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Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna

5511 messages,  Last post on May 23, 2013 at 11:23 AM

You are in the Honda Odyssey Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Car Comparisons, Van

Messages Page 178 of 551

#1771 of 5511 Re: Help: Now I'm Really Confused [etoileb] by toy4me1

Jan 14, 2005 (11:18 pm)

Replying to: etoileb (Jan 14, 2005 2:32 am)
etoileb,
 
First, I would suggest the Sienna LE-8 FWD with the BX(Option 8) pkg. It comes with it pretty much all the safety equipment including 3 row side curtain airbags, VSC, TractionLok, and ABS. It is the top of the line for the LE-8, as it comes with the JBL synthesis surround sound with DVD player. At first I didn't want the DVD, but I wanted the JBL. I couldn't have one without the other. Anyway, the DVD player is a God send when it comes to toddlers and older. It is a good baby sitter for those long trips.
 
2 Kids(Thats my situation: 2 yr-old and 3 week old)
 
Q1: The LE-8 I can speak for, the 2nd row passenger outboard seat in my configuration is currently empty or with an adult(Mother in law). Powered passenger side door necessitates this seat be free of a child seat if the 3rd row must accessible. This seat with the one touch folds forward. I have a Britax Roundabout FF(2 yr-old) on the drivers side 2nd row outboard seat and an evenflow infant seat(RF) in the indexed 2nd row center seat and of course Mommy rides Shotgun. This config allows me to either floor the 3rd row or use it. The Oddy's +1 seat not really being a Child friendly seat relegates all the child seats to the outboard seats, which means no access to that 3rd row if there are seats on those outboard positions.
 
Q2: Yes! On the Sienna RF or FF doesn't matter on the mentioned positions. I experimented with these configurations already.
 
Q3: No problem, just play around with the forward indexing positions on that center seat. I can get by with not using the full staggered position(forward 6 inches of the outboard seats ) when my mother-in-law travels with us in that passenger outboard seat. All seats in the 2nd row can handle the Britax Roundabout(RF or FF)/booster seats with ease.
 
Q4: Yes in the Sienna! No access to 3rd row unless the outboard seat's child seat is removed first. If you are talking about a family of 5, the plus side of the LE-8 is that you floor 3rd row for more storage or you park one child seat on one of the splits on the 3rd row freeing up access using that outboard seat.
 
Advice: Get the BX package(option 8). Like you, I'm a Toyota man, but until the 2nd gen Sienna came out, I was leaning towards the Oddy. When I was first shopping for a Minivan in 10/04, I looked at the new Oddy and was not impressed. I thought the 2nd gen was better designed. What really turned me off on the Oddy was the arrogance of the salesman and worse the fleet dealers. All of them thought it was 1999(Prince song) and wanted MSRP+(way North of it). If it's true what you are saying about invoice plus? Wow, how the mighty have fallen! Honda must be hearing Sienna footsteps because I purchased my 05 Sienna LE-8 for Invoice plus!

#1772 of 5511 Re: [gkkim] by toy4me1

Jan 15, 2005 (1:20 am)

Replying to: gkkim (Jan 14, 2005 2:07 pm)
gkkim,
 
<"Like Thumper said and others have noted - if you want to move the middle seat up to attend to the baby, most of the other van's captains chair will do the same to allow one to attend to my infant. Separate the issue of the 8 seats vs. the middle seat being able to slide up.">
 
