LexFather

American Honda announced today the arrival of the 2006 Odyssey at Honda dealerships nationwide. With class-leading safety, fuel efficiency and performance, the 2006 Odyssey follows in the footsteps of the highly praised and award winning 2005 Odyssey, adding even more features and value. For 2006, the Odyssey adds a new Touring model with DVD Entertainment System (before available only in combination with a navigation system). Additional enhancements for 2006 include XM(R) Satellite Radio for all Touring models and the addition of a leather trimmed steering wheel and shift **** to all EX-L models.

Pricing for the 2006 Odyssey will increase an average of $267 based on a sales weighted average, ranging from $25,345 for the well-equipped LX trim level to $36,595 for the luxurious Touring model. The destination and handling charge for all 2006 Honda models is now $550.

"The Odyssey employs innovative design and technology to set new standards for performance, luxury and sophistication in the minivan class," said Richard Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "With added features and model choices, the 2006 Odyssey makes choosing a great minivan even easier than before."

The 2005 Odyssey has earned a "Best Pick" rating from The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in its frontal offset crash test and has collected numerous top industry accolades including Consumer Guide's "2005 Best Buy," Money magazine "2005 Best Minivan" and Car and Driver magazine "Five Best Truck" award in the minivan category, as well as a top rating in its class in the U.S. EPA's "2005 Fuel Economy Guide."

In keeping with Honda's industry-leading "Safety for Everyone" initiative, all Odyssey models come equipped with a comprehensive list of advanced safety features including anti-lock brakes; Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Traction Control; front side airbags with an Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side curtain airbag protection (with rollover sensor) for all three rows; and dual-stage, dual-threshold driver's and front passenger's airbags. In addition, the Odyssey is the only minivan to come equipped with dedicated side impact sensors for all three rows and the only minivan to offer a rollover sensor that deploys the side curtain air bags in the event of a rollover. The Odyssey also incorporates Honda's exclusive Advanced Compatibility Engineering(TM) (ACE(TM)) body structure that provides enhanced occupant protection in a frontal collision.

Other advanced technologies available in the 2006 Odyssey include Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) cylinder deactivation technology that cuts three of the engine's six cylinders during cruising technology for improved fuel economy; Honda's DVD Entertainment System featuring a large 9-inch video screen, integrated remote control and wireless headphones with Personal Surround Sound technology; and Honda's Satellite-Linked Navigation System with expanded Voice Recognition capabilities and exclusive features like Zagat Survey(R) restaurant guide information.

All Odysseys come equipped with a long list of standard comfort and convenience features including remote keyless entry, power windows with auto-down driver's window, dual power mirrors, rear privacy glass, front and rear air conditioning, second row power windows, 60/40 split folding 3rd row Magic Seat, Maintenance Minder System, in-floor Storage, cruise control and Immobilizer theft deterrent system. In addition, all 2006 Honda vehicles, including the Odyssey, will carry a new 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, extended from the previous 3-years/36,000-miles.

LexFather

LexFather

Och

iTrader: (3)

somebody needs to chill off with these minivans, because nobody likes minivans on this board

flipside909

I happen to like the Odyssey & the Sienna as well. It definitely beats this hands down:

tofu_house

iTrader: (2)

umm... since when do you speak for everyone on this board?

as for the Odyssey, it's looking pretty good but the interior quality looks cheaper compared to the previous model in the pictures...

but i'm sure they're up to par as expected from Honda.

AJ

Nice , always liked the odyssey

mmarshall

No offense, Och, but I've known Mike (1SICKLEX ) a long time...and have read a LOT of his posts. He KNOWS vehicles...that's why he writes so much about them, and like me, he does reviews. He did not get his high reputation at CL for nothing.

Minivans are obviously not the vehicles for eveyone....especially the sports-car and sports-sedan crowd, but they can be ( and often are ) a godsend to many people with families and stuff to haul. They have never really gotten the credit in the auto press that they deserve....they are often looked down as "chick", "soccer-mom", or "wimp" vehicles, often without cause.

This is also a free forum for all kinds of vehicle chat...including minivans. I sometimes review, post, and discuss them myself. If you don't like minivans you can start.....or take part in..... a different thread. We discuss all kinds of vehicles here at CAR CHAT...that is why the forum has this title.

Och

iTrader: (3)

I didn't mean it in offensive way, just tried to make a funny remark.

mmarshall

Now....back to the new Odyssey. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the new Hyundai Entourage debuting later this year. The Odyssey, of course, brings with it a stellar history of reliability and quality ( the ill-fated GM-derived power-sliding side doors and some of the automatic transmissions in a few model years being exceptions ). The Odyssey has also been innovative with several important minivan firsts, perhaps the most significant being the third-row seat that folds under the floor for convienence. Just about every other minivan, including ( finally ) the new Kia Sedona has copied this in one form or another...or added to it like the Sienna and Quest with folding second-row seats as well.

So the Odyssey, unlike the Entourage, comes in now with a good established history...but the Enourage does have the advantage of Kia having had the Sedona in production for several years and the work done on the new Sedona's redesign, on which the new Entourage is strongly based. Hyundai products, like most Korean designs, also are getting better and better all the time.....and they have superb 10 / 100 and 5 / 60 warranties, unlike Honda's cheap 3 / 36.....the only Japanese-nameplate manufacturer in the U.S. market to have so short a warranty.

mmarshall

OK...no problem.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Hasnt the Oddy been out for a while?

mmarshall

Yes. It was introduced sometime in the mid-90's ( don't remember exactly which year ) It immediately developed a reputation for bulletproof quality and the ingenious fold-under-the-floor third-row seats. Isuzu sold an identical rebadged version of it called the Oasis ( part of the return deal it got from Honda for giving Honda the Rodeo and Trooper to sell as the Honda Passport and Acura SLX....the other part was getting Honda Civics to sell in the Japanese home-market as Isuzu I-Marks ).
Both the original Odyssey and its Oasis twin, however, were generally too small for large American families, and did not have sliding doors for convience, so by 1999 the Odyssey was redesigned and the slow-selling Oasis was dropped ( in spite of the fact that the Oasis undercut the Odyssey in price and offered a better warranty ). Isuzu never got a version of the second-generation Odysseys. With this redesign came a larger body, more engine, more room inside, and American-style minivan sliding side doors....a perfect competitor to the long-established Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. Unfortunately, Honda, instead of designing the sliding doors themselves, turned to GM for the electric power-mechanisms to open and shut these doors......with predictable results. The doors were very troublesome, and the source of many owner complaints. Some of the automatic transmissions, like the Caravan / Voyager ones, were also troublesome, but to a much lesser extent than the Chrysler units.
The third-generation Odyssey was also somewhat of an advance over the second-generation one but many auto pundits believe that the lack of an AWD option ( difficult to do with the under-the-floor third seat as there is not much space for the AWD hardware ) was a mistake.

mmarshall

I agree completely, flip.....the Nissan Quest is a classic POS. Not only is it ugly and quirky, but Consumer Reports recently listed it as one of the most unreliable vehicles in their database.

Lexus_girl

This review couldn'd have come at a better time. I have a friend about to buy her 1st minivan, and was pretty sure the Odyssey was going to be the right choice. I haven't done much research on the new Entourage......any other thoughts/opinions on comparing the two?Thanks