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Vans & Minivans Honda Odyssey Honda Odyssey vs. Toyota Sienna
5220 messages, Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 3:36 PM
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Replying to: jimbob1 (Feb 14, 2009 4:46 pm) We live in the mountains of Vermont - ski country. The last couple of miles to our home have an elevation increase of about 1000 feet. There are some very, very steep hills. We own a 2001 Odyssey EX with FWD. We've owned four-wheel drive SUVs - partially to address my wife's 'white knuckle' driving syndrome. She has always been a much better driver when she knows the vehicle she's driving can handle just about anything. However, she never liked the "feel" of the SUV....Always wanted something a bit more "passenger car" like. Hence, the Odyssey. This past winter, we put a set (4) of the new Hakkapalitta 5's, studded on the Honda. The combination of the FWD and Hakka's is incredible. I would put this against any SUV 99% of the time. We have some sections of road that with 2" to 6" of snow / slush / ice are pretty much impassable. However, we've yet to experience any difficulties. On the other hand, our neighbors have a 2008 Sienna AWD. They do not have the same level of snow tires as we have....Interestingly, there have been times, this winter, that our Odyssey has been able to make it up our hill but our neigbhbors have been stuck down the bottom - unable to get up.... The conclusion ? I would not say one vehicle is better than the other. In fact, we're just about ready to look for a new van and it will be between the Odyssey & Sienna. I will say that a great set of snow tires ($650 installed) can go a long way to evening out the AWD advantages.....The same could be said about having an SUV - without the right tires (equipment), you may not gain the traction or control advantages you'd expect. Over the life of vehicle, I would expect to buy 2 or 3 sets of winter tires. In our case, like many Vermonters, we swap our tires over in the Spring & Fall. The approach of going with FWD, investing in great tires and also experiencing the benefits of improved gas economy may outweigh AWD. Your mileage may vary. |
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Replying to: bobber1 (Feb 12, 2009 6:00 pm) |
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Replying to: newvanner (Feb 12, 2009 9:01 pm) |
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Replying to: semenzato (Feb 12, 2009 11:50 am) |
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Drove an 09 Odyssey EXL with RES & Nav and an 09 Sienna AWD XLE and an FWD Sienna today...all were nice vans. We had never owned a Honda or a Toyota before..nor been to either dealer previously. We ended up liking the Odyssey better..for a few reasons (and most are subjective).. 1) I'm very tall, and found the drivers seat felt "deeper" on the odyssey....there was more seat to support my legs. My wife had no preference on this one. 2) I liked the handling of the Honda better than either of the Toyotas...just felt better connected with the road. 3) We actually liked the fold-away aspect of the center console on the Honda better than the bulkier unit in the Toyota....will help with access to the backseat on trips (multiple kids in cars seats)..but can still flip up and be there to hold sodas, etc... 4) I liked the technology better on the Honda -- the navigation system was more intuitive for both of us. 5) I liked the sound system interface better on the Honda, but the sound quality seemed somewhat better on the Toyota. Didn't spend a lot of time on this though. 6) The Honda dealer was much lower pressure, and more professional. Obviously this will vary from dealer to dealer -- but we were much more comfortable with the Honda dealer. We will be buying an Odyssey this week....=)
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Replying to: eppeppepp (Feb 21, 2009 6:48 pm) For #3 - you can choose either a fold away tray or a full-sized center console for the Sienna, though certain models come with the latter standard. I'd trade because I have the folding tray and would prefer the big console for the extra space. They are hyper-expensive, $529 retail cost. You could sell it and make a small fortune, then buy the cheaper folding tray. If you have captain's chairs on a Sienna, you can even get 2 consoles. It's interchangeable between the first and 2nd rows (but it's n/a for the 8 seat model). |
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| OK, everyone go to the top of the webpage and click on "vans", and on "Honda Odessey", and on "Odessey transmission problems" and read the posts. Especially the 600 to 900 numbers, which describe the horrible transmission problems that everyone, not just the older-van owners have had with the Ody, and the two class-action suits and recalls. I have a 2000 Ody, now on its third transmission and waiting for me to trade it off, and that's why I'm on the Toyota forum tonight. I'm doing some homework that I wish I could have done before I bought the Ody. I love the thing: it is beautiful, drives like a dream, has lots of room, and so on, but it eats transmissions. And no, Honda doesn't like to admit it, and their service is terrible. I was lucky and had a helpful Service Manager at my local dealer, but after reading the posts on the Odessey transmission forum, I think I was the only one. Caveat emptor!! (translates to LOOK OUT!!) | |
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Replying to: g3guy (Feb 25, 2009 8:50 pm)
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Replying to: g3guy (Feb 25, 2009 8:50 pm) http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0fa11e/920 Reading down a bit further they say the 07s got a new trans from the Ridgeline. Do you have evidence of a pattern of failure on the 07 or later? Otherwise, welcome to 3 years ago. 
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Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 26, 2009 11:45 am)
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