2011 Toyota Sienna vs 2010 Honda Odyssey
02-08-10, 08:11 PM
#32
Lexus Connoisseur
02-08-10, 08:25 PM
#33
The Odyssey is really dated only in exterior, the interior is not that bad even by today's standard. It's a minivan for crying out loud. I would still take an Odyssey over the Sienna. For those interested, if the 2011 or 2012 Odyssey turns out to be a turkey, then you can probably pick up a 2010 for a real nice deal at end of year and before the new one rolls in.
02-08-10, 08:35 PM
#36
Lexus Test Driver
oh how the minivan has changed....
i remember when they only had 1 sliding door and a 2 rows of ****ty bench seats...
id hit that sienna SE if i needed a minivan (god forbid)
i remember when they only had 1 sliding door and a 2 rows of ****ty bench seats...
id hit that sienna SE if i needed a minivan (god forbid)
02-08-10, 09:16 PM
#37
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We got this 130 HP, All-trac egg mobile when I was five. I had no idea I would have the pleasure of driving this when I turned 16. The perfect car for a new driver. Painfully slow. Thankfully, I had a '96 Legacy GT at my disposal at the time.
02-09-10, 01:39 AM
#38
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Nice review. As expected, the Sienna should beat the Odyssey considering its age. One thing I got to agree though, the Odyssey has the best driving characteristic of all minivans. The Sienna is smoother (at least this generation), but the Odyssey drives almost like a car.
The brakes on the odyssey do suck though. Stopping distance isn't an issue, but it does feel like it needs slightly bigger brakes. Toyota has done a good job with the mid-row seats though. I approve!
The brakes on the odyssey do suck though. Stopping distance isn't an issue, but it does feel like it needs slightly bigger brakes. Toyota has done a good job with the mid-row seats though. I approve!
Honda needs not just bigger brakes. Honda needs to re-think and re-engineer their braking systems to get rid of brake fade.
I have plenty of driving experience in the current-gen Odyssey and the brakes are simply horrible, not just fade-wise but in terms of the stopping distance on cold brakes.
For this reason alone I would take the Odyssey off my list were I in the market for a minivan. That and the very nervous/jittery chassis and suspension behavior of the Odyssey. It is only comfortable on glass-smooth roads.
You should compare the MSRP to a 2010 LE AWD Sienna. Base MSRP for that was 29K. It's really not a big price difference considering the extra equipment now standard on the LE.
02-09-10, 05:53 AM
#41
Honda needs not just bigger brakes. Honda needs to re-think and re-engineer their braking systems to get rid of brake fade.
I have plenty of driving experience in the current-gen Odyssey and the brakes are simply horrible, not just fade-wise but in terms of the stopping distance on cold brakes.
For this reason alone I would take the Odyssey off my list were I in the market for a minivan. That and the very nervous/jittery chassis and suspension behavior of the Odyssey. It is only comfortable on glass-smooth roads.
I find it hard to believe that the chassis is jittery when most reviews says it's as good as it gets for a minivan. Yes it's not soft, but it is compliant over bumps and feels stable at high speeds. If anything, the Sienna feels like a floating jellybean. I have not met anyone who picked the Sienna over the Odyssey as far as driving dynamics (not talking about handling around the track).
02-09-10, 05:55 AM
#42
It's probably because the Odyssey has been the king of minivan for quite some time now, so they want to see how the new one stacks up to the benchmark. I find this review interesting since with the direction Honda is going, Toyota might take the crown for the best selling minivan for 2010.
02-09-10, 10:29 AM
#43
Lexus Champion
Like I say time and time again, Honda can't properly design a car bigger than a Civic or CR-V IMO.
The problem plaguing the Accord V6 and Odyssey/Pilot/Ridgeline brakes is size and material. Honda has resorted to a weird NAO compound that dusts like a Euro semi-metallic compound and puts more of an emphasis on NVH. Also, the brakes on the Odyssey/Pilot/Ridgeline are grossly undersized for its GVWR/unloaded weight. Think 1990-1992 LS400, which Toyota undersized the brakes on the 1990 model, and did a minor upgrade from 1-piston to 2-piston sliding calipers.
The problem plaguing the Accord V6 and Odyssey/Pilot/Ridgeline brakes is size and material. Honda has resorted to a weird NAO compound that dusts like a Euro semi-metallic compound and puts more of an emphasis on NVH. Also, the brakes on the Odyssey/Pilot/Ridgeline are grossly undersized for its GVWR/unloaded weight. Think 1990-1992 LS400, which Toyota undersized the brakes on the 1990 model, and did a minor upgrade from 1-piston to 2-piston sliding calipers.
02-09-10, 12:46 PM
#44
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Nope. It needs bigger brakes. There is simply not enough heat capacity with the current setup for any hard braking more than a couple of times. Stopping distance is plenty in cold weather. It's not a problem at all, otherwise we'd hear infinite amount of complains in the northeastern states. It's decent especially for it being such a heavy minivan. It's fading that's the issue, not distance.
I find it hard to believe that the chassis is jittery when most reviews says it's as good as it gets for a minivan. Yes it's not soft, but it is compliant over bumps and feels stable at high speeds. If anything, the Sienna feels like a floating jellybean. I have not met anyone who picked the Sienna over the Odyssey as far as driving dynamics (not talking about handling around the track).
I find it hard to believe that the chassis is jittery when most reviews says it's as good as it gets for a minivan. Yes it's not soft, but it is compliant over bumps and feels stable at high speeds. If anything, the Sienna feels like a floating jellybean. I have not met anyone who picked the Sienna over the Odyssey as far as driving dynamics (not talking about handling around the track).
Most reviews also focus on slalom times for vehicles that have no business going through a slalom
. This is strictly my opinion and personal preference, so again agree to disagree. Some people have their own opinions, and I have mine.
I never said the Sienna had better overall dynamics than the Odyssey; I simply said the Sienna dynamics were decent or in other words "good enough". One thing that is pretty much a fact and can't be argued is that the Sienna is more comfortable than the Odyssey. That is ultimately what counts in a minivan, as the majority of the time you won't be using or even pushing the van's handling.
To me, the Sienna has "good enough" stability at high speeds and more importantly is quite comfortable and refined at high speeds. The Odyssey while being stable, is somewhat noisy at high speeds and compared to the Sienna is more jittery and nervous on poor roads.
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