2004 Honda Odyssey Road Test

Walkaround

The current Honda Odyssey is among the biggest minivans on the market. It's about the same size as the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. It's a little larger than the Toyota Sienna, but slightly smaller than the Ford Windstar, Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana.

Honda took a safe, utilitarian approach to the design of its minivan. The Odyssey is neither as distinctive as DaimlerChrysler's minivans nor as anonymous as the Sienna. Honda has made an attempt to give it some corporate identity around the grille area, but the profile and rear view are decidedly ordinary.

Like its contemporaries, the Odyssey comes with four large doors plus a tailgate. The rear doors slide open, making it easier to get in at crowded shopping-center parking lots.

Interior Features

A large, roomy interior is a direct benefit of the Odyssey's size. The floor height is relatively low, making it easy to get in and out. Even the door handles, inside and out, are large, comfortable, and, well, handy. The rear hatch swings up, and a low lift-over height makes it easy to load cargo in back.

The power sliding doors that come with the Odyssey EX are easy to operate. Either door can be opened or closed by pressing a button on the dash or key fob, or by moving the inside or outside levers on the door. For safety, the driver can defeat the system by pressing a switch next to the steering wheel. Additionally, the doors cannot be opened when the vehicle is either locked or moving.

Space is plentiful by every measure. There's lots of headroom and comfortable accommodations for six passengers. You can fit seven, but only if three of them are small children who don't need a child seat. The front seats are comfortable. They don't provide as much side support as I like, but the flat seat bottoms make getting in and out easier, which is a benefit when managing munchkins. Driver visibility is excellent.

The third-row bench seat can be folded into a deep recess, leaving a completely flat floor aft of the second seat for carrying cargo. It is a relatively simple process, though the third-seat headrests must be removed and stowed in side pockets first. Setting the third seat back in place for passengers reveals a large well in the floor, where you can stash enough groceries to sustain an army and not worry about them sliding around. (Try that in a sport-utility.) The back of the third-row seat is raked for comfort.

By sliding the seats sideways, the second row can be converted from two bucket seats to a small bench with a bit of effort. But the main benefit of second-row buckets is improved access to the third row. Second-row seats are removable, which, with the rear seats folded into the floor, turns the Odyssey into a carpeted cargo van. When you're in more of a hurry or away from the garage, the second-row seats can be folded down, leaving space for large, flat items. That's a nice convenience for those spontaneous stops at the home-improvement center. The second-row bucket seats are adjustable fore and aft, allowing optimum comfort for six passengers. Adjustable shoulder belts for the front and second-rows add comfort.

Temperature and fan controls are available for all three rows, along with fully adjustable vents. Materials are top-grade, and the interior color scheme is attractive. The 2000-2001 models already offered an array of cup holders and map pockets, but Honda has added more for 2002, along with handy bag hooks and grab rails.