Like I have explained before, Toyota has an innovative design in that 2nd row center seat. The ODY Captains Seats like the 7 Passenger Sienna's Captain Seats do not have the forward indexed travel of 18 inches. This is called Staggered seating for that center seat. The Captains chairs in the ODDY and 7 passenger Sienna have at most 6 inches forward or 6 inches backwards. Trying to down play this obvious advantage that the Sienna LE-8 has over the ODDY's +1 is like comparing the another fact that the Sienna Ltd has HIDs where as the ODDY does not? Or how about the fact that the Sienna has a 5.2 cu ft. advantage behind the 3rd row vs the Oddy's 3rd row? Anyway, I have a newborn infant in that center seat with a 26 month old in the Driver side outboard 2nd row seat. My wife doesn't have to sit in the back(2nd row) anymore to attend to our newborn. She sits up front with me and tends to him over her left shoulder. She couldn't do this in a Ody, I researched this before I bought the Sienna. In the Oddy I would have to park my 26 month old in the 3 rd row. Sliding that captain's chair over still could not duplicate that staggered center seat of the Sienna indexed forward a full 18 inches. Honda gave the Oddy a new feature which I find useless, the Lazy Susan Storage. It's shame it isn't that deep. So Honda shortchanged the new Oddy with that +1 seat but gave it a Lazy Susan??

#1773 of 5511 Re: Help: Now I'm Really Confused [toy4me1] by thumper

Jan 15, 2005 (1:27 am)

Replying to: toy4me1 (Jan 14, 2005 11:18 pm)
***
"The Oddy's +1 seat not really being a Child friendly seat relegates all the child seats to the outboard seats, which means no access to that 3rd row if there are seats on those outboard positions. "
***
 
This is true, however it only takes a few minutes to reconfigure "on the fly", breaking down the +1 seat, stowing it under the floor, and moving the captain's chair over to the center. (without removing the child seat, even) I've gotten quite a bit of practice in it since often we switch back and forth from
 
"5-pass" seating, meaning the +1's in (for baby soothing duty), with the 3rd row down for cargo when it's just us and having the seats outboard for easy access from the dual power doors...
 
switching to "7-pass" seating, bringing the back row back up when we need to carry a few extra people. I don't like the "7-pass" full time because a lot of reaching and head-bonking results in trying to put the kid in the center seat.
 
 
As for the index of travel, yes, the center seat on the LE-8 has more forward motion than the captains chairs do. However, at least with our seats I can't slide them any further forward without pinning the child seat against the front row seats. (rear facing) The indexing *would* make a difference with a single forward-facing child seat installed (which is how they depict it in the '05 brochure) With a very narrow infant carrier type seat (Peg Perego?)you might be able to slide in between the front row seats, but I don't know for sure since we switched to the child seats before getting the minivan.
 
Funny you mentioned 1999. I felt the same way shopping for Siennas. Nobody around here was talking anything near "invoice plus" even with the new Odyssey's on the ground. Just goes to show it depends on the dealers in your area. *shrug*
 
--> Andy

#1774 of 5511 by c1rybick

Jan 15, 2005 (1:34 am)

I can vouch for the 8-passenger seating in the Sienna. My aunt and uncle (sort of...the only way we're related is that he was my mother's first husband, and he's now on his fourth wife) bought a Sienna in Fall 2003. They bought the XLE 8-passenger version (which I don't believe is available anymore). At the time, their kids were 5, 3, and not even 1. They loved the fact that all three kids can sit in the middle row and that the center seat slides forwards, which made it much easier to tend to the baby.
 
I'll be that if they were deciding between the Sienna and Odyssey today, they'd pick the Sienna just because it offers that feature and the Odyssey doesn't.

#1775 of 5511 Re: Help: Now I'm Really Confused [heywood1] by kvraman1

Jan 15, 2005 (3:54 am)

Replying to: heywood1 (Jan 14, 2005 8:53 am)
heywood
 
Actually, I wanted to Nav. Package #8 is the only one that had Nav. With package #8 on a XLE and EX-L with R/N Honda, the vehicles are comparable. There are a few things that are in Ody that are not present in Sienna and vice versa. Since this was the vehicle I was looking for, this made sense to me.
 
However, I also made comparisns with I believe a EX-L and a package #5 or 6 (not sure). Even in these cases the price was comparable but then on a EX-L, you would get leather, 8th seat etc. In a Sienna you would get the trip computer (I think) etc. So, I felt that comparing apples to apples, I still came out better with the Odyssey. Otherwise, I felt there was little to choose between the two.
 
