thanks for the info--got the quote on internet, went to dealer and quote was legit. Checking it out against sienna and quest. so far seems likes best deal considering what used ones are selling for.
I totally understand wanting to be able to get first pick. The only thing I dont get is how the dealer can get away with selling over MSRP. From everything I have read when Honda first came out with the 99 Ody they were selling then either at MSRP or above. I cant believe anyone would pay over that but that is personal preference. That brings me back to the original question, does the waiting lists affect that pricing in the first several months of release? I would love to be able to contact my dealer right after release and find the particular van I want and then be able to negotiate the price. These are just cars after all and regardless of what you pay for them at purchase they will depreciate greatly in the first year. Trust me I am not a cheap person, and actually I expect to pay AT LEAST $32,000 for my van when I buy it, but I dont want to be forced to pay top dollar and then be able to pick up the exact same thing four months later for $3,000 less. Do you think it is realistic that something like that could happen? I know it is happening with the Toyotas. I would prefer the Honda, but it the prices to seem fair I may be forced to go with the Nissan.
I also have a question about the sliding windows rolling down. I have not driven the Sienna which I understand has that feature so I dont know first hand what it is like to drive at normal speeds with such a large window down. Seems to me that it would turn the inside of the van into a hurricane. Has anyone experienced what that is like? I love the idea of a moonroof and cant wait and see how large that one is. Actually the moonroof and skyview is one of my favorite features on the Quest and primary infatuation next to the dual DVD which I think is really cool. I just cant get past that control panel collumn and I think that when Honda finally lets us see their interior I will be so in love with their control panel that it will win me over hands down. Then I will be wishing I was on that waiting list which I insist I wont get on LOL
Active Noise Control... a Honda first! That's to defeat the noise and vibration caused by VCM! What people should ask themselves is do they really want to be the first to have six hitting on three part of the time? (to save 4-5 mpg) What about hills and towing? Is the thing going to hunt back and forth between 3 and 6 like an auto tranny?(in and out of OD or 5th) What happens when the white noise machine breaks down do you have Armada like resonance? I wish Honda would make VCM and option. Finally does anyone really think there will be just a minor price increase for all the new toys? Expect loaded 05 Ody's to come in possibly just a couple of G's below the Sienna at best. (last time I checked a 9" LCD was significantly higher than a 7" etc..)
Active Noise Control... a Honda first! That's to defeat the noise and vibration caused by VCM! What people should ask themselves is do they really want to be the first to have six hitting on three part of the time? (to save 4-5 mpg) What about hills and towing? Is the thing going to hunt back and forth between 3 and 6 like an auto tranny?(in and out of OD or 5th) What happens when the white noise machine breaks down do you have Armada like resonance? I wish Honda would make VCM and option. Finally does anyone really think there will be just a minor price increase for all the new toys? Expect loaded 05 Ody's to come in possibly just a couple of G's below the Sienna at best. (last time I checked a 9" LCD was significantly higher than a 7" etc..)
Yes I do trust Honda will do it right. Actually from what I've read, Honda has had this technology in Japan already. So we're not the guinea pig. The US market is too important for Honda to take a big risk. And I do bet that it will save a lot more than 4-5 MPG if you do a lot of highway driving at crusing speed. And yes I am anxious to find out how effective the Acive Noise Control thing is also. As for VCM as an option, I doubt that's the case. From what I've seen, the Odyssey's engine is the same for all trims. I do hope they will give us a button to turn it on and off at will, like VSA and TCS or something.
I dont know much about vcm so I need some info from you. Do I understand correctly that it only works at cruising speed to reduce MPG? So in city driving with alot of stopping, slowing, down and etc. it does nothing for MPG savings?
I for one think that if they are willing to put this on the minivan which I would imagine they want to have excellent reliability, they already know how well it will work. I have no hesitation in buying it because of that. It certainly has to be better than the current one that has a terrible miss in it. My sister's van has a hasitation when you stay at a consistent low speed, usually at around 35 to 40 mph. She took it in to the dealer when she first noticed it and they told her that it was a glitch in the motor that they knew about and all of them had it to some degree and there was nothing they could do about it. Hers is an '03, and a lease. She took them for their word and just lives with it. I would not have been so understanding, but to each his own.
