Minivans
were just minivans before this version of the Honda Odyssey came and upped the
ante. Boasting a very powerful V-6 engine, seemingly boundless interior space
and clean, crisp duds, the Odyssey was suddenly beating the segment-leading Chryslers
at their own game. Is it still that good? Yes, in fact, it's even better. The
Odyssey is a plus-sized model, literally, Among minivans, its overall length is
longer than all but the Nissan Quest and the Oldsmobile Silhouette. Accordingly,
its interior is very spacious and unlike the Quest, refreshingly straightforward
when it comes to layout and ergonomics. The Odyssey starts as an LX, with lots
of goodies for its sub-$25K price, including ABS, side air bags, front and rear
a/c, power accessories and more. The EX adds power seats, power sliding doors,
keyless entry and other goodies to the mix. Leather is comes standard on the EX-L
model, and a factory-installed rear-seat DVD system is on the "EX-L with
DVD." The Odyssey "EX-L with Navigation" was the first minivan
to offer a navigation system, thus enable mom and dad to answer the age-old question
"Are we there yet?" with a real answer, including coordinates, actual
distance to destination and estimated time 'til arrival. That should shut 'em
up. Beyond all that, there are no options, so the sub-$31K top-of-the-line "EX-L
with Navigation" model represents something of a bargain in this market. Every
Odyssey is propelled by a 3.5-liter V-6 that ties the Nissan Quest for best in
class grunt: 240 hp and 242 lb-ft of torque. With such a stellar list of standard
features at such an attractive price, it's easy to see why the Odyssey is still
so hard to find. |