Honda Odyssey 2005+

jimxo

Out with the old and in with the new.

I need to decide in the next few weeks if I should order the Honda or go with something else. I must admit if the new Odyssey drives as good as it looks I'm a happy camper.

anonymousposts

The Ody has some things that the Sienna doesn't so that's a wash. Nothing you listed amounts to "a lot more". Which Toyota models are being sold with $2000 or $3000 rebates?

m4mulvey

I take it that you are not a current Ody owner - here's a story that illustrates the Odyssey's owner satisfaction:

My wife and I own two cars: a 2000 Odyssey van and a Mercedes car. We both drive one or the other depending on how many passengers, size of load (I often take the Ody to Home Depot...)

The Mercedes is getting a bit old and although it still runs very well, I'm starting to think about replacing it. Asked the good wife what car she thinks she would prefer - she wants ANOTHER Odyssey. Not sure if I want two vehicles that size in our garage but I can see her point - Odyssey is attractive (not just another bloated jelly bean like most of the competition - although IMHO the 2005 design has unfortunately moved a bit in that direction) comfortable, smooth to drive, plenty of power, holds the road well. MY only complaint would be interior noise and poor stereo - both of which are vastly improved since 2000 model.

masterpaul1

I think the 2005 ody is very attractive and have a lot to offer. But I'd say what until you are able to test drive one before purchasing. I remember all of the positive reviews about the 2001-2004 Ody's. I was not impressed at all with it out side of the magic seat. In life I have learned that one's opinion might not be the best decision for me or they might be wrong all together. Just my opinion.

andrewtran71

I think the new look will grow on you.
I think the '05 Ody looks much better than the '04 Ody.
And I don't blame your wife.
We have a silver 2003 Ody EX-L w/NAV. I drive a Lexus LS400. I want to replace my black Lexus with a black '05 Ody Touring w/NAV+RES.

cooldad24

Don't remember who mentioned this: no minivan will breaking any ground in exterior styling. It only can be unique and only interior make big difference. For space, you want it to be square; for aerodynamic, you need curve and smooth line; for whom don't want to be seen in a van loaded with kids, you want it looks like a SUV. So it's not much you can play with it. Nissan take a chance and end up turning off many customers more than admirers. I believe many is OK with the exterior but disappointed when they sit in. The dash board design is simply too much to be user friendly. Nobody will turn head on a minivan to be honest. But people will apraise the interior and features that Minivan brings. My 2 cents.

amykkbc

consider this:
04 EXL MSRP is only 28980, and
04 EXL w/ NAV. MSRP is only: $30980

Even w/ 2% increase:
05 EXL MSRP shall be 29500.
05 EXL w/ RES AND NAV. MSRP shall be 32500.
top of the line 05 EXL touring w/ RES AND NAV. shall be 34500.

All including dest. charge.

The difference between the EXL and touring is only about $2000.

By the morning of Sep 22, there will be more than 15,000 new 05 ody. flooded on dealers' lot, which is more than one mon. sales. If we collectively NOT talk to or visit those dealers for the 1st. 3 days after Sep. 22, we'll see $1000 under on Sep. 25:-)
Anyone wants to join?

jchan2

has anybody seen the olive interior?

qvee

Your pricing estimate for the Odyssey seems about right. I've seen reports that the van will be priced as high as $38,000 (for the Touring model). This price seems absurdly high. I have owned Honda/Acura products as well multiple Toyota/Lexus products. Overall, Hondas are are the better value. Toyota, on the other hand, offers overall better quality (in textures) & a quieter ride.

The ensuing sales contest between the Odyssey and Sienna will be interesting. If the Odyssey's pricing doesn't give it the appearance of being a better value, it may give ground to the Sienna.

cabaiste

I think Honda are likely to put a lower price increase on the entry level LX and EX cloth (my guess is $24,990 for the LX) and a larger increase for the equipment heavier EX-L. If they take the same approach as with the 2005 Pilot EX-L increases, they will tack on $800 for the sunroof and a $450 true increase. That would put the EX-L at $29,740. Add $2,000 for NAVI and $1,500 for RES and the loaded EX-L would hit $33,240. I'd guess $31,490 for the Touring Base, $34,990 with RES and NAVI.

ahous

The Accord i-CDTi engine sold in EU is said to be outstandingly clean, quiet, and efficient (as if Honda knew any other way). 50+ mpg on the hwy. Honda, put this engine in the Ody and I'll order one today (and feed it a strict diet of 100% biodiesel).

robertsmx

140 HP in a 4500 lb. minivan will not sell. First thing people will see... 0-60 in 14s!

qvee

Time will tell whether consumers are ready for the stratospheric jump in van prices. $35,000 for a minivan? There is too much stiff competition and several alternatives.

indy93

robertsmx

Like?

