Just took our 2001 Odyssey LX on its first highway trip. We drove about 340 miles each way, mostly on interstate. We had 2 adults, a teenager, a toddler, an infant and the associated baggage. I figure almost 600 pounds of people and cargo. After the trip, the van had 3000 miles, and is now about 3 months old.
The first leg we averaged 25 mpg through heavy rain, fog and 30+ mph cross winds. The van handled very well up to 70 mph. At that point, it started to feel a little unstable due to either wind or possibly hydroplaning. Road noise was moderate-high, mostly because of the pounding rain.
The second leg we averaged about 22 mpg, as we started to get some headwinds and also used the defroster with A/C to reduce fogging. We also had slower traffic from the even more severe rain and a minor slowdown from an accident, too. The headlights worked well, especially in conjunction with the 2001 foglights I had installed. They came in very useful to see the lines at the side of the road in the worst parts of the rain storm.
The return leg averaged 25 mpg again. This time in clear weather with minimal winds. The van handled very well, and the ride was nice and smooth, absorbing the occasional pothole very well. Wind noise was light. Road noise was mostly due to the tires. Concrete ranged from a medium drone to a loud howl. Asphalt ranged from almost none to slight tire noise. I should note our LX has the Michelin Symmetry tires, which our dealer added along with the cargo tray and mudguards. Handling was great up to 80 mph (didn't try faster). The cruise control worked very well, holding the speed very close to the set point. We've never had a "pull-to-the-right", and this trip was no exception.
The seats were very comfortable for the whole trip. None of the 3 adults had any complaints.
Excluding this trip, we had been averaging 16-17 mpg, mostly in suburban commuting in the Chicago area. I'm sure that will improve when the weather and traffic improves this spring, plus the engine will be broken-in a bit more at that point.
We also purchased a video entertainment system, which worked very well for our toddler. I wrote a review on that in the Audio/Video forum.
The Odyssey has been great so far. We purchased it for the excellent safety ratings and also for the seating configurations which we need for cargo and carrying older adults in the 3rd row along with our toddler and infant in the second row. At the purchase, we ruled out most vans on the basis of poor or lacking crash tests or other safety issues. The remaining contenders were Sienna and Windstar. The Sienna rear seats were too small for our needs, though otherwise it was a great option as the fold-forward rear seat was almost as functional as the fold down rear seat in the Odyssey. The Windstar seating and packages didn't appeal to me, though it was also a nice van. Plus, it was more expensive with similar features, even with a "good deal". MPV was a possible choice, but like Sienna was a bit small. I liked it's styling the best of any minivan though.
Our dealer (Rich at Elliott-Demick Honda in Michigan City, IN) charged MSRP, and we also got the cargo tray, mudguards and Michelin Tires thrown in at that price (tires apparently courtesy of a buyer who backed out). We added the remote keyless entry and the 2001 foglights later. I also got a great deal on some wheels from an Acura TL on ebay. They are the exact same size as the Odyssey alloys, and even accept the Honda center caps. Finally, I also purchased and installed the Honda leather steering wheel wrap and a set of black Weathertech interlocking rubber floormats for the first and second rows. These are nice for the snow and dirt, and also for containing the mess from the toddler.
No regrets so far. No problems whatsoever with the vehicle. Loading the kids is far easier than in the Saturn it replaced (though it was also a great car). No major complaints, though I do find the audio to be very medoicre, even for a factory system. I also find the gear shift lever a bit awkward, and the rear wiper spray a bit feeble.
I have some pictures, along with some links on minivan safety and child seats at my site:
http://www.caviller.com
[This message has been edited by caviller (edited 02-11-2001).]
The first leg we averaged 25 mpg through heavy rain, fog and 30+ mph cross winds. The van handled very well up to 70 mph. At that point, it started to feel a little unstable due to either wind or possibly hydroplaning. Road noise was moderate-high, mostly because of the pounding rain.
The second leg we averaged about 22 mpg, as we started to get some headwinds and also used the defroster with A/C to reduce fogging. We also had slower traffic from the even more severe rain and a minor slowdown from an accident, too. The headlights worked well, especially in conjunction with the 2001 foglights I had installed. They came in very useful to see the lines at the side of the road in the worst parts of the rain storm.
The return leg averaged 25 mpg again. This time in clear weather with minimal winds. The van handled very well, and the ride was nice and smooth, absorbing the occasional pothole very well. Wind noise was light. Road noise was mostly due to the tires. Concrete ranged from a medium drone to a loud howl. Asphalt ranged from almost none to slight tire noise. I should note our LX has the Michelin Symmetry tires, which our dealer added along with the cargo tray and mudguards. Handling was great up to 80 mph (didn't try faster). The cruise control worked very well, holding the speed very close to the set point. We've never had a "pull-to-the-right", and this trip was no exception.
The seats were very comfortable for the whole trip. None of the 3 adults had any complaints.
Excluding this trip, we had been averaging 16-17 mpg, mostly in suburban commuting in the Chicago area. I'm sure that will improve when the weather and traffic improves this spring, plus the engine will be broken-in a bit more at that point.
We also purchased a video entertainment system, which worked very well for our toddler. I wrote a review on that in the Audio/Video forum.
The Odyssey has been great so far. We purchased it for the excellent safety ratings and also for the seating configurations which we need for cargo and carrying older adults in the 3rd row along with our toddler and infant in the second row. At the purchase, we ruled out most vans on the basis of poor or lacking crash tests or other safety issues. The remaining contenders were Sienna and Windstar. The Sienna rear seats were too small for our needs, though otherwise it was a great option as the fold-forward rear seat was almost as functional as the fold down rear seat in the Odyssey. The Windstar seating and packages didn't appeal to me, though it was also a nice van. Plus, it was more expensive with similar features, even with a "good deal". MPV was a possible choice, but like Sienna was a bit small. I liked it's styling the best of any minivan though.
Our dealer (Rich at Elliott-Demick Honda in Michigan City, IN) charged MSRP, and we also got the cargo tray, mudguards and Michelin Tires thrown in at that price (tires apparently courtesy of a buyer who backed out). We added the remote keyless entry and the 2001 foglights later. I also got a great deal on some wheels from an Acura TL on ebay. They are the exact same size as the Odyssey alloys, and even accept the Honda center caps. Finally, I also purchased and installed the Honda leather steering wheel wrap and a set of black Weathertech interlocking rubber floormats for the first and second rows. These are nice for the snow and dirt, and also for containing the mess from the toddler.
No regrets so far. No problems whatsoever with the vehicle. Loading the kids is far easier than in the Saturn it replaced (though it was also a great car). No major complaints, though I do find the audio to be very medoicre, even for a factory system. I also find the gear shift lever a bit awkward, and the rear wiper spray a bit feeble.
I have some pictures, along with some links on minivan safety and child seats at my site:
http://www.caviller.com
[This message has been edited by caviller (edited 02-11-2001).]