The #1 Minivan for a reason! Best vehicle I've ever purchased!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Creature comforts, storage space, smooth ride

Cons: Miss my keyless-entry, no compass, no latch on 2nd row middle seat

The Bottom Line: 
I'd recommend this over and over again. Honda's reputation says it all!

Author's Review
A lifetime of resistance to minivan ownership made me anything but interested in even glancing at one, let alone contemplating a purchase. Though I'm a mother of three and constantly on-the-go I have long rebelled against the soccer-mom image and all that goes with minivan ownership.

Unfortunately, a recent car accident totalled my Explorer and sent us on the hunt for a suitable replacement vehicle.  In the back of my mind I knew that the practical thing to do was look at the minivans and at least give them a chance.  After looking online at prices for all our other mid-sized SUV options I resigned myself to the fact that a minivan would be hard to beat for options, convenience, and of course gas mileage.

My husband and I have looked into and test driven countless makes and models over the past few years and come to the consensus that there's just no beating Honda.  Just for a fair comparison we test drove both the Odyssey and a comparably equipped Toyota Sienna. At a car show recently we also looked at the Dodge, Chrysler, and whatever Ford minivans.  We decided against a test drive on those vehicles for reasons I will not detail here.  What we discovered is that there really is NO comparison.  The Odyssey truly is in a league of its own. 

The quality of workmanship, reputation for reliability, and the undeniable rentention of value were significant factors in our decision.  We compared used models we found online to the new 2009 and were surprised at the little price difference.  We contacted a few dealers out of state, checked with Edmunds.com, and ended up taking the quotes we were given to our local dealership. We were given the deal of the century and proudly took our baby home! 

Every member of our extended family has given me grief, constantly reminding me of the many times I staunchly denounced the idea of ever owning a minivan.  But own it I do, and love it, too.

We purchased the 2009 Ex, without the fancy NAV or RES or leather, and I am perfectly happy that way.  We scotchguarded the seats ourselves and they are looking great!  To my delight, we are able to fit all three carseats side-by-side in the middle row so there's no hunching over or acrobatics required to get our little ones safely buckled. 

The storage space still amazes me--an in-the-floor compartment that is deep enough to store everything I could ever need for a 3-child emergency, there are two small bins in the rear row, another one in the spare tire well, and two in every door.  Not to mention the deep glove compartment and smaller map box, and 2 drawers in the console. 

Creature comforts abound in this vehicle.  There are cupholders everywhere--I think at last count we've found 12, with 8 just in the front!  There's an auxilary jack for your mp3 player, with two power outlets as well as an AM/FM/6-disc CD changer with digital display.  It's got the HomeLink system, enabling you to program your garage door opener right into the car.  The driver's seat fully adjusts up, down, tilt, forward, back, all electronically and has a manual lumbar support.  The A/C has vents everywhere from front to back so that every occupant gets their share of fresh air. And if that's not enough, even the rear passenger windows roll down like a car! You can also easily adjust all the seats, remove them, rearrange them, lie the rear seats down flat, and more.

Honda's attention to detail is unmatched.  They have designed this vehicle to be owned by real families while still making it look like a sleek luxury vehicle.  The center seatbelts in both second and third row are stored flushmounted in the roof, yet easily taken down for use.  The rear passenger doors contain shade screens that roll up and hook up onto the top of the window, or store in-door while not in use.

Honda has taken the old mother's expression, "a place for everything and everything in its place" to heart and demonstrated it in this vehicle.  But they haven't ignored Dad, either.

It has a smooth, quiet ride and handles beautifully. It accelerates and corners like a dream, helping me to sometimes forget that I'm driving a mommy-mobile.  It's got a lot of power and stability as well.  The seats are comfortable for road-trips, and road noise is nearly unnoticeable.  The power doors that open and close at the push of a button are incredibly convenient, and include a safety stop and reverse function when something in the way touches the door. 

Now that I've succumbed to the call of the minivan, there's no going back.  There's too much to love about this vehicle, and no beating it. The quality of materials and workmanship inside and out assure me that my Odyssey will be a part of the family for years to come.