[mpouxesas]

Hello all, I hope I started this correctly. I also hope I am not bypassing/violating forum rules. I have been an avid honda owner/admirer, always owned honda vehicles, and recently I had a pilot, replaced it with a 2008 odyssey, which I replaced it with a 2011 odyssey. I love the vehicle, but I have a few issues with the newer especially.
a) The footrest to me is not much of a ...rest..it 'pushes' my left leg back/upwards, not to mentioned my shin scrapes against the emergency break pedal. I find the design at best...horrible. I try to stretch my legs (inseam 34, I am 6'3) and there is no 'restful' way to do that, especially on those long trips with my family (wife/2 children).
b) the emergency break pedal is way far to the right close to the leg and away from the inner wall of the vehicle (unlike lets say the one on my wife's highlander). This makes legroom way more limited.
c) the driver seat does not go as far back as it did on the 2008 (or so it seems to me) rendering the 'actual' leg room shorter/smaller than before. I think the way it is designed it does not allow enough room for taller people with long legs (like mine). I wish they would design the driver seat to roll back further that it usually goes (something like mercedes/bmw does) even if that means making the middle row legroom smaller.
Now, the question I have, is there anywhere (i.e. official honda company) that I can address these concerns with and hopefully will be heard so when time comes to replace my odyssey with the newer one to gladly do so, because I do not want to switch to a sienna (that had much more/better legroom for me).
thank you all

 

[Frogger]

Your points are all correct, and I felt the same way before purchase, but when you are in that space, you are looking very much at the detail and difference and maybe it doesn't really reflect what you will experience later. After two months of ownership, can't even remember the nitpicks against the 2006... you get used to the new setup and that's kind of that... I would say space is similar, I rode in back for the first time and the ambience was more spacious but the handling more naseating.

Guess I am saying would not let these things prevent you from moving ahead.

I have adjusted to the dead pedal, and now it's just what it is, didn't really impact my recent long distance vacation drive.

 

[Tri-C]

I bought my '10 because I disliked the appearance of the '11.

While I can't directly address your specific concerns, when I finally did sit in an
'11, I found the driver's seating worse than the '11 in most respects, particularly as regards leg room (I'm 6-4).

That my right knee barely comes into contact with the dash on the '10 is bad enough. On the '11, it was unbearable and, as a result, I will never own a fourth generation Odyssey.

 

[Cntrtwnltd]

I can't comment on your exact concerns either, but I can tell you that I noticed a reduction in legroom comfort in all rows of the 2011 Ody, but to be honest, to me, that is not one of the biggest problems when it comes to spaciousness. First of all, the 2011 doesn't give passengers the "perched" feeling that the 3rd gen did. The window sills are much higher and windshield slopes more than it used to so there seems to be more of an enclosed feeling. The other big issue for me is that the head room seemed to be greatly reduced. In the 3rd gen, there is no way for my head to come in contact with the area where the doors meet the ceiling, but I hit it several times in the 2011 and in all 3 rows. I suppose many people like the enclosed feeling because it reminds them of being in a car, but I don't like it.

 

[bmacz06]

I am in the exact same boat with the exact same measurements. Even with the seat all the way back and tilted as far back as possible it is still about 2 inches short of where I would like it.

I am considering removing the seat and trying to find a way to adjust the mounting rails. In the meantime, I often drive with my left leg flat footed with my knee sticking up. It is not the best but it is better than trying to find some space in the foot well.

 

[BigBoat]

is there anywhere (i.e. official honda company) that I can address these concerns with and hopefully will be heard so when time comes to replace my odyssey with the newer one to gladly do so

Dunno where apart from the normal Customer Support channels, but I doubt that drastic changes will come until the 5th generation pops up (5 years from now?)

Now, if you find it please let them know that they also need to fix the Low Battery message bug

Ooops, off-topic

 

[mpouxesas]

thank you all

I appreciate your responses guys. I did not mind the passenger space, although I agree with you it feels smaller and it is probably due to their lame attempts to make it feel like driving a car, but I personally like the way it drives. This vehicle seems to have a great grip on the road, accelerates/decelerates better than the previous one, and it feels definitely smoother, less road noise compared to the previous one too. BUT, I have been driving it for about 7 months now and I still can't get used to the limitation I have with my left leg. I try to squeeze (extending my leg) through the break pedal and the [email protected] peg of the emergency break, twisting my foot in to the space behind both, only though for a few seconds, enough to stretch my leg strait. The worst part is that I have to drive from Boston to DC area a few times a year (to visit the in-laws) and I think it is a tiring stretch....I know there's nothing much (mechanically speaking) to do, but I personally love the honda brand more than its compatitors and IF they do not change that problem I won't be returning to a new lease in a couple of years with the odyssey....I was hoping that they have here an office, or someplace other than customer service (I tried that, i did not go far) where you can voice these things and they can probably pass them on to the designing team...They oughta have tall people testing this vehicles too...after all they are trying to make it a dad vehicle too, aren't they?

 

[wyoming]

Sadly I don't think they took dads into account much for this gen. I don't have an '11 but a lot of cars artificially restrict leg space with a plastic shroud underneath the carpeting (Miata, Accord, etc..). This wouldn't fix your emergency brake issue, but there may be a way to lift up the carpet and physically remove the dead pedal, or the plastic shroud on the left side giving you a few more inches.

 

[mpouxesas]

2011 vs 2008 roomier?

Wyoming, thanks for your input. The problem indeed is that by design, the footrest is 'protruding' too far toward the driver, thus, even if the emergency break line was not there you'd still feel the effect. Now of course, the way it is set up this emergency break, does not help at all. The actual pedal is literally in the way to the foot rest. Add to that the fact that its cable comes down to the floor right next to the break pedal, so there is no room to stretch your leg...I am not sure there's anything mechanically to be done to alter this...Luckily I am only leasing, but if I end up buying this has to be corrected.
thanks again

 

[cebu 888]

The chief designer is 5ft tall. LOL.

 

[Gstom1]

The chief designer is 5ft tall. LOL.

Art St. Cyr seems pretty tall to me!



YouTube - ‪2011 Honda Odyssey revealed‬‏

 

[richpor]

+1 on the "footrest" A.K.A the dead pedal. It's just too close for me. I'm thinking about removing it...

 

[PhilZJ]

I agree with the dead pedal too, it's pretty annoying. I'd rather not remove it, but moving it back 2 inches or so would be great. Just so it's on the same 'level' as the other pedals.