Odyssey-The Lexus of Mini-Vans

I'm only in the early stages of ownership, but wanted to share a few experiences with readers. First, the epinions reviews of this and other mini-vans helped make the decision for me. I chose Odyssey LX, because I needed to make a good decision. As of this review, 8/20/06, only Honda offers the backing of a company on solid footing with a solid history, minimal issues with recalls, minimal issues with customer service, a strong balance sheet, and the promise of a bright future. Even Toyota is having a myriad of problems. Basically, the decision was made on quality and customer support. I want a solid product from a solid company that offers solid support and a promising future. Simple really.

From the cockpit: Driver position is excellent. Steering wheel diameter and position is excellent. Steering wheel has a grip section on the outer edge that provides comfort and traction, without causing any discomfort - just excellent. Front and rear window washer controls on right on single control wand. On the left is the blinker/headlight/high beam control wand. Cruise control buttons look/feel excellent and are all on the steering wheel. No reaching around for buttons. Just excellent. Speedometer is absolutely stunning day or night with a blue/white glow surrounding the analog MPH readout. Tach readout is Analog as well. Door ajar displays the door that is ajar on a small diagram of the van - Nice. Insert the key, turn ignition on and you see "oil life remaining" percentage. Two tripometers. Back to the dashboard: Following suit with the Quest and Lexus, Transmission control is on the dash: Looks nice, feels nice, yada yada. Center of dash is controls for radio, and HVAC. Radio controls are large, easy to use and logical. Heating, ventilation and Air condition are superb beyond words. Large, easy to use, clean, clear, concise - Superb.

Performace: It's a rocket ship at various speeds. Passing is easy. Road noise is minimal. Ride is a little tight - little too much road feel, but as luck would have it I actually prefer that ride. It's not cushy and smooshy like a Cadillac. It's an import and that is the ride one gets with an import - you'll feel the road more, but have better control. I live in Wisconsin and the roads are terrible. The overall ride is excellent, but there are times where you'll feel and hear the bing/bing/bing bong of road warps and bumps. Turning radius is incredible, and on par with cars, and perhaps better than most cars.

Overall: Performance is excellent, comfort is excellent, looks are excellent, price is good, and the reliability is of course second to none. When you make your final choice, make it based upon quality and reliability and you'll be comfortable with the few thousand extra dollars. The feeling of heading down the road in a Honda Odyssey is incredible. The days of paying astronomical repair bills, and having a vehicle in and out of the shop are gone. Tranquility Happiness Security have arrived. Thank you Honda.