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Comments
But not all NAVs are created equal. The Ody's NAV is much, much better than the Sienna.
Ody has 8 inch NAV vs 6.5", 700 voice commands vs zero, 9" RES vs 7", 6-CD changer vs single CD player, fluorescent instrument panel vs cheaper panel, and a lot more chrome on the Odyssey Touring vs Sienna Limited.
If Toyota could match Honda on those items, I would get the Sienna.
But that NAV is the most significant to me.
**hee**hee
I didn't know you can say that here?
Yeah, it's the same with the Sienna when it first came out. About 6 months after the Sienna came out, one manager told me I would have to pay MSRP if I wanted a Limited or $500 off MSRP if I wanted XLE.
I was laughing pretty hard before I left:-)
Now they're giving people $3K off MSRP without a fight or $4K off if you want to box with them a little and take on about 4 sales managers.
True, the '04 Ody is much better than a lot of '05 minivans out there, but the '05 Ody is better than the '04 Ody in many ways.
Now the 05 CRV will have VSA, XM Radio, front and side curtain aurbags standard, drive ny wire throttle, 16 inch wheels, exterior temp gauge, radio controls on the steering wheel.
Wendy
I refuse to let my wife decide on which vehicle I will buy any time soon.
She thinks the new Ody is ugly too, and says the '04 is much better looking!
But she also says the Sienna is the "ugliest minivan she has ever seen"!
She also says the Sienna looks so small and crowded on the inside!
Must be a woman thing.
The sticking points for us were price, the PAX system on the Touring model and the Toyota-like packaging of the RES (DVD) w/ the NAVI system. You can get the RES w/o the NAVI, but not the other way around. In our case, the NAVI is an absolute must have. We don;t have kids and use the vehicle to transport our dogs to shows all over the Southeast. So this new packaging deal means that to get the NAVI we must spend an additional $2,000 so that our Golden Retrievers can watch "Lady and the Tramp" or "101 Dalmatians."
We have been driving the Odyssey since '99 and the only other minivan we seriously considered this time around was the Sienna ... but Toyota's bizarre collection of options packages grouping disparate elements like a roof rack, windshield de-icer and front seat curtain airbags drove us absolutely crazy.
We have test driven the new Odyssey( EX-L RES). While it seems a hair smaller inside, we are absolutely thrilled with our choice. This is a minvan that feels and drives like a family sedan, looks sharp (and will keep our dogs entertained lol).
Unfortunately, even though we live close to the source in Alabama, our dealer has yet to see either a Touring model (which was our choice until we saw the price) or an EX-L NAVI/RES.
There are several good aftermarket Nav systems to chose from, if you don't really NEED the 600 voice commands the Honda system has.
"In our case, the NAVI is an absolute must have."
Just once, I'd like to see a good definition of 'must have'.....
" Oh, it's so much better looking"
" Oh, they ruined it's looks!"
" Oh, I love that pretty blue color!"
" Oh, yuck! what an ugly shade of blue!"
" I love the tailights!"
" Why did they stick on tailights like those?"
" Oh, what a nice feature!"
" You would THINK Honda would have...."
Good Grief!! It's a MINIVAN!!!
"All remaining 2004 in-stock Sienna Vans will be sold AT INVOICE! This is a
limited time offer, and will absolutely end at 9pm on Thursday the 30th of
September! We still have 30 to choose from, and they won't last at these
giveaway prices! This is a special internet offer, so you must contact our
internet department only for this price"
So a Sienna XLE Limited with NAV and RES is about $4000 cheaper than the Ody touring with NAV and RES. Is the Ody touring $4000 better than the Sienna XLE Limited?
We know it's a minivan.
But like EVERYTHING else in LIFE, it has to appeal to us.
I think it's great that so many of us get excited about minivans for a CHANGE.
They are no longer just BOXES on wheels.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Looks are low priority for buyers, they get over the looks due to safety, performance, value, price, quality. Isellhondas, come in any time here.
Yellow is assosciated with safety. Red means danger.
Some will have to calculate the number of air bags, history of repair, horses under the hood...
We love the Sienna! Very happy to spend the bucks to get what we wanted. No regrets.
Admittedly I have been waiting for the new Ody to come out and frankly I am a little disappointed when I did see the Touring model. I figured they had an extra year of designing they should kick the Sienna's butt. Honda tried.
The are some things I like in the new Ody over the Sienna.
1. I did not see the Ody Nav but I am sure it is better based on my experience with the Acura TL. I do like how I can watch movies when parked on both the NAV screen and the RES in the Sienna standard. Hopefully the Ody does this.
2. The parking assist sensors are color matched in the Ody. They are black in the Sienna.
3. The information screen under the speedo in the Ody is great.
4. The turntable storage area is cool and would be nice to have.
5. The 3rd row seats in the Ody fold down and lift up easier. I like how I can store stuff under the Sienna's seats when they are up.
6. The drink holders on the sides of the second row seats.
7. The 3rd row seem to have more room at the cost of a cramped second row.
8. Seat memory. A great feature!!
I am sure there are more things I like in the Ody over the Sienna and in time I will find out.
Now the Sienna does have some things over the Ody.
1. B pillar door closer buttons.
2. Buttons to control sunroof, side doors, and rear door in the center top where they should be and so someone besides the drive can control.
3. HID head lights, they are awesome! Honda get with the program but first put them on the MDX.
4. Sienna feels and looks better. Wood and leather steering wheel is awesome. The leather seats look and feel better. The texture, feel, and materials throughout the van are superior. Go see and feel for yourself.
