SW17LS

I lucked out and stopped by a Honda dealer right after their demo Odyssey was delivered and got to spend some time with it and take it for a drive. Didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with it (there was literally a line to drive it), but did want to post my thoughts relative to the Sedona which I have and compared to the Pacifica which I am considering.

The one I drove was an EX-L with navigation and rear seat entertainment. So this model has radar cruise, lane keep, blind spot monitoring, navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather seats, heated seats but lacks cooled seats, the vacuum, kick operated hatch and doors, LED headlights, which are available spread throughout the upper two trims, Touring and Elite. Its 99% an SX-L Sedona (lacks cooled seats and HID headlights). Sticker was $40,500 which I thought was very reasonable. This model does NOT have the new 10 speed auto. Its a fairly big jump to the Touring, about $4,500. That gets you LED headlights, foglights, the vacuum, foot operated hatch and sliding doors, CabinWatch, CabinTalk, different 18" wheels, the 10 speed auto. The Elite is another $2,500 and that gives you cooled seats, upgraded audio, 19" wheels, rain sensing wipers, LED cabin accent lighting. So $45,000 for the Touring and $47,500 for the Elite. Loaded Pacifica is $49,500. Transaction price will be much lower though.

Styling:

Van is better looking in person, doesn't look as "weird" as it did in some pictures. Good paint quality and build quality which you would expect. I would say better looking than the Pacifica, not as good looking as the Sedona. So, 1. Sedona, 2. Odyssey, 3. Pacifica.

Interior:

Overall finish is not to the level of the Sedona, but comparable to the Pacifica. The Sedona has better materials, better leathers, gloss trim where there is plastic trim in the Odyssey. The Odyssey is more utilitarian than both. Comfort is very good, seats are excellent. Instrumentation is all digital, no analog speedo or tach which I don't prefer but my wife will like. Honda's infotainment system is EXCELLENT. Very snappy, great touchscreen and smooth sliding access to apps. Huge upgrade from the Sedona, significant upgrade from the Pacifica. Honda uses Garmin nav too now but the interface is different than Chryslers. This model didn't have CabinWatch or CabinTalk to test. The magic slide seat is great, getting into the rear is still a little annoying, but vastly improved over the Sedona. Third row seats stow much more elegantly and smoothly than in the Sedona. No stow and go in the second row like the Pacifica, isn't an issue for us but could be for others.

It has a ton of little cubbies and storage, USB ports everywhere. Onboard WiFi where passengers can control HVAC and infotainment and rear seat entertainment from their phones. Very cool. The rear seat entertainment will simply mirror an iPhone or iPad which is ideal for us. Big spot in the console for my wife's purse like the Pacifica.

The interior, while not as "luxurious" as the Sedona for sure, is more practical and utilitarian. Big upgrade from the old Odyssey. Lack of rear seat entertainment is almost a disqualified for the Sedona nowadays. As a "quality car" I would rate the interiors 1. Sedona, 2. Pacifica, 3. Odyssey, but from a utility standpoint as "a van" I would rate them 1. Odyssey, 2. Pacifica, 3. Sedona.

Ride and Drive:

Was really impressed with the ride and drive. I would say it rides better and is slightly quieter than the Pacifica, which is considerably better riding and quieter than the Sedona. Body motions are controlled, and 18" wheels have good sidewall hight and deliver a great ride. Very quiet, no wind or road noise, on the highway briefly up to 75, I would say it was pretty darn close to as quiet as my Lexus. HUGE upgrade over the Sedona in this department, and it will be a much more comfortable and enjoyable to drive vehicle on trips. Has a brake hold feature like the Lexus which I love (vehicle will hold the brake at a stoplight so you don't have to leave your foot on it, feature is absent in the Sedona and Pacifica.

Honda puts the BSM indicators inside the cabin as opposed to on the mirrors, which is where I've always had them which is a huge adjustment for us.