Thanks

#1776 of 5511 Re: Help: Now I'm Really Confused [kvraman1] by heywood1

Jan 15, 2005 (7:21 am)

Replying to: kvraman1 (Jan 15, 2005 3:54 am)
Yeah, I was corrected on this machine-gun style. I didn't realize #8 is the only pkg with Nav. Mine is an '04, and Toyota has changed the option packages since I was shopping. Still, the Ody EX-L lacks the bigger wheels, power lift gate (my wife will never be without this feature again), telescoping steering wheel, etc.
 
I've read here before (maybe it was your post) that the XLE with Nav is difficult to find, as not many are made because most buyers who want this level of equipment go for the Limited. Try pricing a Limited, and I'll bet it won't be much more than the quote for the XLE you have now.

#1777 of 5511 Re: Help: Now I'm Really Confused [heywood1] by ken17

Jan 15, 2005 (8:13 am)

Replying to: heywood1 (Jan 15, 2005 7:21 am)
When we got done selecting all the options we wanted on the XLE (Don't remember what option package it was) there was approximately a $1300 difference between that and the XLE Limited. We went for the Limited and for the extra $1300 we got all the options we were going to get on the XLE plus front and back sonar parking assist, Laser Cruise control, and the nicer interior and exterior trim package that the Limited comes with.
 
Before deciding on a particular model (LE or XLE) with an option package, it's worth comparing the price and what you're getting to the next model up.

#1778 of 5511 Re: Need to decide soon! [thumper] by toy4me1

Jan 15, 2005 (11:44 pm)

Replying to: thumper (Jan 14, 2005 9:56 pm)
thumper,
 
<"Ok, so you're slamming Honda for an awful 5-speed, but now you're advocating they give us even MORE complicated transmissions instead of VCM? You're just trying to give yourself something to complain about later. ">
 
 Not really? I think Honda and Acura, correct me if I am wrong have introduced 6 speed auto as other automakers have? The progression is already happening. Actually from a Reliability viewpoint, there is more Reliability History data on Honda Trannies than there is on the VCM. Considering GM killed the whole concept(production wise) in the early 80s, there has been NO Reliability History data gathered since. The way I look at it(reliability standpoint) is that GM, DC, and Honda are Guinea Pigging the technology and hoping to build a good reliability history since GM dropped the ball two decades ago. We all know how the big 3 test cars? They don't! They hope you burn up their telephone lines with your complaints which saves them R&D money.
 
By the way Northstar was a 90's name not 80's!
 
<"But considering your hot rod days, I can see why you'd be suspicious of anything newer than the ol' Slip n' Slide Powerglide.">
 
I guess you must be a youngin and not really knew anything about the era. The street racers choice of auto trannies back then was Chrysler Torque Flite or the Ford C-6. I was never a fan of GM Trannies(powerglide) at that time. Of course the best auto trannies back then were B&M prepared. Muncie 4 speed Manual Trannies were the other choices. These auto-trannies were really strong as they had to deliver prodigious amounts torque(500 ft-lbs +) at very low rpms(2000) to the rear wheels. That's why I can't understand the difficulty Honda is having with their auto trannies since we are not talking about a whole lot of torque here at low RPMs? I am only suspicious of new technology that does not have a long reliability history or not been thoroughly stress tested like cylinder deactivation.

#1779 of 5511 Crash Test by jm38

Jan 16, 2005 (9:22 am)

I saw on a previous post that the 2005 Sienna has a 4 star crash test result - down from the 5 stars of the 2004 model. How is this possible when there really isn't much difference from 2004 to 2005?

#1780 of 5511 Re: Crash Test [jm38] by steve_ HOST

Jan 16, 2005 (11:07 am)

Replying to: jm38 (Jan 16, 2005 9:22 am)
Good question. You can check out the scores here:
 
NHTSA/Safercar.gov
 
Steve, Host

Messages Page 178 of 551

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