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New Honda Odyssey Touring combines comfort, style

Tom Incantalupo | ROAD TEST

July 18, 2008

Four years into the current generation, the Honda Odyssey is holding its own, relatively speaking, in a new vehicle market savaged by $4 a gallon gas and a slumping economy.

Like those of its archrival, the Toyota Sienna, sales of Odysseys were off by 9 percent this year through June as compared to a year earlier. But those of the longtime leader of the minivan pack, the Dodge Grand Caravan, are off by 26 percent, even though the Dodge and its cousin, the Chrysler Town & Country, were more recently redesigned than either the Sienna or Odyssey.

Honda updated the Odyssey's styling for '08 and has given the more expensive Odyssey variants, like the Touring that I sampled, what is said to be an improved variable cylinder management system - which can shut off two or three of the engine's six cylinders to save fuel.

So, it seemed worthwhile to take another look at the Odyssey.

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And our one-week look, including hundreds of miles of driving, reveals a minivan with one of the most attractive and user-friendly interiors on the family vehicle market but, at 4,600 pounds with a suspension tuned for comfort, one that is just ordinary in its handling.

Further, even when the tester was empty except for the driver, the 241 hp. engine, while smooth, disappointed in its ability to maintain speed while climbing long interstate upgrades without a downshift from the five-speed automatic transmission. And, if the driver requested a downshift with a stab of the accelerator, that gearbox was slow to deliver.

Back on the upside, the Odyssey has a top five-star rating from the federal government for frontal and side impact crash protection, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety names it a "top safety pick." (The Sienna and Grand Caravan get a slightly lesser rating of "good" from the institute.)

The U.S. EPA estimates the Odyssey's fuel economy as high as 25 mpg on the highway; I never saw an average on the trip computer above 21.4 in the local-highway mix I did over seven days.

Odyssey prices start at $26,530 with freight for an LX, including automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows and locks and stability control and brake assist. Most are priced in the $30,000s and they range beyond $40,000 for a top-of-the-line Touring model with options like a navigation system.

This minivan seats up to eight and, when the split third row is not needed, it can be quickly folded into a well in the floor.

That last row, by the way, earned praise for its spaciousness from two of my adult passengers seated in it on a trip for 15 or 20 minutes. But I'm not sure if they would have been as enthusiastic if we had been on the road for an hour or more.

Honda's large, clearly marked dashboard controls deserve special praise, designed unlike those in some competitor vehicles to be operated on the move by a person who is also driving.

2008 Honda Odyssey Touring

Vehicle tested:

Engine: 3.5-liter V-6, 241 hp.

Fuel: Regular

Transmission: Five-speed automatic, front-wheel drive

Safety: Dual front, seat-mounted side and curtain air bags; 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, brake assist and stability control; rearview camera for backing; tire pressure monitoring; fog lamps, daytime running lamps

Place of assembly: Lincoln, Alabama

Cargo room, min./max, cubic feet: 38.4/147.4

EPA fuel economy

estimates: 17 mpg, city; 25 highway

Price as driven: $40,645 including freight