Well, it is time. After 7 years and about 70K miles we are looking to sell our 2006 Odyssey EX-L for something updated and new. We are at the point where we don't want to put money into the Odyssey and I typically keep vehicles 5-7 years max. The Odyssey has been a rock, no major issues to speak of and several road trips across the country. It is primarily my wife's vehicle (I drive a turbo 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe) and I find her driving my car more and more (she loves the Bluetooth, power, handling, etc).
We have three little ones (two (7 and 5 years old) in booster seats, one in a car seat (2 years old). The minivan has been great with the kids. When we first started discussing getting a new vehicle we both figured it would come down to the Sienna vs the Odyssey just like last time. I am getting good quotes on 2013 Odyssey EX-L w/RES and I like the backup camera, bluetooth, DVD player, etc. I will give Honda credit, their options are very straightforward, with Toyota it is like a circus getting the options you want without getting a bunch of stuff you don't want. I am already having that option with several Toyota dealers pushing me towards an aftermarket DVD player (which we did with our Odyssey and would never do again).
I figured we would drive them back to back (dealers are close to each other) and pick the one we want, although I am almost positive it would be the Odyssey again for the very reasons we both liked it better in 2006. Better handling. Much more road feel. Better braking response. Better interior, and to me, better options in packages that we want.
Well, then one of my buddies mentioned that he was looking at a Mazda CX-9 (7 seater) and I started researching. It looks like there are several mid size SUV's (Pilot, CX-9, Pathfinder) that are much more car based than when we were looking in 2006 and all of them would easily fit our three kids. Now that we live in Minnesota my wife has commented on how she wished we had an AWD vehicle with the snow/ice and several large hills near our house. When you option something like a CX-9 out, the Odyssey and Sienna are very close in terms of features and price.
We are going to have to do some driving, but I am curious to hear from those of you who have made similar decisions recently. Lots of great options out there (the new 7 passenger Hyundai Santa Fe looks promising as well).
As much as we (I) would have rather had an SUV when we bought our Ody, parking the Pilot right beside the Ody, opening the rear hatch, and comparing the available cargo space was a real eye opener. Then fold the rear seat down and do the same comparison. Also compare the ease/difficulty of entry/exit from the 3rd row seating. In our case it was not a ride quality issue, but overall flexibility and use that kept us in a van. Add fuel economy, additional purchase cost (equally equipped the Pilot was $1500 more then), insurance cost (SUV was more to insure at that time), etc., and the van was going to be significantly cheaper to own and operate. To each his own of course...
Yes, and having owned the Odyssey for the last seven years, I suspect we will end up with another one. My wife and I had a long talk last night, and while we both like the idea of an AWD 7 passenger SUV, we don't think we are willing to give up the features of a minivan with three small kids. I have been doing some research at some car seat websites and have eliminated several vehicles already, but there are a few 7 passenger SUV's that will definitely work (3 kids in the middle row if we want, or 2 in the middle row and one in the back. There is no way any of the crossovers will give us more storage space vs an SUV, but the question is do they give us enough for a family of 5? On paper, yes, but to your point we will go check them out in person.
The main advantage I see is looks, and driving experience for the SUV. My wife pushed to get our current Odyssey (she drives it 80% of the time) but she is driving my car more and more. I think partly because my car is a blast to drive, and partly because she is a stay at home mom in her mid 30's and has been driving a minivan for 7 years and wants something different.
Too be honest, I am completely unimpressed with both the Toyota dealers I have spoken to about the Sienna, so I may just focus on the Odyssey, Pilot, Mazda CX-9, and maybe the Pathfinder. We might look at a certified gently used MDX as well.
I would be surprised if we did not get an Odyssey, but I have been surprised before
Trust me, I get that the van isn't cool LOL! It is one thing to be driving it with a couple of kids along or the entire family, but entirely different when you are driving alone. I'm guessing there are no kids along when she is driving the Genesis, which in itself is may be why she takes off with your car From experience I can tell you that things change quickly in the next few years, so don't forget to picture what things will be like 5 years from now when the kids will be 12, 10, & 7. The bigger they get the bigger everything they bring along gets. Good luck!