Yes, it is designed to work when the engine is under light, steady load. So, logically that means cruising on the flat highway when the engine can easily loaf along on 3 cylinders.
Any of you know if NAVI equipped models will retain a CD slot in the dash?
My other car has a 6 CD changer in the trunk and that is all! I can live with it in my sedan but for the kid-hauler this would be a big problem. Several times a week the kids will have a friend who hops in with a new CD that wifee can just slip right in for them.
If Honda makes multi disk changer standard on some models I hope that either [1] it loads via a slot in the dash or [2] they retain a single slot in the dash as well as the changer under seat or wherever.
I looked at some data for JDM Honda Inspire with 250 hp V6 3.0L iVTEC VCM engine. The gas mileage is 11.6km/L, roughly 28.8 mpg. Interestingly, the Accord is doing 12.0 km/L with 2.4L DOHC and 13.8 km/L on 2.0L DOHC engines. I am not quite sure about the gas saving concept yet.
The gas mileage for the current model is 18/25 mpg in city/highway. With the VCM, I would think high 20s for city and over 30 for highway. Or Honda will advertise the VCM technology as a big feature even with only 4 or 5 more mpg than the current model.
I think that it may just be possible to suck a little better mileage in the city if only 2 or 3 mpg. I live in Orlando, not a large NY type city so there is plenty of straight on distance driving and I think that VCM will improve mileage here. We will see wont we?
fbear- that is a good question and I hope it has both a single cd slot plus changer. For convenience it will be better, but I will still take the changer over the single slot if there is not a combo.
OK, I just found more of the "blue" spy shots that shows the van from other angles. I was very excited to see these and wanted to share: http://www.acurainspired.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3720 I hope I did it right. Anyway, I think the body looks pretty good. You can tell how they are trying to make the track for the sliding door "blend" by adding the dimple look to the whole side of the car. Also you can see that the sliding door window WILL roll down. Also the back sensors are visible as well as the dash has 2 humps, one in behind the steering wheel and one in the middle which reminds me of the japanese model's dash (HOPING!)I just wonder what the tape in the back quarter panel is hiding? Also noticed there are no front sensors!
OK I like this look and dont think it looks all that different than the current model. Anyone who likes the current one or Sienna and is put off by this I just dont get. Picture how nice it is going to look with a wash and good paint job. Not to mention the ground effects. That would make it look even sportier.
My dealer told me that new VCM will be available only on touring model and not for LX, EX or EX/L (which is a good thing) ! Just want to confirm that Is this TRUE and anyone else hears about it ?
Visited the dealership this weekend: EX-L with destination for the 2004 is ~29K, but most cars vans on the lot are loaded with useless junk. ($800 for paint sealant). Hope the EX-L stays at 29.5k for the 2005. Honda adds a bunch of features and the MSRP goes a little higher with each model release(Fair) Toyota lowers the price with each model releases and adds more option packages (and confusion) with each model release.
My dealer told me that new VCM will be available only on touring model and not for LX, EX or EX/L (which is a good thing) ! Just want to confirm that Is this TRUE and anyone else hears about it ?
Any opinions on quality of the standard leather on the EX-L v/s aftermarket leather. I would love to get the leather with a texture like the Quest. The current EX-L in grey looks very ordinary. Is the fit-finish just as good as factory leather?
My dealer told me that new VCM will be available only on touring model and not for LX, EX or EX/L (which is a good thing) ! Just want to confirm that Is this TRUE and anyone else hears about it ?
I dont think the dealerships have received any hard info on the VCM as an option. From everything that has been posted on this forum it seems to not be an option at all. Standard on all models. But no one really knows for sure but Honda engineers.
