Minivans

Review: 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite

Family Friendliness: 9.6

Recommended: Yes

Specifications apply to test vehicle only.

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By Keith Buglewicz

Even though it was in its fifth model year, the 2010 Honda Odyssey was at the top of its class despite tough new competition from Toyota, Nissan and Dodge. Its eight-passenger seating, comprehensive set of optional and standard features, excellent crash test and safety scores and numerous other strengths begged the question: What will Honda do for an encore?

Honda's answer? Make everything a little better. The all-new 2011 Honda Odyssey addresses its predecessor's few shortcomings, improves on its strengths, and adds an important new twist on second-row seating that its competition can't match. In fact, after spending a week behind the wheel, it's really a no-brainer: The 2011 Honda Odyssey is the best minivan on the market.

Model & Pricing

The test vehicle that Honda provided was a 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite. The Elite is a new model for this fourth-generation van. It slots above the previous top-line Touring, and is essentially a $44,030 "select all" button for the Odyssey's options sheet (that price includes a $780 destination charge). Like all Odysseys except the base-model LX, it comes with eight-passenger seating and power sliding doors. The 3.5-liter V-6 engine is shared across the board, as are power windows, steering wheel mounted controls for the audio system and cruise control, and so on. Eight-passenger Odysseys also benefit from Honda's new Wide Mode second row seat, which allows three LATCH-equipped child booster seats to be used simultaneously in the second row. Couple that with two more LATCH seats in the third row, and you have a total of five, the most of any minivan, and among the best of any vehicle on the market. If the Touring Elite's price is a little too elite for you, note that everything above is available on the EX model for a little more than $30,000.

The Touring Elite makes a good case for itself though, with a leather interior, wide-screen dual-view DVD entertainment system, rear view camera with three different angles, a voice-activated navigation system, Bluetooth, USB input, and even a high-definition HDMI input for your own video game system. There's also three-zone automatic climate control, a power hatch, backup sensors, blind spot detection, and on this model, the engine is connected to a six-speed automatic that improves both fuel economy and acceleration.

Some gadgets available in other minivans aren't offered on the Odyssey. For example, the Odyssey doesn't have a pushbutton ignition, like some competitors, and to maximize cargo capacity you have to heft the second-row seats to the garage floor. There's no power folding option for the third row, either.

Safety

All 2011 Honda Odysseys, even base LX models, get front and side airbags, including curtain airbags that extend to the third row; stability and traction control; LATCH positions in all second-row and the outboard third-row seats (a total of four in the LX and five in all other models); five-star crash test ratings from the new, tougher NHTSA crash test, and Good (the best possible) ratings from the IIHS. It also comes with a blind-spot detection feature, alerting you to traffic you can't see in your mirrors.

Behind the Wheel

If you think minivans are a drag to drive, it’ll only take a few miles behind the wheel of the 2011 Honda Odyssey to change your mind. The V-6 engine offers plenty of power for getting on the freeway or passing slower traffic, and it managed to return 20.9 mpg in mixed driving that included a day trip to the mountains. On the freeway this van is quieter than the previous Odyssey, although it's not as silent as the Toyota Sienna or the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. Through corners the Odyssey feels like a much smaller vehicle, and the suspension absorbs bumps without causing the body to pitch and roll as it does in some other vans. The Touring Elite offers up wide tread tires, giving it surprisingly good grip. You could even call it fun.

The primary drawback is the very thick rearmost window pillars. Honda's "lightning bolt" side window kickdown is intended to improve rear visibility for third-row passengers. Unfortunately, it doesn't help the driver see what's to the rear of the van. The backup sensors, blind-spot indicator and rear-view camera help, but better visibility for eyeballs would be appreciated.

Utility & Comfort

The 2011 Honda Odyssey's "killer app" is its Wide Mode second row seat. It works in three ways. First, there's a removable center seat, so you can make your Odyssey a seven-passenger van with a handy walk-through to the third row. Put the seat back in, and you can sit three across, all with three-point harnesses. That's all similar to how the previous generation Odyssey worked. Wide Mode comes into play when you pull a handle on the outboard seats, tilt them forward, and slide them out toward the doors. It spreads the three seating positions apart by about an inch; you can then slide the center position forward and fit three large LATCH-equipped booster seats.

If you have small children in boosters, this means they can all be in the second row, letting you carry large cargo in the rear with the split-folding third row stowed. With room for two more LATCH equipped boosters in the third row, you can fit five child seats in the Odyssey at the same time, regardless of their size. No other minivan has that much LATCH capacity.

Nearly all of the seating positions in the Odyssey are quite comfortable for adults, the sole exception being the middle position in the second row. The second-row seats all recline and slide fore and aft, and the third row seatback adjusts as well. That third row is fairly easy to access, and big enough for adults. It has padded outboard armrests and there's even a fold-down armrest in the middle. The leather in the Touring Elite felt more durable than supple, a smart move in a people hauler like the Odyssey. The driver and front passenger have the best seats in the house. The new dash design improves on the previous van with knobs for the climate control and a design that's just cleaner overall. The center console between the front seats is huge, and it removes easily if you want a quick passthrough to the rear seats. There's hardly a knob, switch or gauge out of place. The DVD slot is high on the dash, and the audio from the surround sound was awesome.

If you regularly fill your van with bags of mulch, drywall panels or the occasional couch, the Odyssey can swallow them, too. However, its competitors have an edge here, since the Odyssey's second row must be left at home if you need maximum cargo space. The two outer chairs weigh about 55 pounds each, and the middle one is 20 at most, but it's still a bit of a struggle getting the big, bulky seats out of the van. If you carry big things more often than big loads of people, then a Nissan Quest or Dodge Grand Caravan, both of which feature quick-folding second rows, might be a better bet.

Family Friendliness

The 2011 Honda Odyssey scores very well on the Family Friendliness Index, thanks to its LATCH positions, safety features and crash test scores. But in the day-to-day grind, it works well, too. The floor is low, allowing kids to get in and out easily. The LATCH anchors are easy to reach, too. There's a ton of room inside, and plentiful storage spaces. The third row folds quickly with a single pull of a handle, and it's faster and more convenient than holding a button for a power-folding seat. The anchors for the seats are big enough to clean with a hand vacuum, too.

Conclusion

The question here is, what's not to like? The Odyssey gives up very little to its competition, and gives its drivers much more in return. About the only quibble worth mentioning is the exterior styling. Although the front and rear of the van look fine, the profile is peculiar thanks to the odd shape of the rearmost side windows. It takes some getting used to, and it's about the only thing that might make a potential buyer pause before signing.

But once inside you don't notice the peculiar exterior styling, and instead are confronted with a flexible and comfortable interior, high-end standard and optional features, and a driving experience that's tough to beat. Recommending the Odyssey is a no-brainer.

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