As for the chassis, changes were made to improve stiffness, although the bigger adjustment is that Honda widened the suspension components to grow the Honda Odyssey. In total, the new van is roughly 2-inches wider, while also being almost an inch longer and roughly half an inch lower.
Plus there’s six more inches back there than in the Sienna. Thanks to this, Honda’s engineers designed a new innovative Wide-Mode seat arrangement for the minivan segment that allows the outboard second row bench parts to slide out. This innovation also means you can put two child seats side-by-side; leaving one of the outboard seats free, so additional passengers can access the third row. In other minivans, you’re forced to put two child seats on the outside sections, making the third row impossible to access if you’ve got a 2nd row bench.
In the third row, Honda offers two LATCH locations, for a total of five. Other safety features include items like stability control and tire pressure monitors, while Honda also decided to equip 2011 Odysseys with larger brakes that offer best-in-class stopping distance. Official cargo stats rate that Odyssey at 38.4 cubic feet behind the third row, 93.1 cu.-ft. behind the second row and a total of 148.5 cu.-ft. total.
While we shouldn't be shocked by anything coming out of Madison Avenue, part of me is incensed to hear Honda using Judas Priest to advertise its new "Honda Odyssey". The biggest changes in the redesigned Odyssey are obvious at first glance, as it no longer looks so much like a conventional minivan. Honda's ideas on styling have been polarizing as of late (read: the Accord Crosstour is ugly as sin), so it's smart that the company chose the Civic as the donor of the new minivan's face. The venerable compact is still the most complete and fluid execution of modern Honda design language and what it lends to the Honda Odyssey works to make Honda's largest vehicle appear smaller and sleeker.
The second row is interesting in that Honda has decided not to follow Chrysler into its folly of designing seats to fold into the floor like those in the third row. Understanding that it's the rare day when you want to use your minivan like a pickup truck, Honda instead designed a system that allows the second-row seats to be moved laterally to make more room for passengers or car seats, while improving third-row access through the center in the process. If the Honda Odyssey drives more like a minivan than a station wagon now, it certainly doesn't accelerate like one. Honda's 3.5-liter V6 makes 248 horsepower in the 2011 Odyssey, along with 250 pound-feet of torque. It revs quickly and has great throttle response, and Honda has done a masterful job of matching the gear ratios of the new, optional six-speed automatic transmission to make the Odyssey move.
Honda has also included its Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system as standard equipment. This and some other measures, including a 50-to-100 pound weight reduction, have helped the Odyssey boast some impressive EPA numbers for a roughly 4,400-pound vehicle. The screen in the Honda Odyssey is still pretty small, making most modern video games designed for widescreen, high-definition displays difficult. I'm trusting the tester was merely defective, and that this isn't a widespread problem with Honda's Active Noise Cancellation system, which uses the audio system to make the interior of the vehicle quieter.
The second issue is an aesthetic one: Why can't Honda hide the Odyssey's door track?
Almost every reviewer who has driven the 2011 Honda Odyssey recommends it wholeheartedly.
Redesigned for this year, the 2011 Honda Odyssey is stuffed with features that reviewers say should please almost any minivan buyer. While the base "Honda Odyssey" provides practical, basic family transportation, opting for the higher trims can get you features that reviewers are impressed with. If you want family-friendly cabin tech, reviewers say the Odyssey delivers with a 16.2 inch video screen and surround sound. Critics call the Odyssey the best-driving minivan available.
The 2011 Honda Odyssey is a redesign of the brand’s beloved minivan. Featuring a V6 engine and front-wheel drive, the Odyssey is available in LX, EX, EX-L and Touring trims. The Honda Odyssey seats up to eight and has up to five LATCH connecters.
