After driving the new 2006 Kia Sedona, I drove across the street and drove the 2006 Honda Odyssey. I just reviewed the Odyssey last year, but my memory needed refreshing. At any rate, I drove a Touring last year. This time I drove the base LX trim.

Last year I judged the Honda the best overall minivan. Is this still the case?

Styling

Some people out there thought the previous Odyssey was a good looking van. These people will probably find the new Kia'styling much to their taste. I wasn't among them. The styling wasn't bad, just very plain and utilitarian.

After seeing the third-generation Odyssey on the road for a year, I have mixed feelings about its styling. It does appear much more sophisticated and upscale than the old Odyssey and the new Sedona, and avoids the odd proportions and detailing of the Sienna. But it isn't as pretty as the Chrysler. Compared to the Chrysler, the Honda's stubby nose, thick midsection, and long, squarish tail make it appear a bit portly, at least with the 16-inch wheels. The lower-profile tires of the Touring have a helpful slimming effect. In the right color--titanium looks best to my eye--the Touring can be stylish.

Inside the impression is much the same. Honda did not give the new interior many of the Pilot’s interesting touches as I had hoped—no novel textures or finishes—but the design and materials look considerably more upscale than those of the previous generation van. The secondary controls in particular look and feel top notch—check out those for the three-zone automatic climate control.

The Touring in the showroom had a black leather interior. Upscale, but perhaps a bit dark and formal for a minivan.

Accommodations

The Odyssey's interior is roomier than all others save the Sienna (and possibly the Quest). The new Sedona's third row is significantly tighter, and the Chrysler vans feel considerably more compact inside. I found plenty of legroom in all three rows. Thigh support is lacking in the third row, but the others acquit themselves well in this area.

The EX and EX-L include a removable eighth mini-seat. If you need eight seats in a minivan, these and the Toyota are your only choices.

Last year I found the leather driver's seat in the Touring uncomfortable. I had no such issues with the cloth seat in the LX this time around. All seats are fairly large and moderately firm. I found them more comfortable than those in the Sedona, but less comfortable than the cushier seats in the Sienna. Chrysler's vans have comfortable front seats, but their rear seats are slightly undersized and insubstantial feeling to enable them to fold beneath the floor.

In the Odyssey only the third row stows beneath the floor. Like those in competitors, it stows in two sections. The amount of effort involved is lower than most—much lower than with the Nissan Quest third-row bench that nearly took my finger off. Only the Ford Freestyle—a crossover not a minivan—has an easier to stow third row. The second-row seats, on the other hand, must be removed to maximize cargo volume. Although I didn’t attempt this, I did tilt one up last year, and it was not light. The front passenger seat does not fold flat, unlike what I expect to see in many future minivans. The front passenger seat in the Freestyle already does this.

So in terms of seating versatility the Odyssey breaks little new ground. With the possible exception of the stowable eighth seat it only keeps up with the herd. With a stowable second row and more underfloor storage the Chrysler van is well ahead in this area--but behind in most others.

On the Road

With a very smooth 244-horsepower V6 and a five-speed automatic, the Odyssey is far quicker than a minivan generally needs to be. But many competitors aren't far behind, so it seems they also feel that minivan owners want swift acceleration.

The EX-L and Touring have an engine that runs on three cylinders when cruising, which earns it higher EPA numbers. During last year's test drive I never detected the cylinder deactivation, no surprise since there is very little engine noise to begin with when cruising.

The only minor powertrain issue is a small amount of torque steer—small tugs and numbness in the steering wheel when accelerating hard. Given how frequently Odyssey drivers put the pedal to the metal, this isn’t much of an issue.

The 1999 Odyssey felt much like a grown-up Civic to me—sportier than other minivans, but also noisier. The 2003 revisions produced a more refined but less fun to drive van. The current Odyssey is similar to the 2003 in this regard. While I like the steering—accurate with good weighting and decent feedback—we’re not talking a driving machine here. As expected in a minivan, the chassis is tuned to be safe rather than sporting. It maintains its composure when thrown into bumpy turns, but understeers moderately the whole way through. The Touring, with its lower-profile tires, handles a bit more crisply than the others.

The Sienna suffers from clumsier handling. On the other hand, the new Sedona feels more balanced and agile--the latter being very relative. I had more fun driving it than the Honda. The Honda's stability control also kicked in much more quickly and obviously.

The Odyssey's driving position is good, but not the best. The windshield is not raked overly much, so the pillars and header don’t intrude into sightlines and the instrument panel is of a reasonable depth. The cowl is not as low as in the Chrysler or the Kia, but it’s low enough (unlike in the much more cumbersome Ford Freestar minivan). The difference in driving position between the Kia and Honda lend the former a smaller, sportier feel and the latter a more upscale ambiance.

Speaking of sightlines, to avoid large blindspots in the C-pillars there are thin windows within these. Nifty, if unexpected. I suspect these also enable the glass in the sliding doors to be of the proper size and shape to roll down—yep, as in the Toyota and Mazda it does that.

Ride quality is good, certainly smoother than the Kia's, but not quite class leading. That title goes to the Toyota. The higher-profile tires on the LX ride more smoothly and quietly than the Touring's PAX tires. Noise levels are likewise good but not great.

All in all, a very competent and refined if unexciting performer.

Honda Odyssey Price Comparisons and Pricing

The two most popular comparisons (base to base, without rebates, adjusted for feature differences):

Toyota Sienna: Lower trim levels about dead even before rebates. But the Toyota currently has a $1,000 rebate.

Chrysler Town & Country: About $1,300 more at MSRP, and $1,700 more at invoice. But this is before the Chrysler's rebate (currently $4,000).

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Odyssey:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Odyssey.php

Last Words

The Odyssey remains the best minivan overall. The Toyota rides more smoothly and quietly, and has more comfortable seats. The Kia handles more nimbly and costs a bit less (though not as much less as it used to). The Chrysler has more versatile seating. But each of these vans has larger faults in other areas, making the Odyssey the best balance.

A Note on Honda Odyssey Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an Odyssey rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Honda Odyssey reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Odyssey--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. For non-participants, this access will cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

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Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Chrysler Town and Country review
Dodge Grand Caravan review
Ford Freestar review
Ford Freestyle review
Honda Odyssey review (2004)
Kia Sedona review
Mazda MPV review
Nissan Quest review
Subaru B9 Tribeca review
Toyota Sienna review