2009 Honda Odyssey Review

Posted October 24th, 2008 by Nora

Mother Tested, Kid Approved!
Honda Odyssey Quick Facts:
Price Range: $26,255 - $40,405
City MPG:  16 - 17
Highway MPG: 23 - 25
Seats:  8
Latch Connectors:  3

Me, drive a minivan?  Never.  That’s what I thought when assigned the task of reviewing the Honda Odyssey with my family of five to put it to the test.  Well, that was the past, because the moment I got into the Odyssey it was love at first drive.  My boys loved it too, as I pulled into the driveway they were all over it like a jungle gym.  I had to remind them it was not ours!  An hour and a half later we were still in the Odyssey watching the kids Star Wars movie on the DVD player and as I sat there with the boys I thought to myself “this could be a weekly family tradition, movie night in the Odyssey”.  This minivan thing could really start to grow on me.

Exterior Features
Honda has lead the pack with the Odyssey for years, and now with the updated exterior body style it is more sleek and stylish than ever. The exterior is fantastic - unlike the common boxy or bubble type passenger cabin, the Odyssey has an elegant sleek style, yet its broad stance demands control of the road.

Interior Features
As I sat in the driver’s seat the first word that came to mind was comfortable, and I’m talking La-Z-Boy comfort.  The EX-L not only comes standard with leather seats, but they are heated as well which certainly comes in handy for both cold mornings and cool evenings.  The Odyssey back seats are just as comfortable as the front and my kids had it good with their own A/C controls, DVD player and captain’s chairs.  It was glorious to not hear “it’s too hot”, “are we there yet?”, or my all time favorite from way back when I was kid, “he’s on my side!”  For once, harmony while driving as a family!  There were a few features that left me a little confused, like 15 cup holders for 8 passengers, you do the math - I still can’t get it to add up!   Instead of a center console, the Odyssey has a collapsible table; at first I thought it was very clever but over time realized it might be a pain to clear off every time we wanted to use the 3rd row.  The other tiny thing – there is no coin holder!  These things aside, all the clever creature comforts completely outweighed any minor things I noticed.

Performance
One of the newest developments with the Honda engine is called (VCM) variable cylinder management; basically some of the cylinders are turned off when not needed.  When more power is needed the other cylinders kick back on. The transition happens so smoothly and quickly you’ll never notice it, except at the gas pump in savings!  Don’t worry - you still have great get up and go that the V6 engine has to offer.  I actually found myself applying the gas on some turns that I normally would have braked for in the past, making the Odyssey very fun to drive.

Safety
As a mom of three boys I know that I can’t always keep them from harm’s way while on the road.  The Odysseys’ 5 Star Crash Rating is very reassuring – it is the highest ranked vehicle in its class.  The first thing that I noticed as I backed out of the parking space I was in was the backup camera that popped up in the left hand corner of the my review mirror.  I wonder how many precious little lives that been saved by this feature already.    The Odyssey has 3 LATCH systems, there’s even one in the 2nd row middle seat.  Most parents would choose to have their baby or toddler in this seat, yet few vehicles supply a LATCH system in that seat location.  Some safety features that you can’t see and never want to include 6 airbags and (VSA) vehicle stability assists which helps your vehicle stay the course in the event of over or under steering.  (ACE) advance compatibility engineering body structure helps direct the force of an impact away from the passenger cabin.  You might be wondering if only the EX-L  model gets all these safety features, but Honda’s motto is ‘safety for all’, so these safety features are on all trim levels of the vehicle.

Of course the kids asked, “Can we keep it?”  When my real life test drive was over you would have thought I was taking their dog to the pound.  I must admit - I didn’t want to give it back either, and as much as I may have tried to convince myself that I would never own a minivan, I now can’t wait to own my Odyssey.

Looking for a Honda Odyssey?  Click Here to find yours!
Questions?  Call Nora or Merla at 1-877-503-2740

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