Overall, very impressed and all things being equal, I would certainly choose the Odyssey over the Pacifica or Odyssey. However...the real test will be deals. Like I said, there was a line to drive this van. They got three in right after I left, another EX-L, a Touring, and an Elite, I'm sure all will be gone. We have time, so we'll see what the landscape looks like in 9 months. I'd pay some extra for the Odyssey over the Pacifica, but as to how much I don't know. Would I buy another Sedona with these two competitors? Probably not honestly. Its been a great vehicle, but it lacks some convenience areas for us which I've mentioned the big one is third row seat access, rear seat entertainment and as a vehicle ride comfort and sound isolation.

Toyota...DOA...why in the world they chose to refresh the Sienna vs an all new Sienna is beyond me. We don't plan on even test driving a Sienna.

patgilm

A friend of mine has one coming in charcoal and had to pay $900 over msrp which he said was close to $50k which seems insane but sounds like it has a lot of tech. He lives in Rockville so he may have bought it close to you.

mmarshall

No problem....post away. I've been in that position myself of having to wait in line for a very brief test-drive.....most notably with the much-hyped Nissan 350Z when it first debuted. Any experience behind the wheel, no matter how brief, is better than nothing.

You're probably already aware of this, but if not, to help you shop, the "L" designation designates the Leather interior option, not a longer wheelbase like it does on some models.


10 speeds in the tranny, IMO, is ridiculous, unless one is going to be doing NASCAR speeds at Daytona or Charlotte. if one is going to have that narrow a spread between gear ratios, might as well use a CVT....except that is difficult to engineer a CVT to withstand higher-torque engines. To be honest, I feel the all-new 9-speed 9T65 transmission (jointly co-developed with Ford) going into next year's FWD V6s at GM and Ford (including my upcoming Lacrosse) is a bit much.....but, since my order got transferred from a 2017 to a 2018, I'm stuck with it. (the similar, but slightly less-robust 9T50 is already in use this year on the 2017 Chevy Malibu 2.0T Premier). However, in several ways, it's considered the most advanced FWD transmission in the world....so it might be worth the wait.



I may be wrong, but I'd wager you will (much more likely) get a bigger discount on the Pacifica than the Odyssey, for several reasons.





Ahhh...you noticed. Honda products come from the factory assembled like Swiss Watches....though there is some evidence that, on recent models, their innards (the stuff beneath the skin, in the drivetrain and chassis) is not as durable or long-lasting as with earlier models.

Interior:

It's like that throughout much of the Kia line.....good materials and hardware inside and out, especially for the money. But, I wouldn't say that Kias, overall, are assembled any better than Hondas.



Move up to the Odyssey Touring or Elite version, and you can get that nice built-in vacuum cleaner. Unless you twins are a lot neater than most kids, I'd almost consider that a must if I were minivan-shopping for a family.

Probably the main reason to consider a Sienna would be the AWD option lacking in all other American-spec minivans....but, if you don't need or want AWD, then that's that. Toyota's quality control appears to be slipping, though. After decades of driving bullet-proof Toyotas, my old Flight Instructor's current Sienna has had some early failures (I still am friends with him and his family).....and he has not been impressed wth the way Toyota has handled the warranty-claims and/or claims made right after the warranty expiration date.

SW17LS

Yeah it'll be nutty for a while. I ain't paying over MSRP lol. When the lease is up on the Sedona I'm sure it'll settle down. Yeah, minivans are expensive! Loaded Siennas and Pacificas are almost $50k too.

I know

I hate the feel of a CVT, so a well engineered 10 speed vs a CVT I'm all for. We'll see how it drives, reviews so far have been positive.

Without a doubt. I can get $8k off a Pacifica now, and even the leftover 17 Odysseys are only showing $2k off online. Honda doesn't have much of a markup. Big test will be the lease rates. I'd probably pay $50-100 more a month for the Odyssey over the Pacifica actually, but I won't pay more than that.

The Touring is probably the right vehicle for us. The only two features the Elite has over the Touring that I'd be concerned about is the cooled seats, and the "multi zone audio". Our kids now watch movies on an iPad without headphones and we listen to music with the fader favoring the front of the Sedona. Works well...if this "multi-zone audio" means the rear audio can play the movie sound and we can still listen to music and that doesn't interfere...thats something we would be interested in. Will have to do more research.

