Several weeks ago my SUV finally gave up. The purchasing decision I’ve dreaded for years has come and there’s no way for me to avoid it. Not only am I now faced with a new car purchase, but a mini-van no less. Yes, take pity on me I am a Mini-van-man. That said, lets see what I got for my $30,000.00 (including TT&L).

My wife had three criteria for our new van:
1. It had to be white.
2. It had to have a leather interior.
3. It had to be a Honda.

These three requirements really narrowed down our shopping (which I appreciated). The Honda dealer near us was located in Plano, TX. The salesman took us to their off-site storage lot where they must have had 200 or more Odysseys. However, they had 1 white model that had a leather interior. Excellent! This unit also had the Honda GPS Navigation System.

Driving the Odyssey
I have driven almost every model of Honda and Acura made in the last 8 years. Let me say this, Honda is consistent no matter what model you drive. My Acura RL has a remarkably similar feel to my friends MDX. Another friend has an NSX and it feels amazingly like an S2000. The Honda and Acura families of cars share much of the same engineering DNA and the Honda Odyssey is no exception. This is either a plus or minus depending on your point of view.

The 6-cylinder engine is a work or Japanese engineering art. Unlike many of the Odyssey’s American counterparts the Honda feels nimble, you don’t realize that you are driving a long vehicle until you hit the curb with your back wheels when turning around corners. Personally, I like this about the Odyssey. It drives like a car. When you accelerate the Honda “digs in” it feels light and nimble and wants to jump forward. The Odyssey has a smooth transmission that is akin to my Acura RL with its power curve. Granted, the RL moves from 0 – 60 in less time, but the Odyssey’s acceleration is smooth and consistent. You don’t feel the gears shift and the cabin remains quiet as the engine revs. The small engine and lightweight van gets reasonable gas mileage, ours is averaging about 18-20mpg around town.

Inside The Cabin
The interior of the Honda is well planned and user friendly although somewhat sparse compared to a top-end Toyota. The Odyssey has great seats (especially when the leather option is purchased). The two middle captain’s chairs easily slide together to form a single seat for two, they also move forward and backward to accommodate long-legged passengers in the middle or rear seats. The middle seats can fold flat against the front seats to for two single beds for the driver and passenger. You might say the Odyssey comfortably sleeps three. The third-row seat also reclines, and can easily fold backward to be stowed. One very useful feature of the third row bench seat is the ability to reverse it so it faces backwards (when parked). This is great for family picnics and fireworks displays.

The downside to all this is that the interior accoutrements are a bit sparse. While there are controls for the passengers in the middle row (driver’s side) to adjust the AC/Heat, there are no stereo controls or headphone jacks for passengers. This is common in Toyotas and the Chrysler Town and Country of the same price point. The seats in the Honda are large enough to accommodate larger passengers, but this tends to eat-up some of the legroom for either the passenger in the second or third row. If there are adult passengers in the second and third row someone is going to have their legs squeezed tight by the seat in front of them.

An Electronic Odyssey
As I mentioned earlier, our Odyssey came with the DVD Navigation system. When we were driving around with the salesman I remarked “it’s a neat toy, but we will never use it.” In the past three weeks we have used it several times to locate destinations we were unsure of. It performed perfectly every time. I am surprised that Honda does not offer an Odyssey that has both a DVD Player and a NAV. We really wanted the DVD player instead, the dealer offered to install one after market for a mere $2,600.00. Since the top of the line model at Best Buy is only about $1,300 we chose to pass.

Someone needs to explain to me why a $30,000 “loaded” minivan comes with a $200.00 stereo/singe disc CD player and a mostly plastic dash. The stereo sounds like two tin cans with a walkman attached. Again, comparable models from Toyota and Chrysler have a multi-disc CD and DVD player an wood accents on the dash. I am more than a bit disappointed in this, and Honda should really look at what their competitors are doing in this area. I purchased a dash kit for under $200.00 that added the wood trim that I wanted, and expect to replace the stereo soon.

I also fail to understand why Honda chose to omit a decent trip computer that is integrated with the NAV. My wife misses the outside temperature gauge and the memory adjusting seats/mirrors. Considering how far out the mirror sticks out, Honda should have learned from Ford and Toyota with their power folding side mirrors. Honda makes a great product, but it just needs a few more options to make it an excellent product. Especially a product in this price range.

I have to say that this is the mini-van that can do most anything. It has great lines, dual automatic doors, and leather seats that are comfortable for almost anyone. If you are in the market for a mini-van you must consider a test drive. You will undoubtedly find yourself giving the Honda serious thought.

Amount Paid (US$): 27,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: EXL-Leather, DVD NAV