5. The gated shifter is nice because I like to downshift when braking or if I want more speed control. I can do that on the Sienna without looking.
6. The outside lines of the Sienna are cleaner. Honda, the 2004 Ody was somewhat graceful and clean as far as minivans are concerned. What happened?
7. The Sienna feels roomier in the front and second row. I think the third row of the Ody is roomier but was able to do a side by side.
Ok they are both good vans but go look at how plasticy the Ody looks. yuck. No options will fix that.
Forgot to mention the laser cruise control. This thing is great on trips. You just set the speed you want to the exact mph and specify the distance you want to maintain behind the vehicle in front of you. It will maintain that distance and change speed as the car in front of you changes speed. When no car is in front of you you will be traveling at the speed you set.
There are many more things in addition to your list. Honda Odyssey have illuminated controls for power windows and door lock controls. Sienna does not. Ody has LED instrumentation, Sienna does not.
Does the Ody's front passenger seat fold like the Sienna? This is a very neat feature of the Sienna. Also the Sienna has telescoping steering wheel, and Ody does not.
While Honda's rear seat are 'super-easy' to fold into floor, Sienna's is still 'very-easy', so don't feel bad about that.
There are many more, but don't have time now.
To be continued...
If wither van doesn't have enough room for you, join the NBA. They always need more big men.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Steve, Host
For example, if you want AWD, you get Sienna.
If you want power hatch, but don't want to spend $38K, you buy Sienna.
If you want the best NAV and DVD RES, you buy Ody.
If you can wait about 6-12 months to get better discounts on the Ody, prices will be about even.
But for now, you can get $3-4K off MSRP on Sienna XLE or Limited, but you pay $500 off MSRP or straight MSRP for Ody.
But other than the MAJOR features, they are both even.
We can argue all we want, but they are even.
Some may say, "But the Sienna has Lasercruise", and some may say, "But the Ody has a much better NAV & RES & 6-CD changer", etc.
To me, NAV is the most important feature, so of course, the Ody is #1 to me.
But to others who do not want NAV or even RES, they are even.
You just buy whichever has the best deal at the time.
Both of these vehicles are very good. Neither one will do all things for everybody. Each has some feature(s) and/or characteristic which is unique. It is up to the individual buyer to determine which represents the 'best' deal for them at that particular point in time.
About the only thing we can do in here is to attempt to point out the things which are DIFFERENT between the two to help propective buyers to determine which van better serves THEIR needs. I think too many people get defensive regarding their own choice and think they somehow have to validate their decision.
But would Radar cruise control be safer?
I am at the point where I will probably get one....and I am wondering if there are any features worth noting in the new 2005 models.
Thanks in advance.
The most notable thing I can remember is that a power drivers seat is now an option on the LE model. You had to go to the XLE in '04 to get that.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Seriously, I don't know.
I hardly ever use my regular cruise control in the first place.
It seems scary to me that my car will suddenly decide to slow down (and I haven't used it, so I'm not an expert) without warning.
Sounds like a crutch for people who don't feel like paying attention.
I'm with Craig, I hardly ever use cruise either. Just not many opportunities when driving on the NJ turnpike and other congested highways in the NE corridor.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Mind you, I prefer not to use the cruise as I prefer to be involved in my driving. However, when I am doing 1300 miles in one day, a stint with the cruise on (regular or otherwise) can be somewhat restorative for the left leg.
Maybe I like playing with it because I miss my 5 speed?
Steve, Host
first off, I am a lifelong honda / acura buyer. I've owned tons of them and are still my favorite. Leaving AWD off as an option is simply not excusable. We went to the dark side and bought a 2004 Sienna LTD AWD and just simply love the thing. It is nothing short of awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone. If Odyssey would have been available in AWD, we most certainly would have given it a look. But at a higher price than the Sienna, I think I would have stuck with Toyota. We Also own a 2004 Acura MDX which is by far a better vehicle than either the Odyssey or the Sienna. It just seems put together better in my opinion.
If anyone is on the fence about a Sienna, Here is at least one Die Hard Honda/Acura fan telling you to buy the Toyota.
I agree, Toyota has the edge on Honda in quality.
The results were in this order:
1. Odyssey
2. Sienna
3. Quest
4. Grand Caravan
5. Freestar
These were all 2004 models. The 2004(not 2005) Ody was chosen over the new Sienna design beacause it drives like a good handling car. The Sienna may have a a slighly better ride and is too quiet to feel any communication with the road. Serious car drivers would prefer the Ody over the Sienna. It also uses regular gas and has 10 more hp than the Sienna that needs premium gas. It may be an "oldie but it is a goodie".
The 2005 Ody increases the hp gap advantage to 25 using regular gas.
the june c&d comparo is old news. they compared to a low level sienna, le i think.
agreed, the sienna xle limited still has no peers. i love honda, too, and my next car will probably be pilot or mdx, but the xle limited awd is awesome--and cheaper than ody touring when similarly outfitted.
Car&Driver test probably only makes sense for their readership. Car&Driver would always rate say BMW M3 much higher then Odyssey, yet to my wife the Odyssey would be a clear winner.
Car&Driver test is valid, but it will not hold true for all people. I would even say that they represent a performance oriented minority. I like 05 Odyssey handling (I never driven any other minivan before). But I have to give better reasons then this to convince my wife than Odyssey is better.