indy93

Honda's pricing will be lower than Toyota's however it is unrealistic to think that the Touring addition with Nav and Res will be under $35,000. Toyota gets just over $39,000. for a comparable XLE Limited. Honda will likely come in at $37,900. for the Touring N/R. Remember the parallel pricing between Camry and Accord. Touring will also be up there because it's a new high end addition. Two years ago who would have figured a Mini van could go for just under $40,000. and be in high demand (XLE Limited)! Honda is a for profit oriented enterprise!

jimxo

The touring model will be 34k add 3,500 for Nav & Res brings you near 37k.

amykkbc

Are you a dealer? how can you be so sure? just trying to jack up the price?
By comparing the 04 Ody, w/ 04 and 05 Sienna, and Quest, apple to apple, feature to feature, discount offered, product supplies, if the Touring w/ E&N is more than $34,500 including dest. charge, everyone shall walk to see their Toyota, period.

heywood1

Don't forget the 'Additional Dealer Markup.'

inky4

AMEN,wrong forum but the honda eur diesel managed 70 mpg with great performance on hot selling euro accord (tsx looking)
who needs hybrid complexity with that tech out there?

hondasales76

I've driven the 2005 Odyssey EX, EX-L with DVD and NAVI, and the Touring with DVD and NAVI. This van is now quieter than a Sienna! Here are the test results that Honda measured:

At 4,000 RPM the 2005 Odyssey is 2db quieter than the Sienna. At 20 mph the 2005 Odyssey is 3db quieter than the Sienna. At 60 mph the 2005 Odyssey is 4db quieter than the Sienna. During acceleration the 2005 Odyssey is 1db quieter than the Sienna. With the A/C running the 2005 Odyssey is 5db quieter than the Sienna. Hitting a bump in the road both the 2005 Odyssey and the Sienna measure at 80db.

As for the interior quality I think that one would be hard pressed to rate one over the other.

dfc101a

I highly doubt the Touring with RES/NAV will come in over $36. If the pricing does come in over that, Honda will be pushing sales to the AWD minivan on their dealer lots - The Pilot. The top level 2005 Pilot EX-L with NAV has a MSRP of $34,120.

Therefore:

   $34,120
+ $1,500 for RES
-----------------

   $35,620

Before I get all the disagreement, the Pilot is a SUV wanna-be and is priced that way. It has AWD and seats 8. I view the Touring goodies as a wash price wise versus AWD which is not offered on the ODY (because the Pilot serves that customer in the Honda line). AWD for most Mfg's is a $2,000 to $3,000 option. For a related pricing comparison, the Touring package on a 2004 MDX is $2,600.

Even a penny over $36 would be a mistake for Honda not to mention the rebate all Touring owners should get for not getting the 8th seat option and having to be guinea pigs for a new tire system.

sma3

The 2005 Odyssey review on the Motorweek episode that aired on Speed Channel yesterday was brief. I believe it did make at least one mistake by stating that power was increased from last year by 15hp to 225hp. I listened a few times (having recorded it). As we know, it is up 15hp but it is to 255hp.

Also, regarding pricing, the host said that pricing ranged from $25k for an LX to $32k for the Touring. So this was different than other reports that said that the Touring was $34k.

We shall soon see.

Scott

beagle1

Any body have any info on Canadian pricing.

cooldad24

Funny keep hearing comment on the price of today's car and van are more expansive than the past. Today's car and van are much superior than the can/van 10 years ago. They got more safety equipment, more features and more powerful with better mileage. If you deduct those extra stuffs, I am curious if the price is actually lower.

The hybrid using Gas with much lower pollution. Diesel generate more SO2 that is harmful to human health. It also need more complex filtering system and prone to last shorter than gas engine one. You want save more, use public transportation. Diesel was disappeared for a short period of time due to failing on EPA exhaust standard. It has less power on high speed (less HP and more torque) which is not ideal in high way with light traffic. In the city or metro area with heavy traffic, it's more favorite except the pollution it generates. In this case, hybrid is even better since most the time the electric power is used.

rorr

As I understand the VCM system on the new Ody EX-L and Touring, one bank of the V6 shuts down under light load conditions, thereby saving fuel. The manner in which this shut down occurs is an off-shoot of the VTEC technology in which the valves (intake and exhaust or intake only?) stay shut for the cylinders to be shut down.

Does this mean that the Ody engine is no longer an interference design? Is so, that would alleviate some concerns some posters have had in the past in regards to possible timing belt failure. Or do the exhaust valves still spin with the rest of the valvetrain and are still of an interference design?

