GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

NAIL IN THE COFFIN for Honda for me.
Last model was the best design

I'm totally happy with my SE

if you get it for free, you still have to pay the tax on the damn thing

rogers2

Rant:
To me all Minivans are ugly and need to stay out the fast lane. Hey dude your in a minivan stop trying to be cool. Your out the game let a player thru.

Ok I guess this mini van would be nice for a family even though it look like a small bus.

IS-SV

What a mess.

That kind back there visually exaggerates the massive rear overhang. Reminds me of the song with "like big butts".

Looks like they recycled some leftover Crossturd grills maybe.

RX_330

That is one ugly ****. The lightning bolt, while they say its to increase visibility for the third row, a simple solution would have been to design it right in the first place and not have the belt line draw up so high. And those black mirrors make every model look cheap and like a base model. The rear overhang is atrocious. This is definitely a van best suited in dark colors.

With all that said, the interior is pretty well done in design and layout. And the practical features such as the trash bag holder, the middle row being able to slide outward a little bit to accommodate three full-sized child seats (could also be used to increase hip room for regular passengers) are pretty clever.

Mechanically this thing is just a failure. They better have some secret updates up their sleeves and implement them soon. I don't think the Sienna has much to worry about this time.

nthach

The side looks like a bloated Mercedes R-Class!

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

On the plus side, they seem to like the 3rd row space and the highway fuel economy is damn good. Not bad for an 'ancient' V6. Though I would have expected a 3.7L instead.

mmarshall

I have to agree with both sides here. The rear-door-belt-line does look a little awkward, but, outside of that, it's not a bad-looking minivan at all.

Overall, I'd say it is about even with the Sienna on looks. The Odyssey has (IMO) an awkward-looking beltline; the Sienna, an awkward-looking grille/headlights. Otherwise, they're both fine.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

while the downward angle at the C pillar is odd, i think the odyssey is better looking than the sienna in that pic, which is the equivalent of automotive ambien. audi does straight lines well. toyota does it here HORRIBLY.

LexFather

You gotta spend 40 grand for a 6 speed like its some new technology or something. Lame.

mmarshall

The overhang (appears) to have been done for cargo-space....and possibly safety. With most 3-row minivans, when adults are back in the third-row seat, if you don't have some space back behind the seat/rear wheels, their heads are uncomfortably (and sometimes dangerously) close to the rear-glass. Also, you don't have much cargo space with the 3rd-row seat up. Minivans, considered trucks by the EPA, were exempt from some Federal safety standards for years, but now, more attention is being paid, from a safety-point of view, to their designs.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

If they had gotten rid of the zigzag line, then it might actually look normal. Both Sienna and Odyssey grille looks ugly. At least they didn't give it the human shield or the USB port.

Fizzboy7

Your illustration hits the nail on the head! Why can't something as simple as this be revealed and worked upon at Honda? Don't they do the most basic of analyisis? You don't even have to be a professional designer to see the faults here. Very very poor situation at Honda right now.

LexJaq

Well, reality check, though. All the current, new minivans are terrible looking. And, people buy these things because it's their money and decision to make. Not yours.

When you get down to it, what difference does it make how many gears are in the transmission? 5 Speeds work just fine. If the final drive is the same, then for most people that's all they will notice (in the form of the MPG).

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

I really don't understand how the Sienna blandmobile is any better looking than the Odyssey. At least the Odyssey is interesting to look at. And wow that lightning bolt is really not a big deal whatsoever lol, it keeps the visual weight of the rear down so the car doesn't look massive, slab-sided and boring, like the Sienna. Not to mention, it flows with the shoulder arrow hunch that starts from the front door handle, and echoes the character line on the bottom of the doors.

Gotta agree with bitkahuna's posts all around in here.

mmarshall

Yes, it's true that Honda and Acura make some awkwardly-styled vehicles (I think that many of us here on CL can agree with that), and that their hybrid drivetrains generally fall behind those of Toyota/Lexus in both smoothness and efficiency. But I still haven't seen quite the same kind of superb assembly-quality and precision-tolerances from any other mass-produced automaker that I have from Honda. However, newer Ford Fusions, a number of newer Hyundai/Kia products, some newer Audis, and some other vehicles have come very close. Honda, though, IMO (and I look at a lot of new vehicles), is still the poster-child for a well-screwed-together car right from the factory.

Lexus, admittedly, used to be at the very top of the list when it came to build-quality, (right up there with Honda-Acura) but they seem to have dropped some in the last 4-6 years. Still, Lexus does a considerably better-then-average job in this area, especially in drivetrain quality/refinement.