridgeline may not meet Honda's sales targets this year. Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., said in January that Honda expected to sell 50,000 Ridgelines this year. As of the end of November, Honda had sold 36,000.

player4

Ok true but lets see those numbers rising up after people start finding out that the Ridgeline is the truck of the year. People cosidering Tacomas, Frontiers, and Dakotas and Raiders are gonna be at the Honda dealers... Trust me.

isellhondas

These took off VERY slowly, to the point, we were getting worried. We were sitting on 53 of them at one point. Way too many.

But, then something happened and sales REALLY picked up! I have sold quite a few myself and the people who have bought them just love them.

The Motor Trend award should really spur sales even more now!

macakava

My son got a Ridgeline RTL with all the toys recently and I am really impressed with it. It drives just like the Ody I have on which it is based, with great handling, road feel, and energetic too. It is very roomy inside with a very comfortable back seat that folds up to provide fantastic room for his 2 British Bull dogs to roam about.

But I do find my Ody to be more practical.

fljoslin

These took off VERY slowly, to the point, we were getting worried. We were sitting on 53 of them at one point. Way too many.

But, then something happened and sales REALLY picked up! I have sold quite a few myself and the people who have bought them just love them.

The Motor Trend award should really spur sales even more now!
Didn't Honda give some unbelievable leases on these trucks to get sales (leases) going?

isellhondas

Yes, and that certainly helped. Most of the ones I sold were cash sales or conventional financing.

just4fun2

I would be interested in knowing if the people that are buying these trucklike vehicles from Honda are the same people that would have bought a Honda vehicle anyways. You need to add new buyers to cover new vehicle costs and not shift Honda buyers from one Honda to another.

dennisctc

Mark my Post!!! in about 4 years, Honda will come out with a Truck with V8, RWD etc..... And I can't believe the MSRP on them!!! I think they missed the mark, but they'll hit it next time. The V8 will be borrowed from the Acura RL replacement!

isellhondas

For the most part, I don't think so. From what I see, a lot of Ridgeline buyers are current Honda owners who are just tickled Honda finally came out with a truck.

I don't think the Ridgeline is canabilizing sales from other Hondas people would have bought instead.

sebring95

Which is exactly what Honda stated their goal was with this truck. Sell a truck to their customer base. They'll learn from the experience and if they want to build a full-size down the road, they'll be in a better position. It's certainly better than how Toyota tried to get into the market with the T-100 and to some extent the Tundra. I personally don't need a Ridgeline, but also don't need any truck with half a bed. A lot of truck buyers these days (although they might be late to the game) have been looking for comfort/luxury and utility as a second option and the RL is a good option. Fuel prices might change this urban cowboy market though.

Claires

We do have a discussion for this vehicle. If you'd like to continue discussing the Ridgeline, here's the link:

Honda Ridgeline SUT

steveayz

Can someone help me to determine the with of the minivan with mirrors? Edmunds lists 77" but I don't know if that includes mirrors. Wander if it fits in my 90" garage doors...

cccompson

I just measured mine (by myself so it wasn't precise). Advertised width appears to exclude the mirrors as I calculated the width to be at least 84" with the mirrors.

The best thing to do here, though, is take one home and see how it fits.

nowakj66

I have driven the Ody and I have to say I like how it drives. I also own a 2005 Accord and it felt like a large Accord to me - which is a good thing.

I agree that given other minivan choices, the Ody is the driver's vehicle.

marine2

I wasn't slamming Korean quality or putting VW on a pedestal. What I am saying is that I don't think a Kia will match or exceed Toyo or Honda or even German quality this next 'one up manship' go around. The Koreans do a fine job of copying things but like many other things in their country, they are imitiations, nearly as good as the original. They tend to have lower tech, less fuel effecient and not as solid feeling vehicles than teams T&H do IMHO. One area that concerns me is AirCon. The reason could be that when I was in the ROK less than five years ago and had a Pride (similar to a Sephia) for a year, they discharge and recharge the AC compressor every fall and spring. This isn't an isolated instance, the whole country did it (at least the millions with AC). I guess it's so it doesn't leak or sit and rot seals. Do you want that same company to build your $30K+ van and attempt to overcome decades of they cultural procedures? The hard working Korean society is quite capable of keeping up and even surpassing the Japanese but they need another say 20 years of practice to do so, again, just my opinion. Kai-zen anyone?

It would be unfair to judge the new Kias to the ones they put out five years ago. The quality of Kias and Hyundai has gone through the roof in just the few years. Especially Hyundai, which rate much higher in quality than many German autos in Consumer Report. As a matter of fact, America has also passed Europe in quality. Germans makes some very fine cars, but they are very prone to quality problems. Even Chrysler is now rated higher than Mercedes.

macakava

"I also own a 2005 Accord and it felt like a large Accord to me - which is a good thing."

That is what makes the Ody fun & satisfying to drive. It drives like a good handling Accord on which it is based with great road feel/connectedness, handling, and very spirited too boot.

marine2

Can someone help me to determine the with of the minivan with mirrors? Edmunds lists 77" but I don't know if that includes mirrors. Wander if it fits in my 90" garage doors...