65times

I was just informed today by my dealrship that our 05 Ody will be ready for pick up on 9/18 or 9/20. We ordered a Silver Pearl EXL-RES in july. The build was 9-3 thru 9-5, the dealer assigned the VIN to us and the van was allocated and is pending shipment. I hope anyone purchasing has an awsome dearlship to deal with, if not go find one now!

robertsmx

The "idle bank" is still active, only that there is no feeding/explosion going on there.

stickguy

I think the pistons are still going up and down (or "boing boing" according to the old Mazda ads), but the intake valves no longer open. Not sure about the exhaust valves. Not sure if this means it must be non-interference or not.

rorr

Thanks - I think I just answered my own question. If the VCM works by keeping the intake valves closed (no feeding therefore no 'splosion), then obviously the pistons CAN'T hit the intake valves.

I guess then I'm curious about the exhaust valves. Wouldn't there be some pretty heavy pumping losses with the intake valves shut on the intake stroke? What am I missing? Do the exhaust valves stay open so the piston isn't trying to pull a vacumn during the intake stroke? This would certainly be noisy; I can understand then the noise which ANC is supposed to cancel out.

I wonder if VCM works when sitting at idle and what it sounds like to the other vehicles in the drive-thru lane. It may be perfectly serene inside your van with the windows up and the ANC working as advertised. Meanwhile, the other drivers are wondering when Honda started equipping minivans with diesels.....

robertsmx

You can watch a video on how VCM works... here.

rorr

Okay, that's great, but I don't understand Japanese. Which valves are shut down during VCM operation and how does Honda eliminate pumping losses?

ahous

inky4, I meant a CTDi version of the Ody. Perhaps around 2.7-2.8L. The Accord 2.2 would be great too of course, but a diesel Ody is what I need.

lumbar

Congrats on the van. If I may ask, how do you arrive at the price on such a "pre-order"? Was it open ended based on an unknown MSRP?

jimxo

No I'm not a dealer this is what I have heard from a reliable source.

Jack up price? Only Honda sets the sales price.

stever

Honda USA just sets the suggested retail price. The dealers can mark it up or down (yeah, right <g>) from there.

Steve, Host

rrs

During your test drive did you notice how the "walk-in" feature of the second row seats works? Do they tumble forward like the Sienna or just slide up? Thanks.

koobiidoobii

Keep in mind that the Sienna Xle Limited has sunroof, smart cruise control and HID headlite standard that are not available on the Honda.

dudleyr

HOnda does have sunroof.

ac00lra

Keep in mind that the Sienna Xle Limited has sunroof, smart cruise control and HID headlite standard that are not available on the Honda.

Not true. The EX-L and Touring have sunroof from what I've read. True about the laser cruise and HID. But Honda did say the light in the Ody is a new type of light. We shall see. So that's a wash.

mochisushi

One of my employees has an AWD Sienna XLE Limited. Loves it..But doesn't like the laser cruise control. He turned it off. Didn't like the reaction when somebody moves in front of him a bit close...Also didn't like it detecting the semi in the next lane when they were on a curve. Both situations causes the Sienna to brake to slow down. The incident with the semi occurred when he was attempting to pass...not the time that you want the car to brake unexpectedly.

ceric

Okay, that's great, but I don't understand Japanese. Which valves are shut down during VCM operation and how does Honda eliminate pumping losses?

Here what Honda announced...
The Odyssey's i-VTEC V-6 engine (available on EX with Leather and Touring models) features a Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system that improves fuel economy by idling three of the Odyssey's six cylinders during cruising and deceleration. VCM deactivates the rear bank of cylinders by using the VTEC (Variable Valve-Timing and Lift Electronic Control) system to close the intake and exhaust valves while cutting fuel at the same time.

rorr

Thanks.

Any idea about what sort of noise might be perceived by bystanders from the VCM when the van is idleing?

andrewtran71

That's great news.
I am glad the Ody is finally quieter than the Sienna.
Now we need C&D as an unbiased 3rd party to confirm those results.
But thanks for posting the decibel readings.

soonbaek

I thought C&D is BIASED to Honda and BMW.

scienceman

Anybody know where to find the MSRPs that the host mentioned last evening?

stickguy

there has been a lot of estimates, but I don't believe actual numbers have been published, unless they are hot off the press.

gjay1170

Did anybody here get a small brochure for the '05 Honda cars and trucks? My dealer sent it to me last week. The '05 Ody was the first vehicle shown inside. Well, at least it's a tangible brochure, and not the internet. Next week, I'm hoping to get the full Ody brochure in the front seat of my EX-L nav/res. By the way, the picture is the touring with grey leather, and a LX beige. The other honda cars and trucks for '05 are nice too, including the hybrids, and the new Honda SUT concept (if you like pickups that seat 5).

65times

I placed my deposit and was told to expect a $500-$800 increase over the same platform on the 04 pricing. They guarentee sales at MSRP.

weaselinsuit

Haven't seen anything anywhere and Honda Canada was no help. I don't get it, surely the pricing must be set by now, what possible advantage is there to holding it close to their vests? Yeeesh.

lumbar

Thanks '65. I always wondered how that worked.