I'm a fan of AWD, but not going to drive an archaic Sienna to get it over much better more modern options.

EZZ

Is $2k off MSRP or invoice. I bought my Touring Odyssey at invoice in 2013 which was the second model year. Barely any negotiation.

SW17LS

Off MSRP,, I'm sure you could negotiate better.

bolido

Good review. I have a 2016 Sedona SXL+Tech package but with the 8 seat option, so access to the third row is not as big of an issue as the gap between the 2 second row seats is wide enough.
Besides the rather clumsy third row folding mechanism, I've been very happy with the Sedona. I purposely do not want my kids to watch any TV while in the car, so the crappy DVD player in the Sedona is not an issue for me. I also drove the Pacifica before settling for the Sedona and I don't remember it having a very remarkable drive. In fact, the Sedona compares pretty favorable in terms of ride and quietness to my 2007 GS450h (I'm sure newer Lexus are quieter). I got my Sedona for $12K under MSRP (had to get a bit creative to get it at that price), so its probably been the most satisfying car purchase I've made. No doubt the Odyssey will be a home run and I expect it to become the best selling minivan soon.

mmarshall

Probably not a bad idea. Under some circumstances, continually staring at one spot while car is moving, particularly if it is rocking or moving up/down over bumps, can give one motion sickness. Back when I was commuting every day, I used to sometimes have that problem while trying to read on the subway...the ride itself was smooth, but the cars would rock back and forth.

SW17LS

We're happy with our Sedona too, the main issue for us is access to the third row with the car seats installed in the second row. The ride and drive is significantly better in the Pacifica and new Odyssey though, they feel on another level from a refinement and NVH standpoint. Reviews reflect that too. The Sedona is okay in that regard, and compared to older vans but these new ones are on another level.

Ours only watch movies when on trips.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

So is it faster, or should I say drives snappy/lively than the Sedona?
i would go for a refreshed Sedona when the lease is up, but they better fix the lazy transmission otherwise I would look elsewhere. Sedona is just wayyy to slow to get around, and I don't remember I had that complaint when I had my Sienna.

Johnhav430

I took a Sienna on a long trip as it was a rental, like 1,200 miles in 5 days (Phila. to Toronto). The thing that killed me was the fuel economy. It avg'd like 27? And I was in the GTA most of the time, bumper to bumper, stuck everywhere. I said man this 4 cyl. Sienna sure is underpowered, but gets great gas mileage. Then I look it up and it has a V6.....very cheaply assembled not sure what trim but close to base....these vehicles have tons of room, but not for me. I guess I never got over that ad where the guy is lifting weights and over the loudspeaker they're looking for the owner of a minvan and he starts feeling very uncomfortable...

ha found it, guess Saatchi and Saatchi hit the nail on the head with me

SW17LS

Oh yeah, powertrain feels much better than the Sedona, the Pacifica did as well. Much snappier and more responsive. No way I'd get another Sedona with these two out there.

I would never choose a Minivan except out of necessity. With one kid, or even two of different ages, but with young twins nothing holds as much stuff as a Minivan, is as easy to load kids in and out of as a Minivan. No SUV or crossover would work as well for us, we would struggle with space and room, and getting both kids in and out of it, especially when they were in infant seats, forget it. Nothing seats 3 rows as comfortably either. It's a necessary appliance for us. Sort of like worrying about the "image" your stroller conveys, and choosing one that isn't convenient because it looks better. Sure, people do I guess but come on.

This van will be the last van and then we'll go back to an SUV.

S2000toIS350

Great review

no need for dealing with cryslur now

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Steve,a little bit of info for you.

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/16...8-odyssey.html

SW17LS

Except that the Pacifica likely will be ~$5k cheaper, and the lease may potentially be $200 a month cheaper for a comparable van. The Pacifica does have a few positives too over the Odyssey, the interior is more luxurious, the stow n go seating, and the dynamic cruise control will take it all the way to a stop, hold it there and take off again, Odyssey is behind there, which doesn't matter to me but is important to my wife.