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Honda Odyssey minivan delivers the features consumers desire
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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STAUNTON, Va. -- Plowing over high ridges and swooping through deep glens during a drive across the Appalachian Mountains on Route 39, the Virginia Byway, a new rendition of Honda's comfortable Odyssey minivan tracks a tight line around countless curves and hunkers firmly on the straights, acting in virtually all aspects like a well-heeled sedan.
An extended chassis, derived from Honda's popular Accord sedan and rigged with car-like independent suspension and steering mechanisms, serves as Odyssey's foundation.
The longer platform -- stretching the former Odyssey's wheelbase by 6.7 inches and adding 13.6 inches in overall length -- sets up a smoother and more stable ride quality, while also enabling a larger passenger compartment which expands by significant dimensions in all directions.
Odyssey looks crisp and clean in new form with keen sheetmetal styling on the outside and a new interior scheme laced with appealing features that emphasize comfort and convenience in the Honda tradition.
Check behind the two front hinged doors and you'll find two sliding doors for easy passenger access to second and third tiers of seats.
Honda's design also lowers the floor of Odyssey so you may easily step inside -- much like you would slip into a family sedan -- rather than having to hoist your body aboard as some wagons require.
Making a van more like a car has always been the big idea behind a minivan, of course, but until this design no one dared equip a minivan with so many car-like comforts.
Actually, the concept behind Odyssey's interior comforts comes from commercial airliners with what Honda designers imagine is the environment of a first-class cabin. Each passenger receives a form-fitting seat with 3-point safety belt and individual controls for functions like seatback tilt position, as well as overhead buttons to manage air conditioning and lighting.
The idea to add these individual controls came about through surveys of minivan usage during a road show with members of Honda's research and development team packing in previous editions of Odyssey and driving to amusement parks, schools, shopping centers, campgrounds and tourist areas -- sites usually with a concentration of minivans.
Survey conclusion: Give us more comfortable space in a minivan, more car-like amenities, and a more sophisticated vehicle cast with aggressive and powerful imagery.
New second generational editions of Odyssey reflect these consumer desires, plus opinions expressed through other market research. As a result, Odyssey gains strength in engines and chassis to improve performance and ride quality, then applies so many perks inside.
Several variations in Odyssey's second-row seating create interesting options for hauling people and cargo.
Two captain-style chairs in the second row will slide together to convert into a bench when more floor area is needed on the right side. These seats also can be removed quickly by merely flipping a latch or two -- and one person can do that job, thanks to light-weight frames.
Reaching the second-row seats is easy: Just open a door, slip aboard and buckle up. Access comes from either side due to the new twin doors, and without bending and scooting or crawling.
Reaching the third tier's 2-person bench does take more work, but not so to fold it flat into the floor because this thing flips and ducks in a neat disappearing act.
Stand at the rear of the vehicle, reach through the back gate and remove both head restraints, which store in a handy side pocket, then twist a release knob on the back of the seatback and fold it forward. Next, twist a second knob on the cushion's spine to unlock the bench. It will flip with only a slight touch and slip into a floor well.
No other minivan makes rear seat removal this easy.
As a secondary trick, the third bench also flips down and back to the floor so the seatback becomes the seat and seat is the back, all facing rearward as a handy new seat for use at a tailgate party. The top-hinged lift gate swings up so you can stand beneath it in shelter.
Behind the third tier is more than adequate storage space, including additional room in a well.
A spare tire, removed from the passenger compartment to make way for people and gear, stows in its own well located mid-ship below second-tier seats.
Also, the floor of Honda's minivan is perfectly flat, so with second and third rows of seats out of the way, there's a vast cargo bay that will accommodate even big items like that proverbial 4x8 sheet of plywood.
Up front, Honda provides two individual captain-style bucket seats in a cockpit outfitted with dual airbags and all of the features you would expect to encounter in a fine luxury sedan.
Actually, all aspects of Odyssey's interior orient toward comfort -- from power windows and door locks along with other power-assisted controls such as cruise control to assets like front and rear air conditioning with the individual controls at each seat, plus rear heat ducts.
Top trim level, Odyssey EX, adds power motivation to open and close the dual sliding rear doors. And the system has a safeguard device to stop moving if a rider's hand ends up in the path of a closing door.
Visibility from inside Odyssey appears superb, but particularly from the driver's view. Tall windows and thin roof pillars create a virtually uninterrupted field.
Odyssey's unitized structure is built on a large rectangular frame fortified by cross braces and reinforced at frame and body junctions to forge a stiff system that resists tendencies to bend and flex.
The chassis, with low center of gravity and wide track, applies 4-wheel independent suspension components and speed-sensing power rack and pinion steering. Brakes, with front discs and rear drums, tie to anti-lock controls as well as an electronic module which can optimize braking force in response to weight and placement of various cargo loads.
To power Odyssey, Honda designed a new 3.5-liter V6 engine and 4-speed electronic automatic transmission. The new V6, displacing 3.0 liters with single overhead cam and the wizardry of Honda's VTEC valve control applied, boosts output to 210 hp while elevating fuel economy numbers too.
Honda builds this V6 at an engine plant in Ohio, while the minivan comes together in Canada at a Honda assembly plant in Alliston, Ontario.
1999 HONDA ODYSSEY MINIVAN
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1999 HONDA ODYSSEY Specs |
| Description: |
Compact 4-door minivan |
| Model Options: |
Compact 4-door minivan |
| Wheelbase: |
118.1 inches |
| Overall Length: |
201.2 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 3.5-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
20/26 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 23,985 to $ 27,000 |
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