I bought the 2005 Odyssey Touring after driving the Sienna and Town & Country. The Sienna had too much body roll and the engine was gutless. The 2005 T&C was not as well made as the '97 T&C I was replacing. Overall the Honda is a great vehicle - the engine is outstanding, the Variable Cylinder Management is undetectable in operation, the 115 outlet is a useful feature, and the folding seats are the best in the industry. Mileage is a little lower than advertised, but not much different than my 1997 Town and Country. I get 16 in town and 24.5 on the road with a full car. However, this car can be much better with some relatively minor improvements.
My biggest complaint is the PAX tires and the lack of a spare tire. While on vacation I had a flat at 5:00 PM on a Saturday (right after the dealerships close until Monday)and it took 42 hours and trips to two dealers to get a replacement wheel (they don't patch these tires or even replace the tire - they replace the entire wheel assembly). You can only find a wheel at a Honda dealer and the first one I tried had just sold their spare wheel (singular). The addition of a spare would provide a lot more peace of mind. Given the choice between 30 minutes to change a tire and spending the better part of two days dealing with the PAX tire, I'd choose the spare.
One other thing to be aware of on the PAX tires & they do not have a pro-rated tread wear warranty like most Michelin tires, they cost a lot more (I was told $350/tire), and they wear FAST! At 5,800 miles, I had already lost 5/32 tread on the front tires. That’s half of the total tread life. I have checked other Touring models and found the same results. These are 20,000 mile tires at best. I hope Honda will make regular tires available when it comes replacement time. If you have PAX tires, rotate them regularly. And only have a flat if you are near a dealer.
Other areas to improve: Honda has decided that if you want the Touring model, you must not want the 8th seat. You have to buy the EX version if you want an 8th seat. The brochure lists a coin box as standard in all Odyssey models. If you want to have some fun at the dealer, ask the salesman to point it out. There are 17 cup holders, but not a coin holder in sight. The accessory controls are less than intuitive. This is not a car you want to jump into for the first time on a rainy night when you need wipers, lights, defroster, etc. Also, when you lock out the rear window controls, it also locks the driver out.
Despite the shortcomings, the car is a pleasure to drive, very peppy, and well made. I have purchased 3 more since I bought mine for business purposes, but not the Touring models. Not until they offer an alternative to the PAX tires.
UPDATED 6-27-06 As suspected early on, the PAX tires were down to 2/32" tread by 23,000 miles. Replacement cost was $1,150 for 4 tires. The Odyssey EX that I purchased with standard tires has over 50,000 miles now and plenty of tread left. I joke with fellow Touring model owners that while the PAX tires do cost twice as much, they only get half the mileage. What a deal. The Odyssey continues to perform well and is a great vehicle other than the tires. The only odd warranty issues have been the failure of a front wheel bearing and the failure of the multi-disc CD player.
Amount Paid (US$): 33,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: Touring w/o NAV/DVD
