On the last day of 2010, my family welcomed a new arrival. That was the day we brought our brand new 2011 Honda Odyssey home. We began shopping for a minivan after we learned we’d be bringing home a more conventional new arrival in early 2011. We checked out most of the well known brands and models before settling on the Odyssey, and then compared the new version to the previous one. Honda redesigned the Odyssey for 2011, and the new features put it head and shoulders above the competition, including its earlier incarnations.
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first, since there’s not much to complain about. The Odyssey is a minivan, and it looks like one. “Stylish” the exterior isn’t. In the previous generation, there’s a conveniently placed storage well in the floor, between the front and second row seats. In the new Odyssey, that space stores the spare tire. And if you want any of the bells and whistles that make it a fun vehicle to own and drive, it’s not cheap. The base version starts at $28075, and the one we brought home lists for $34725. If you want it fully loaded (including the rear entertainment system, in-dash navigation system and a host of other options), the Touring Elite model retails for $43525.
Our van is the EX-L, and we couldn’t be happier. The audio system is fantastic, with an in-dash CD changer and a 2GB hard drive, which eliminates having to fill the center divider with baby music. And the center divider comes out if we need extra storage on a long trip. There’s a little cooler in the center of the dashboard, near the floor. It only works when the car is running, but it’s just the right size for bottles of milk now and juiceboxes later. Once you leave a bottle in there once on a hot summer day, you never forget again. The interior feels huge and is almost fully customizable. The only seats that don’t move or fold into the floor are the front buckets. In the second row, the center piece moves forward, so you can reach your child’s car seat easily. And every rear seat has anchor points, too.
Our model has enough of the options that we don’t feel like we missed out on anything in order to save some cash. Aside from the sound system, some of the cooler options are the rear-view camera (which works perfectly day or night), sunroof, driver and passenger power and heated seats, three-zone climate control and power doors and windows everywhere. The power rear door is particularly nice when you’re juggling packages, a diaper bag and the baby’s car seat in both hands. One push and off you go. The little touches we love most involve the sliding doors. The windows in both actually raise and lower, which we found unusual in a minivan. Unlike the previous model, there are sensors in the doors that stop it from closing if a bag or little arm gets in the way. And if you don’t close the driver side gas cap, the passenger door on that side refuses to open, beeping at you until you realize what’s wrong.
We’ve put about 12000 miles on our van since we brought it home. Our family is spread out through three New England states, so we spend a lot of time driving between grandparents. On average, we’re getting about 21 miles to the gallon, which is great for a minivan that sees a lot of around town driving.
The 2011 Honda Odyssey is a top-notch family minivan. We don’t have the navigation system or rear entertainment, but we honestly don’t feel like we’re missing anything. What our van does have is a versatile and roomy interior, pretty good gas mileage and a top safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Kelley Blue Book named it the top Road Trip Car for 2011, and the top redesigned vehicle of 2011 as well. My family and I couldn’t agree more.