About the leather, I believe that aftermarket leather is just too expensive to mess with. My DH owns an auto upholstery shop as one of his businesses and just one hide will cost about $2,000! you would need several to cover all the upholstery on a van. I would imagine at least 2 per seat! Totally not worth it to replace the leather. Personally I would rather have the cloth seats because here in Florida it is soooo hot that the leather is actually more uncomfortable. I am going to try to get mine without, but when one opts out of leather you also opt out of alot of other upgrades, so I may be stuck with it. I agree though the texture of the Quest leather is very nice indeed. I will try to find the post I read on the net that had all the combos for the ext/int colors. There were quite a few. I believe for every ext color there were 2 int colors available.
also, Autobytel had a "known" changes list on the Odyssey and they said that Honda was NOT going to have the same product shortage problems that they were plagued with on the previous model at release. They said that the color options may cause delay in delivery, but there were going to be plenty supplied to the dealers so there wont be the order problems from before. I am not sure if they can really control this, but it makes me feel somewhat better.
Note: RES denotes Rear Entertainment System (DVD) R&N denotes RES + Navi
Available Color Combos: BE/IV - Desert Rock Metallic / Ivory BK/BK - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Black BL/BK - Ocean Mist Metallic / Black BM/GR - Midnight Blue Pearl / Gray BX/IV - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Ivory GN/BK - Slate Green Metallic / Black GX/OL - Slate Green Metallic / Olive GY/IV - Sage Brush Pearl / Ivory GZ/OL - Sage Brush Pearl / Olive RE/IV - Redrock Pearl / Ivory SI/BK - Silver Pearl Metallic / Black SX/GR - Silver Pearl Metallic / Gray WH/IV - Tafetta White / Ivory"
Sienna gets 27 on the highway not 29. I doubt the Odyssey will do much better than 30 on the highway EPA. Honda's own literature claims 15-20% improvement with VCM so that would be an extra 5 mpg or 30 mpg. They may squeek over that, but I don't think 33 is too realistic. I would love to be wrong though - 33 would be great.
Any of you know if NAVI equipped models will retain a CD slot in the dash?
My other car has a 6 CD changer in the trunk and that is all! I can live with it in my sedan but for the kid-hauler this would be a big problem. Several times a week the kids will have a friend who hops in with a new CD that wifee can just slip right in for them.
If Honda makes multi disk changer standard on some models I hope that either [1] it loads via a slot in the dash or [2] they retain a single slot in the dash as well as the changer under seat or wherever.
Hummerhonda just posted this on Odyclub.com. There is an English version of the patent that fully explains how the lazy susan works. I haven't read the whole patent yet, but there are drawings that are included. Great Job, Hummerhonda!
Edited: I thought that it had drawings showing how the middle, second row seat folds into the well, but after reviewing it briefly, I don't see it.
Why don't you check out patents? If you do a check of the European Patent database, it gives some interesting clues on what certain features may look like.
The spy shots I saw of the interior definitely looked to me like it DID have a single slot in the dash for the cd. It also was a cd changer (or at least it looked like it to me). So I think that you will be able to use it exactly like you want to.
I have copy of dealer color chart and have noted a few slight differences on top of what you posted regarding color combos- there are a few combos limited to touring or non-touring. My changes in (parentheses)
Available Color Combos: BE/IV - Desert Rock Metallic / Ivory BK/BK - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Black (touring only) BX/IV - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Ivory BL/BK - Ocean Mist Metallic / Black (touring only) (- Ocean Mist Metallic / Gray - non-touring only) BM/GR - Midnight Blue Pearl / Gray GN/BK - Slate Green Metallic / Black (touring only) (- Slate Green Metallic / Gray - non-touring only) GX/OL - Slate Green Metallic / Olive GY/IV - Sage Brush Pearl / Ivory GZ/OL - Sage Brush Pearl / Olive RE/IV - Redrock Pearl / Ivory SI/BK - Silver Pearl Metallic / Black (touring only) SX/GR - Silver Pearl Metallic / Gray WH/IV - Tafetta White / Ivory"
Looks like they will only be offering the black interior on the Touring style only. All those people who must have a black interior are going to have to pay top dollar to get it.
I am wondering, though, if the Touring will only be offered with Black interior (as opposed to black only being offered in the Touring). I like the sounds of the Touring, but don't want the black interior...Maybe I will be stuck with the EX-L. I like the idea of having the Ocean Mist in non-black interior, though.
