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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 kcram
What is this discussion about? Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Van
#942 of 7485 Caviller by 4aodge
Jan 28, 2002 (9:28 pm)
"The 240 HP, 242 ft-lb engine alone puts the Odyssey into a different class. The 3.3L 180 HP, 210 ft-lb V6 on the GC eL seems more in league with Windstar or the GM minivans."I'm not so sure about that, caviller. Carelton has driven more of these minivans with different powertrains than just about anyone here on this board. He has driven two Odyssey's with both the 210hp and 240hp VTEC V6 engines, a Grand Caravan with the 158hp V6 and a new 2002 Town & Country with the updated 180hp V6. And I'd be willing to bet that if you asked him which was the best engine, he would tell you that they all have their high and low points.
Yea, sure, the Odyssey has a 240hp V6 for 2002 vs the 215hp found in the Chrysler minivans. According to many reviews, the Odyssey does not have very much low end power and takes some time to get going, which cannot be said about the lower horsepower Chrysler V6s. I bet the "puny" 156hp 3.3 V6 in my 2000 Town & Country could beat a 2002 Odyssey off the line. But as for racing with a 240hp Odyssey above 60mph, that's another story...
My point is, just because Honda has a 240hp engine in it's van doesn't mean it totally leaves the competition in "a different class." That 3.5 V6 has its high points and low points just as everything else does. And as for features, there are a ton of features that Honda doesn't offer that DC minivans do. Mostly in the comfort and convienence departments.
Where can I find a stock Odyssey with heated memory drivers seats, steering wheel radio controls, adjustable foot pedals, suede interior, heated windows/mirrors galore, power liftgate, tri zone climate control, power center console, trip computer, and more all wrapped in beautiful sheetmetal? Keep looking my friends, keep looking...
-Adam
#943 of 7485 And let's not forget... by 4aodge
Jan 28, 2002 (10:11 pm)
the Odyssey does not come with padded armrest. Why not? I have no clue...#944 of 7485 From 98 G.Voyager SE to 02 Ody EX by reara
Jan 28, 2002 (10:44 pm)
I recently replaced 98 G.Voyager SE with 02 Ody EX. Well, 4 year difference and $2k more MSRP gave Ody a lot more features; power dual sliding door, power driver's seat, high hp engine, traction control, magic seat, CD, etc.However, what I liked most in Ody is 'wider front window' and 'wider side mirror', which gives me a better command of view. This is a kind of unexpected surprise. I am really happy with the new car. On the other hand, what I missed are 1) automatic door lock over around 15 MPH, and 2) dual temp control for front seat passenger.
Well, G.Voyager was also a nice car, and I liked it a lot, especially for the first 3 years. No issue there. Strangely enough, though, all the troubles came out after the 3-year warranty expired. Is the vehicle programmed this way?
#945 of 7485 (4aoge) by pat84
Jan 29, 2002 (5:15 am)
The Odyssey does have better (lower) 0-60 times than other vans. It has a VTEC engine. Below 3500 rpm it gives much better gas mileage than at over 3500 when there is a noticable increase in power. So if a reviewer did not know that, it might seem slow off the line.My 99 Odyssey does cruise real smoothly at 80, with plenty of acceleration left (I have had it over 100). I have 51K miles on it, and it runs just like it did new.
The EX that I have does have audio controls on the steering wheel for it's puny (relative to a DC Infinity) sound system The LX did not have the steering wheel audio controls in 99, at least. That may have changed in later years.
As I have posted, I owned a 96 DC and have rented a few newer ones. I have to say that DC has addressed one of my complaints about the 96 on the newer vans. The head lights are so much better now.
#946 of 7485 dave210- by caviller
Jan 29, 2002 (8:48 am)
"Carleton obviously feels the T&C eL is the best choice for him. He has had access to both a DC van and a Honda van for a good year to make good comparisons for himself."I completely agree.
"It's not as if he hasn't driven a 2001 Honda Odyssey EX or a new 2002 Honda Odyssey EX-L Navi to REALLY decide which fits his needs better"
I never said otherwise. In fact, I repeatedly said different things will be important to different people.
"You value the Honda name, the good reliability, and the good safety,"
Please don't put words in my mouth.
Actually, 'Name' does not factor into my decision at all. I think brand loyalty and perceptions are overrated and often misleading. We've owned a Subaru, Chrysler, two Saturns and two Hondas in the last 10 years or so. All have been good vehicles. I'd buy any one of them (or any other) if it met my needs.
As for reliability, please reference any of my previous posts where I have stated that I don't think there is much difference among most new vehicles.
You are correct about safety, however. It is my #1 priority in a vehicle purchase.
"and if everyone only valued those three things, people would only be driving the Honda van, BMW/Mercedes/Acura/ SUV's, Volkswagen Passats and so on. Not a bad thing at all, because they are all phenomenal vehicles in my opinion, but there are other cars out there for a reason.....choice.
If he chose the new T&C for padded armrests and triple zone air, more power to him, because he was given the freedom to do so."
I agree. I'm glad there is choice, it only makes the competition improve. Again, I never said or implied otherwise.
In fact, I'm glad Carleton1 posted what was important to him. It's nice that I have the freedom to post what is important to me, also. Now anyone reading this forum as part of their research gets both sides. Everyone wins.
Cheers.
#947 of 7485 4aodge by caviller
Jan 29, 2002 (9:01 am)
"I'm not so sure about that, caviller. Carelton has driven more of these minivans with different powertrains than just about anyone here on this board. He has driven two Odyssey's with both the 210hp and 240hp VTEC V6 engines, a Grand Caravan with the 158hp V6 and a new 2002 Town & Country with the updated 180hp V6. And I'd be willing to bet that if you asked him which was the best engine, he would tell you that they all have their high and low points."Point well taken. In fact, I have not driven any of the 2002 models. On the other hand, I did find the 2001 Odyssey LX to be much peppier than the 3.3L 2001 GC I drove (test drive and rental). Consumer Reports did also, incidentally. The 205 HP Odyssey (EX) beat the 3.3L 180 HP Sport by 0.1 second from 0-30mph, 1.5 seconds 0-60, 0.6 seconds 45-65, and 0.9 seconds in the quarter mile.
Please keep in mind that Carleton1 was comparing the Odyssey LX to the GC eL, which does not have the 215 hp 3.8 V6. If you do find any comparison showing the 180 hp, 3.3L 180 HP GC beating the 240HP Odyssey off-the-line, please post it. Those are the models we were comparing.
#949 of 7485 My mistake- by caviller
Jan 29, 2002 (12:30 pm)
"Our T&C eL also has disc brake ABS on all 4 wheels."
I did not mean to imply the eL did not come with ABS. Also, my information was from the Dodge spec sheet on the Grand Caravan, as it said the eL had rear drums ( http://dodge.com/pdfs/caravan.pdf ). Apparently, the T&C has slightly different specs than the GC. It also showed that the GC eL did not have traction control.
I don't necessarily doubt your claims about acceleration. If you do find comparative testing from any auto mag that shows the 180 hp 3.3L in the Grand Caravan eL (or equivalent) to be faster than the 240 hp 3.5L in the Odyssey LX (or EX), please post. I test drove the 2001 models, where the Odyssey had an engine with less power and torque than the current Odyssey. As I posted, my findings did (this time) agree with Consumer Reports.
Congrats on the new vehicle, BTW.
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