The Odyssey may not be cool but it handles well, is comfortable and roomy; I am 77 years old and still looking at a new one. What I am saying is, you may find having young kids is not the only reason to have one. I have met many my age who still go for the Odyssey.
“You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt
It amazes me how people give priority to what other people think over their own wants and needs, especially on their second-largest purchase. Forget about a minivan not being cool. The bottom line is they’re the most comfortable and cost effective way to move 5 to 8 people and their stuff.
I am in a similar situation and have also looked at the CX-9, since I own two Mazda 6s and have been happy with them. Other than AWD, there are few practical advantages to any three-row CUV/SUV over a minivan, excluding an AWD Sienna.
Ground clearance – needed for camping and off-roading but for the 99.8% of us that never leave the pavement, we probably won’t high center a minivan on the way to Five Guys for lunch.
Towing – a CUV/SUV often (though not always) has no higher capacity than a minivan. If this is a priority, check before you buy.
Usually, any third row in a CUV/SUV will be smaller than what’s available in a minivan. Also, if the second row is a bench seat and/or is occupied with two or more people and you have an infant or toddler in the third row, access to the third row will be a PITA because you will have to go OVER the second row to reach that child in the back.
Your kids will be teenagers in 7 years and will need more space than present as mentioned already. You will not have an option to bring along one or two of their friends on road trips in a SUV as comfortably as a minivan. Four high-quality winter tires works for me.
I just finished the same research. We were hoping to like the Toyota better, but decided against it for a number a reasons. We also looked at SUV's with extra seats. But they were all cramped and offered less cargo space. Also, harder to get in and out of third row. My wife loves the CRV, but not with 3 kids.
Anyway, we went with a 2015 Ody Touring. We love it, although a few things we miss from the old 2003 we traded in, but we got a touring, so there is so much more we did not have. The kids (6 and 11) love the DVD, even the 14 year old likes it they all just need to agree on what to watch. I am even finding the Nav is great, better then I expected. We also love the memory seats and moon roof. The kids also love the built in screens, they love to put them up and down. Funny how such a little things makes them happy.
Plus I think the touring with FOG lights, tow package and roof rack looks SUV'ish as it is ready for any trip the family wishes to take. In fact we took it camping the first weekend we had it and I strapped 3 kayaks to the roof. The 2015 has a wider roof rack from Thule and I found I can even fit a 4th Kayak on the roof if I wish.
The nav and res system takes some time to figure out, but I like it now that I know how to control everything. I like how the bluetooth works as the van will answer the phone for me, and turn down the radio for me all with no buttons or anything. It is all very nice.
Our 2011 is our third mini van, and it was has been very helpful during the college years of moving kids to school and back. And this generation of Ody should have had all of the issues worked out by now, and the prices seem great (people now are only paying what we paid five years ago), so I vote for an Odyssey!
It will always be a minivan for me. Hands down. And I am terminally single, with no prospect of that relationship status ever changing.
To add to what everyone has already said, a minivan’s chief selling point is so obvious that overweight housewives tumbling out of their SUVs at the grocery store car park miss it - you don’t have to scale a minivan to get in it, you don’t have to clamber down via running boards and body contortions to get out. SUVs have to be the most successful but cruel joke that automotive marketing industry have ever played on us.
I own a 2002 EX-L with 184,000 miles. Even though the transmission was replaced at year five, at NO COST to me, and even though the damn SRS light refuses to go out, unless I pay $500 to replace a sensor in the front passenger seat, the van has brought me a lot of driving and road-trip satisfaction. I couldn’t imagine my life without a minivan.
I’m waiting with baited breath to see what the 2017 Odyssey will look like. If I’m smart, I’ll wait until the model year 2018 to actually buy one.
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