I actually think I like a lighter color interior, again since I live in FL and it is hot hot hot here. Any dark color draws the heat in. Hence my new dilemma. My dh only likes white cars because they stay cooler. He will flip if I get anything other than that, but there is only one interior color option with the white and that is Ivory! I want a white ext not white int. I have 2 young kids, they will destroy a white interior. What is Honda thinking making a minivan with white interior????? Am I off track in thinking this? I was actually hoping the olive interior would be a nice shade of light green and I could opt for that. The way things are looking I am going to want the Touring model.
Ivory may not mean "white". The GM ivory interior is more of a tan color (I am slightly color blind, so I could be way off, but that is what it looks like to me). It is still slightly lighter than the gray, but definitely not white.
The current Odyssey has 3 diferent interior colors they are Quartz, Fern, Ivory. Fern is gray, Ivory is kinda tan, and Quartz is like a lighter gray. If you have the 04 ODY brochure u kno what im talkin bout.
Has anyone seen this pic? I appears to be LX trim, no tape to mask off "key design elements". Looks pretty nice! Scroll down to the bottom of the page. http://www.thehollywoodextra.com/honda/honda.html
Even if Honda will have 19/27 mileage (as Sienna) I won't be disappointed. Just take in mind that Sienna has 230 hp vs. Ody's 250, and Sienna requires premium fuel to get this numbers, and hopefully the Ody will not. So it will still be top of class.
BTW, does anybody who see those dealer sheets have an idea the lb.-ft. of torque of the new Ody? Will it beat the 'top in class' Freestar's 263 Lb.-Ft.?
samnoe: Unlikely. Current 3.5L develops 242ft-lb with 10.0 compression ratio. That is how it can handle #87 octane. When it goes beyond 10.0, it would need #89 and upto #91 if it reaches 11.0. I have read 11.5 in Audi's new A6 to come. For a 3.5L to develop 263ft-lb, you would be looking at at least 11.0:1. Definitely it needs #91. It would cost more at each gas stop. In fact, the one in the new RL might be capable of that.
Thanks Player4 for clearing that up for me. My sister has a tan interior so I bet that is the same color. I talked to my husband about the van today and he seems really excited about it. He actually told me putting a pre-order may not be a bad idea. I cant believe he said that. He wants me to call local dealer and talk to them about it. If I have time tomorrow I may do that and see what they tell me.
"This vehicle is currently being pre-sold at $2500.00 over MSRP. This is a special Internet price. The Retail department will be charging 4 to 5 thousand over MSRP."
I would be weary of this dealer since quite a few people here have been able to pre-order theirs at or below MSRP promised by the dealer. I would contact another few dealers and see what they tell you. I refuse to pay over MSRP since the value wont be considered what you paid for it but the actual MSRP amount. The first dealer that tells me that, I walk! I would rather wait than pay too much just to get it a few months sooner, I already have a car and am not desperate.
Know any dealers in the SF area that will sell at MSRP? Two others I checked with would not commit to a price. One said only that it would probably ask what the market would bear.
Funny begging dealers to sell at full sticker price. BIG reminder here. This is not the 1999 Odyssey. I bought my 99 pre introduction for 316 over invoice. That was once in a lifetime deal and not possible again. But Honda production capacity was a mere 70,000 units per year then. The world has changed with capacity in excess of 200,000 units per year with the new plants and flexible manufacturing. How silly would anyone feel when 6 months after intro the nice van is once again available with 1-1.5k discounts. Go ahead make the dealers day.
....does anyone know if this is the MSRP as the van comes from Honda WITHOUT any dealer/port installed 'extra value packages', or is it possible the dealer would add a $2000 (MSRP) paint protection/pinstripe/mud flap package? I don't know how the Honda dealers are about that, but I know that some Toyota dealers are notorious about tacking on all sorts of bs, inflating the MSRP all out of shape and then acting like its a big deal when they come off of MSRP to sell the vehicle.
For those who have pre-orders with promises from the dealer to sell the vehicle at 'MSRP', you may want to clear that up....
You just gotta love patents and patent attorneys. 30 pages of expansion on a concept that you initially described in two paragraphs. (Ask me how I know.... 2 granted, 12 pending...).
The lazy susan appears to be an concept extension on the under floor unit currently in use, but does not look to be in any way related to 'Stow & Go'. In other words, it is any easy way to store and retrieve a small item, but not for storage of the second row seats as Chrysler did.