Depends on what kind of minivan your talking about. Dodge/Chrysler has folding outside mirrors. Fold them in and you can knock off 10 inches to the width. Just another nice feature on their vans.

davant

Marine2,

I concur that Korean auto makers are increasing quality exponentially. I have recently checked out the latest Kia MV, even driven it. IMHO it is still a very high quality, lightweight piece of tin and cheap plastic. Nothing like the solid feel and handling of the Ody or slightly more compliant Sienna, yet is still a value packed imitation for those more budget conscience than I. Again, we can agree to disagree but I think you get my drift...cheers!

marine2

Davant, I agree that the Kia is not in the same class as the Honda or the Sienna. I was speaking of quality in the fact that it's put together very well and has very little problems as to repairs, unlike their earlier Korean vehicles. I don't think I have ever saw such a fast turn around as that manufacture has done.

Many of the German cars are much more refind also and handle world class. But they have a lot of problems with frequency of repairs.

macakava

The outside mirrors on my Ody EX fold parallel to the windows.

But who wants to do that manually each time you drive into/out of your garage? It becomes a pain in the A-- very quickly.
Now it would be nice if it was electrically operated. But even then you have to remember to do so - Murphy's law dictates that one day, a driver will forget and damage/knock them out against the garage door posts!

artgpo

Not about the Odyssey BUT: We have a 2005 Kia Sportage. When we were shopping the first place we went was to Honda for the CR-V. The only negative my wife (whose car we were shopping)and I could see was the loud interior at highway speed. The Honda dealer let us take out the CR-V to go comparison shopping. We compared to the RAV-4, too small, then the Tucson. The Tucson was very nice. We then went to the Kia dealer and drove several Sportages. The Sportage was much more quiet than the CR-V but the quality of materials, fit and finish were equal. We can see no difference in the quality or workmanship of either SUV.

Claires

Folks, we have discussions in place for Kia and other minivans here: Vans & Minivans

minyi

I just got back from David McDavid Honda in Frisco, and these guys... really bad. I went there since they let us test drive EX-L RES, and it had a $3,000 dealer markup plus some useless option totalling it to $36,200. And the thing is those option including tint was already there was on the sticker when it was actually tinted yet. And, I never heard of tinting just driver and passenger side costs $599.

The sales guy eventually came done to MSRP, but only after taking us "hostage" by taking our old van for the "inspection" to evaluate the trade-in value, which they initially offerred $500, and up to $2,000 finally. Guess you can still buy at MSRP, but it was a bad experience had to go thru that typical "sale tactics"...

NSORIC

Local dealer quoted me $30,395 for 2006 EX-L DVD (including all destination and prep charges) and $31,195 for EX-L Nav. These seem like very good prices to me, but I would appreciate any feedback.

Also, they quoted me $800 to make the "XM Ready" radio >>>>> "XM Functional", saying that they would have to install the receiver, antenna and adapter. This seems kinda high, so again, any feedback would be appreciated.

sebring95

For $800 just to get XM....I'd go looking for one with the DVD and NAV. The NAV includes the XM hardware and lots of other terrific features. You'll get zero money back on resale for the XM add-on's but the NAV will add something. It's got a lot of extra features and I personally would have really regretted not buying the NAV. It's a good sysetem too, better than the Lexus version my wife has in her GX.

Your overall isn't too bad but many folks are buying these at invoice which is around $29,700 for the EX-L with dvd. $31,700 for the nav & dvd. I paid invoice for my '05 EX-L R&N back in April, somewhere around $30,500. I've seen some folks paying $500 under invoice on another forum.

cccompson

I've seen lower prices reported but, hey, if the dealer is willing to sell an R&N for only $800 more than a RES that's an absolute bargain and a no-brainer.

mikemi

College Hills Honda just called me and said they are sending the parts to me today. Should arrive tomorrow or next day...

I will install it as soon as I receive it. Will let everyone know how it works out.

fljoslin

Depends on what kind of minivan your talking about. Dodge/Chrysler has folding outside mirrors. Fold them in and you can knock off 10 inches to the width. Just another nice feature on their vans.
I believe the Honda mirrors also fold.

sebring95

I believe the Honda mirrors also fold.

Indeed. They're not power though, but I've not seen that on any minivans...yet. I've got 10' wide doors so it's only a close fit for my dually.

artgpo

I took my '06 Odyssey to Circuit City and had them install my XM MyFi radio for $120 including the antenna adapter/cut out. Also included was a Belkin cupholder XM radio mount. CC did a great install and placed the XM antenna at the top rear of my Ody. The factory adaptor goes under the driver's seat with the antenna gluing to the inside of the windshield at the upper right corner. It seem to me that it is a complex installation. Why one would pay $800 for the adaptor installed (the parts can be had from an online dealer for under $400) when you can buy an XM radio installed at either Best Buy or Circuit City for less than $100.