You are here: Forums Vans & Minivans Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey vs Dodge/Chrysler minivans 

Honda Odyssey vs Dodge/Chrysler minivans - READ ONLY

7485 messages,  Last post on Mar 23, 2008 at 8:43 AM

You are in the Honda Odyssey Forum. Your Host is Karens

What is this discussion about? Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Van

#56 of 7485 Sheesh! by midwesterner by enternamehere Feb 26, 2001 (9:48 am)
I guess most of the posters here are past the point of comparing and have purchased their choice vehicle. Now you see the next step, vehicle ownership. Read a little further into the messages and you may learn more differences between the vehicles (what is being defended) than things you may not have thought of before i.e. magic seat means no full size spare tire etc.
#57 of 7485 sheeesh by h20guy Feb 26, 2001 (5:50 pm)
Full size spare means no magic seat etc.(choices)   Midwesterner, thank you for your post we need more like it.
#58 of 7485 h20guy by enternamehere Feb 26, 2001 (6:50 pm)
So...where do you keep your mini spare tire? Not very comforting on long trips. Is it. Does Honda provide Road Side Assistance for the Ody? I know they don't offer it for my Accord, but my DC has it, as well as, a full spare tire.
#59 of 7485 to midwesterner by coop20 Feb 26, 2001 (7:10 pm)
it's nice to see someone in here who cares about the facts. my wife and I own a 98 caravan e. we are looking to upgrade to a cc or odyssey or maybe even a montana. not sure yet what to get. we have only test driven the montanna. very nice solid comfortable ride. we would like to test drive a 2001 odyssey but there are none around us to test drive. have read alot of mixed reviews about all the vans we're interested in. I think no matter what vehicle you buy you can get a lemon. 2 years ago I bought a 99 s-10 and traded it in 7k later for 97 Dakota which I have been extremely happy with so who knows. we do think the dodge cc has the most to offer for the money. but we haven't made a firm decision on any model yet. hopefully people can take this area more seriosly in the future. any input would be greatly appreciated thank you
#60 of 7485 Thank you Midwesterner by wannabuyavan Feb 26, 2001 (8:19 pm)
Thanks Midwesterner for your very unbiased opinions on these mini vans. However, I am still on the fence between the 2001's T&C EX (or maybe the LXi AWD- read on) and Ody EX. Now here is where I need some advice. We live in an area with a lot of snowfall. I mean a LOT of snow. I am debating on the merits of an AWD van vs. one with traction control. Of course the very big difference in MSRP for the AWD may decide for me. I wonder if the traction control would be sufficient for our road conditions (most people drive SUVs around here), and if so,is there a difference in the traction control between the Ody and T&C. Also, as I've only bought Hondas, any clues on how much off (besides the incentives) the MSRP I can expect to get on the T&C with some haggling.
#62 of 7485 Odyssey in snow by caviller Feb 27, 2001 (7:45 am)
Our 2001 Odyssey LX (with traction control) was fine this winter (Chicago). No problems on cleared or uncleared roads, though the traction control does engage a lot. The Odyssey is good for a front wheel drive vehicle. Unless you drive a lot on unplowed roads, a front wheel drive car with good all-season tires should be fine. One with snow tires and traction control may well be as good or better than one with AWD/4WD with OEM off-road tires.   That said, our Odyssey it is not as good in snow/ice as our 2000 Outback Automatic (AWD with limited slip in rear and automatic clutch-actuated center differential). The Outback is noticeably better in poor conditions than any front wheel drive car we've had.   Of course, AWD/4WD systems vary a lot. Some are no better than a front wheel drive car if all the differentials are open. I see a lot of SUVs stuck when cars get by just fine. I suspect its a combination of over-aggressive driving, poor handling, not knowing how to lock their differentials, having mediocre tires or having obsolete 4WD systems. An AWD vehicle with a viscous center differential and open Front/rear differentials is not going to be anywhere near as good as something like a Jeep with the optional Quadra-drive or an Audi with a Torsen combined with 4-wheel traction control.
#63 of 7485 enternamehere by h20guy Feb 27, 2001 (5:46 pm)
I'm glad you got your full size spare (choice), and I got my fold down magic seat(choice). I won't argue with you about how much you like your van more than any other, but I CHOOSE my ody for many reasons and the main one was the extra room I can gain quickly and easily with the magic seat. It was not because DC is a terrible van (because it is not) I considered many vans and purchased the one that suited my families needs. Happy Trails
#64 of 7485 DC in snow by enternamehere Feb 27, 2001 (5:55 pm)
I have the '99 DC AWD and it is great in snow. It engages automatically and came in very handy this year with one trip to the Berkshires in a snow storm (very steep snow laden driveway leading to Inn where FWD could not go) and then a ski trip to Vermont through very icy road conditions. AWD feels very secure.   When you look at the price you will notice that it costs more for AWD, but you get alot of extra options with the AWD package i.e. load levelers, 4 wheel disk brakes, 3.8L engine...go see for yourself
#65 of 7485 h20guy by enternamehere Feb 27, 2001 (6:01 pm)
I hope you don't have to ride in the "magic seat", it's very uncomfortable due to the slender design and need to fold it into the floor. Takes about 2 seconds to push the DC seat forward. Not so bad!   h20 wrote: "Happy Trails "   Thanks, I Guess I won't see you there my friend...

You are here: Forums Vans & Minivans Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey vs Dodge/Chrysler minivans