If you are like me, you probably have numerous small items packed around your spare tire. Hand tools, emergency stuff, etc. Bothered by having to push forward the front seats and lifting a large hatch cover to get to them? The patent describes a small hatch door inserted within the large hatch door that can be more easily opened without moving the seats. Within the floor bin is a rotating drum, giving access to 100% of the interior when reaching thru the small door opening. Interesting, but hardly earth shattering...
I saw the lazy susan diagram. I would be interested to see it in action and see what it will actually hold. It really is hard to tell exactly how it will work from looking at the drawings, at least to me.
About MSRP, I am still kind of ticked off that dealers are already telling people that they will probably charge above MSRP. The dealer that said they will charge what the market will bear is really saying (IMHO) "We will charge whatever people are willing to pay, because the dont know any better." I would rather wait a few months and let the dealers see that we (the potential buyers) are not going to play that game with them. If they want my business they will have to charge what is fair, not what they can get out of it. Lest they forget that just down the road are other car manufacturers with loads of incentives just waiting to take their business away. Honda learned quickly with the release of the '99 model that they need to provide dealers with a higher volume of vehicles to sell to prevent backlogs and potentially lost business. They have already told the dealers that there wont be these kinds of shortages this time around so the super high mark-ups should be a thing of the past. If they are not, I will be very disappointed and may walk away from the van until they come to their senses. I advise others who dont want gouging to start to do the same. Toyota still makes a highly desired (to alot of people) and competitive product to compete with the Honda and people will have no qualms in buying those instead if this nonsense starts up again. This is a totally different market these days. OK, I will get off my soapbox now
I realize this has probably been engineered out, but if the van is only humming along on a couple cylinders, admittedly under light loads only i.e. flat highways as someone previously posted, will it result in uneven engine wear? Do the same cylinders get used each time or does it mix things up? Probably only relevant if you do a bucket load of highway driving but just curious.
There should not be any uneven wear on the cylinders as the pistons continue to move. The valves remain shut to prevent any additional loading on the deactivated cylinders and, of course, no fuel is injected. Go to this URL. It is for the Japanese Accord, but shows how the VCM works.
Comments
Yes I do trust Honda will do it right. Actually from what I've read, Honda has had this technology in Japan already. So we're not the guinea pig. The US market is too important for Honda to take a big risk. And I do bet that it will save a lot more than 4-5 MPG if you do a lot of highway driving at crusing speed. And yes I am anxious to find out how effective the Acive Noise Control thing is also. As for VCM as an option, I doubt that's the case. From what I've seen, the Odyssey's engine is the same for all trims. I do hope they will give us a button to turn it on and off at will, like VSA and TCS or something.
I for one think that if they are willing to put this on the minivan which I would imagine they want to have excellent reliability, they already know how well it will work. I have no hesitation in buying it because of that. It certainly has to be better than the current one that has a terrible miss in it. My sister's van has a hasitation when you stay at a consistent low speed, usually at around 35 to 40 mph. She took it in to the dealer when she first noticed it and they told her that it was a glitch in the motor that they knew about and all of them had it to some degree and there was nothing they could do about it. Hers is an '03, and a lease. She took them for their word and just lives with it. I would not have been so understanding, but to each his own.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
My other car has a 6 CD changer in the trunk and that is all! I can live with it in my sedan but for the kid-hauler this would be a big problem. Several times a week the kids will have a friend who hops in with a new CD that wifee can just slip right in for them.
If Honda makes multi disk changer standard on some models I hope that either [1] it loads via a slot in the dash or [2] they retain a single slot in the dash as well as the changer under seat or wherever.
The gas mileage for the current model is 18/25 mpg in city/highway. With the VCM, I would think high 20s for city and over 30 for highway. Or Honda will advertise the VCM technology as a big feature even with only 4 or 5 more mpg than the current model.
fbear- that is a good question and I hope it has both a single cd slot plus changer. For convenience it will be better, but I will still take the changer over the single slot if there is not a combo.
