[wh500special]

We have an Odyssey. I love having a van. We had a - get ready for this - Mercury Monterey van and it taught us that there really isn't a more practical vehicle for hauling even a couple of people. As much room as a Suburban but smaller footprint. Great fuel economy on trips. Easy to get in and out. No need to wonder if something you buy will fit - it will.

FWD does great in bad weather. We lived on a dirt road in Indiana before moving here and it would plow right through the mud when the spring thaws came.

After having a van and unless you tow something substantial, it makes you wonder why people would drive anything else.

You can't see the outside when you're in the inside...

Steve

 

[14v6]

We have an Odyssey. I love having a van. We had a - get ready for this - Mercury Monterey van and it taught us that there really isn't a more practical vehicle for hauling even a couple of people. As much room as a Suburban but smaller footprint. Great fuel economy on trips. Easy to get in and out. No need to wonder if something you buy will fit - it will.

FWD does great in bad weather. We lived on a dirt road in Indiana before moving here and it would plow right through the mud when the spring thaws came.

After having a van and unless you tow something substantial, it makes you wonder why people would drive anything else.

You can't see the outside when you're in the inside...

Steve

So true, few can get past it's practicality. What did me in was snowy hills. Even with Blizzaks it was a no go. Then we got an AWD CRV and never looked back when we realized that a CRV was the sweet spot. An AWD Odyssey would be tough to beat. In those days I never contemplated leaving Honda for an AWD Sienna which in retrospect would cover all of our bases, even in a pinch if the inside had to get dirty.

 

[wh500special]

Like everything else, minivans are bigger now than they used to be. But they are still quite efficient. Really a solid vehicle choice.

The current Sienna looks like it checks every box for us. I do really like the Pacifica PHEV though. But I’m not a Chrysler guy. Geez, PHEV’s seem like the perfect solution for
Vehicles this size. I guess they’re expensive to build since there really aren’t many choices out there.

When my Odyssey needs to be replaced the Sienna will get the hardest look unless Honda hybridizes and/or adds AWD to the Ody. Our van gets good mileage, but it could be better.

I just reserved a new Ridgeline today, so our current van better hold on for a while. That will give Honda some time to cater to my whims. 🤓

steve

 

[RidgelineRayRay]

I'm still on the fence about how well the sport makeover or SGP works on the Odyssey. Maybe it'll grow on me.

It slots between the EX-L and Touring with an MSRP of $42,505 including destination.

Changes from the EX-L include:

• Black leather with red stitching on the seats and steering wheel
• Red ambient lighting
• 19" gloss black wheels
• Tinted taillights
• Gloss black grille, headlight trim, fog light surrounds, door mirrors, B-pillar, C-pillar and taillight trim
• Black headliner and pillar trim

The 2023 Odyssey is also the first Honda model to include 2 years or 24,000 miles of maintenance.

The LX trim has been discontinued.

The price for the EX increased $900 while the EX-L, Touring, and Elite increased $700.

View attachment 425988 View attachment 425989

 

[OmahaJeff]

Living in the snowy Midwest of Wisconsin, I never got stuck with our Odyssey, though admittedly we didn’t take it out in a blizzard or challenge it off-road.

There’s already another thread where I’ve chimed in about minivans. I agree they work for a lot of people, but since I DON’T need to haul around a lot of people regularly and can use AWD and more ground clearance and an open bed for tall things and dirty things, a truck works better for me.

I don’t know which is more economical, but minivans have gotten a lot more expensive than when we had ours. The AWD minivans are quite expensive—AWD Sienna top price $51K—and not really a bargain compared to a truck or SUV.

 

[Boatman]

Owning a minivan is like owning a pontoon boat. No respect for having one but nothing more practical.

 

[RidgelineRayRay]

I owned an Odyssey and really loved it. What a great road warrior and utility vehicle. My only gripe about it was the heavy middle seats as I often took them out to haul materials or furniture. I needed to tow and my Odyssey didn't have the towing package. Instead of getting it installed I traded "up" to the Pilot. I was so pleased with the ride and capability of the Pilot that I added the Ridgeline to our family for my daily and I absolutely love it! That being said, if Honda would offer the all wheel drive system to the Odyssey that the Pilot/Passport/Ridgeline enjoy I would trade back to an Odyssey with our Pilot. Toyota is beefing up the Siena soon and I'm really interested in seeing the results. I think a "Rugged" minivan would be a great type of vehicle as the platform is so practical and useful.

 

[BehindBars]

I owned an Odyssey and really loved it. What a great road warrior and utility vehicle. My only gripe about it was the heavy middle seats as I often took them out to haul materials or furniture. I needed to tow and my Odyssey didn't have the towing package. Instead of getting it installed I traded "up" to the Pilot. I was so pleased with the ride and capability of the Pilot that I added the Ridgeline to our family for my daily and I absolutely love it! That being said, if Honda would offer the all wheel drive system to the Odyssey that the Pilot/Passport/Ridgeline enjoy I would trade back to an Odyssey with our Pilot. Toyota is beefing up the Siena soon and I'm really interested in seeing the results. I think a "Rugged" minivan would be a great type of vehicle as the platform is so practical and useful.

I have yet to “downgrade” from a van to an SUV. Where SUVs fail is in their reduced cargo volume compared to a van. Car and Driver specs the 2022 Odyssey cargo volume behind the front row at 140.7 cubic feet. The 2022 Pilot cargo capacity behind the front row is only 83.8 cubic feet. I’d sure like to have a full size SUV’s towing capacity, but the trade off is cargo volume.

 

[Sparkland]

Don't you feel bad that you can't go rock crawling, river crossing, or mud bogging in the Odyssey? Neither do the 95% of SUV and truck owners who never take their pavement princess off the blacktop.

 

[RidgelineRayRay]

I have yet to “downgrade” from a van to an SUV. Where SUVs fail is in their reduced cargo volume compared to a van. Car and Driver specs the 2022 Odyssey cargo volume behind the front row at 140.7 cubic feet. The 2022 Pilot cargo capacity behind the front row is only 83.8 cubic feet. I’d sure like to have a full size SUV’s towing capacity, but the trade off is cargo volume.

You're not kidding!! Not just cargo capacity but simple cup holder and cubby capacity! AND the second row seats don't recline which I did NOT notice during the test drive. My Pilot has taken me places tho that the Odyssey could not. A recent CO trip allowed us to get to our Cabin in snow/ice/mud that the Odyssey just simply could not have done. I've taken it to some light offroad trails as well. Then there's the ease of towing....THAT being said, I'd grab a AWD Odyssey in a heartbeat over my Pilot....but not my Ridgeline.... which is why I'm here in the first place. Cheers!

 

[Drakken]

Owning a minivan is like owning a pontoon boat. No respect for having one but nothing more practical.

Guess what I'm doing today?