OK, I just found more of the "blue" spy shots that shows the van from other angles. I was very excited to see these and wanted to share:
http://www.acurainspired.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3720
I hope I did it right. Anyway, I think the body looks pretty good. You can tell how they are trying to make the track for the sliding door "blend" by adding the dimple look to the whole side of the car. Also you can see that the sliding door window WILL roll down. Also the back sensors are visible as well as the dash has 2 humps, one in behind the steering wheel and one in the middle which reminds me of the japanese model's dash (HOPING!)I just wonder what the tape in the back quarter panel is hiding? Also noticed there are no front sensors!
OK I like this look and dont think it looks all that different than the current model. Anyone who likes the current one or Sienna and is put off by this I just dont get. Picture how nice it is going to look with a wash and good paint job. Not to mention the ground effects. That would make it look even sportier.
(which is a good thing) ! Just want to confirm that Is this TRUE and anyone else hears about it ?
EX-L with destination for the 2004 is ~29K, but most cars vans on the lot are loaded with useless junk. ($800 for paint sealant).
Hope the EX-L stays at 29.5k for the 2005.
Honda adds a bunch of features and the MSRP goes a little higher with each model release(Fair)
Toyota lowers the price with each model releases and adds more option packages (and confusion) with each model release.
(which is a good thing) ! Just want to confirm that Is this TRUE and anyone else hears about it ?
The current EX-L in grey looks very ordinary.
Is the fit-finish just as good as factory leather?
(which is a good thing) ! Just want to confirm that Is this TRUE and anyone else hears about it ?
About the leather, I believe that aftermarket leather is just too expensive to mess with. My DH owns an auto upholstery shop as one of his businesses and just one hide will cost about $2,000! you would need several to cover all the upholstery on a van. I would imagine at least 2 per seat! Totally not worth it to replace the leather. Personally I would rather have the cloth seats because here in Florida it is soooo hot that the leather is actually more uncomfortable. I am going to try to get mine without, but when one opts out of leather you also opt out of alot of other upgrades, so I may be stuck with it. I agree though the texture of the Quest leather is very nice indeed.
I will try to find the post I read on the net that had all the combos for the ext/int colors. There were quite a few. I believe for every ext color there were 2 int colors available.
also, Autobytel had a "known" changes list on the Odyssey and they said that Honda was NOT going to have the same product shortage problems that they were plagued with on the previous model at release. They said that the color options may cause delay in delivery, but there were going to be plenty supplied to the dealers so there wont be the order problems from before. I am not sure if they can really control this, but it makes me feel somewhat better.
Here's some more information I found on TOV:
"Year Description Transmission
2005 ODYSSEY 5DR LX 5AT
2005 ODYSSEY 5DR EX 5AT
2005 ODYSSEY 5DR EX-L 5AT
2005 ODYSSEY 5DR EX-LRES 5AT
2005 ODYSSEY 5DR EX-LR&N 5AT
2005 ODYSSEY 5DR TOURING 5AT
2005 ODYSSEY 5DR TOURR&N 5AT
Note: RES denotes Rear Entertainment System (DVD)
R&N denotes RES + Navi
Available Color Combos:
BE/IV - Desert Rock Metallic / Ivory
BK/BK - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Black
BL/BK - Ocean Mist Metallic / Black
BM/GR - Midnight Blue Pearl / Gray
BX/IV - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Ivory
GN/BK - Slate Green Metallic / Black
GX/OL - Slate Green Metallic / Olive
GY/IV - Sage Brush Pearl / Ivory
GZ/OL - Sage Brush Pearl / Olive
RE/IV - Redrock Pearl / Ivory
SI/BK - Silver Pearl Metallic / Black
SX/GR - Silver Pearl Metallic / Gray
WH/IV - Tafetta White / Ivory"
I wish they had Silver Pearl Metallic/Ivory
2004 Sienna
2005 Ody(VCM):3.5liter 4400 pounds epa: 21/33
My other car has a 6 CD changer in the trunk and that is all! I can live with it in my sedan but for the kid-hauler this would be a big problem. Several times a week the kids will have a friend who hops in with a new CD that wifee can just slip right in for them.
If Honda makes multi disk changer standard on some models I hope that either [1] it loads via a slot in the dash or [2] they retain a single slot in the dash as well as the changer under seat or wherever.
Edited: I thought that it had drawings showing how the middle, second row seat folds into the well, but after reviewing it briefly, I don't see it.
Why don't you check out patents?
If you do a check of the European Patent database, it gives some interesting clues on what certain features may look like.
For instance...the lazy susan.
http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=...DX=WO2004020248
I have copy of dealer color chart and have noted a few slight differences on top of what you posted regarding color combos- there are a few combos limited to touring or non-touring. My changes in (parentheses)
Available Color Combos:
BE/IV - Desert Rock Metallic / Ivory
BK/BK - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Black (touring only)
BX/IV - Nitehawk Black Pearl / Ivory
BL/BK - Ocean Mist Metallic / Black (touring only)
(- Ocean Mist Metallic / Gray - non-touring only)
BM/GR - Midnight Blue Pearl / Gray
GN/BK - Slate Green Metallic / Black (touring only)
(- Slate Green Metallic / Gray - non-touring only)
GX/OL - Slate Green Metallic / Olive
GY/IV - Sage Brush Pearl / Ivory
GZ/OL - Sage Brush Pearl / Olive
RE/IV - Redrock Pearl / Ivory
SI/BK - Silver Pearl Metallic / Black (touring only)
SX/GR - Silver Pearl Metallic / Gray
WH/IV - Tafetta White / Ivory"
BTW, does anybody who see those dealer sheets have an idea the lb.-ft. of torque of the new Ody? Will it beat the 'top in class' Freestar's 263 Lb.-Ft.?
Unlikely. Current 3.5L develops 242ft-lb with 10.0 compression ratio. That is how it can handle #87 octane. When it goes beyond 10.0, it would need #89 and upto #91 if it reaches 11.0. I have read 11.5 in Audi's new A6 to come. For a 3.5L to develop 263ft-lb, you would be looking at at least 11.0:1. Definitely it needs #91. It would cost more at each gas stop. In fact, the one in the new RL might be capable of that.
Touring color combos:
Ocean Mist - Black
Silver - Black or Gray
Nighthawk Black - Black or Ivory
Slate Green - Black or Olive
On the color chart I saw, Ivory is a light almond shade.
"This vehicle is currently being pre-sold at $2500.00 over MSRP. This is a special Internet price. The Retail department will be charging 4 to 5 thousand over MSRP."
How silly would anyone feel when 6 months after intro the nice van is once again available with 1-1.5k discounts. Go ahead make the dealers day.
For those who have pre-orders with promises from the dealer to sell the vehicle at 'MSRP', you may want to clear that up....
The lazy susan appears to be an concept extension on the under floor unit currently in use, but does not look to be in any way related to 'Stow & Go'. In other words, it is any easy way to store and retrieve a small item, but not for storage of the second row seats as Chrysler did.
If you are like me, you probably have numerous small items packed around your spare tire. Hand tools, emergency stuff, etc. Bothered by having to push forward the front seats and lifting a large hatch cover to get to them? The patent describes a small hatch door inserted within the large hatch door that can be more easily opened without moving the seats. Within the floor bin is a rotating drum, giving access to 100% of the interior when reaching thru the small door opening. Interesting, but hardly earth shattering...
Steve
About MSRP, I am still kind of ticked off that dealers are already telling people that they will probably charge above MSRP. The dealer that said they will charge what the market will bear is really saying (IMHO) "We will charge whatever people are willing to pay, because the dont know any better." I would rather wait a few months and let the dealers see that we (the potential buyers) are not going to play that game with them. If they want my business they will have to charge what is fair, not what they can get out of it. Lest they forget that just down the road are other car manufacturers with loads of incentives just waiting to take their business away. Honda learned quickly with the release of the '99 model that they need to provide dealers with a higher volume of vehicles to sell to prevent backlogs and potentially lost business. They have already told the dealers that there wont be these kinds of shortages this time around so the super high mark-ups should be a thing of the past. If they are not, I will be very disappointed and may walk away from the van until they come to their senses. I advise others who dont want gouging to start to do the same. Toyota still makes a highly desired (to alot of people) and competitive product to compete with the Honda and people will have no qualms in buying those instead if this nonsense starts up again. This is a totally different market these days. OK, I will get off my soapbox now
http://www.honda.co.jp/INSPIRE/presentation/p-engine/index.html
agree
I am not paying more for better Tupperware