2006 Honda Odyssey EXL w/DVD & NAV 3.5L V6

Summary:

Great long distance driver with lots of space and great handling

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I have had the Odyssey for about 6 months now and really enjoy driving it. I recently went on my first long trip with it and here are the things I found most annoying with it.

1.The lighting on the instrument cluster does not have a dimmer. It is too bright and distracting for night driving.

2. The road noise is higher than my old Chevy Venture van and it doesn't have as comfortable ride either.

3. Lighting of some of the controls (like on the door) is poor. many of the switches are not lit and thus difficult to use at night.

4. The DVD system controls are very complicated and require fiddling. When you turn down the front speakers while the kids are in the back watching a DVD, the passangers in the middle row can't hear well and the ones in the rear hear it too loud.

5. The most annoying thing about the Odyssey that I have found so far is that you cannot lock the doors with the key fob with any of the doors open. With 2 young children in car seats, I found it very convenient with my old Chevy Venture to lock the car with the doors open so than I could put away my keys, take the kids out and close the door and walk away. With the Odyssey, I have to pull my keys back out, while carrying/holding my kids, to lock the vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd January, 2007

30th Oct 2007, 16:57

About your comment on the instrument cluster not having a dimmer switch, it does! If you look at the trip button, you can turn it left or right (this dims the cluster brightness).

6th Apr 2012, 13:51

That fact about the door locks has been a Honda thing forever. They make the doors unlockable when open, so it's impossible to lock your keys in the car. It was the way with my 88 Prelude and my dad's 02 CRV.

In reply to 6th Apr 2012, 13:51

14th Feb 2014, 01:12

I have 2 1990's Accord Wagons, and found a way around the locking problem. I find that I can lock them without a key, by closing the driver's door, opening the rear driver's side door, and then lock the front by pushing down the lock. It can be done from either the driver's side rear, or the passenger side rear. One vehicle has remote electric locks, which no longer work all of the time, so manual locking is necessary. The other vehicle, 3 years older, has the "safety lock out prevention feature", but key lock only, no remote locking system. Hope this works for you.

2006 Honda Odyssey EX 6.5L SOHC

Summary:

Great to Drive, but look at all the details closely before buying

Faults:

All still looking and driving like new. No repairs, only 2 oil changes.

General Comments:

We really like the car, but we have a safety concern.

The driver's side window has an auto-up feature. This feature lets you put up your window with a flick of a switch. The only way to stop it is with the switch. There is no sensor stopping the upward motion and even if you press down on the window, it will not stop. This works even when the window lock is on and the keys are out of the ignition.

Honda's response was that "this is how it was designed and we don't see a need to change it".

Honda also stated "If we had any issues/concerns they needed to be settled when vehicle was purchased".

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th November, 2006

22nd Jul 2007, 10:42

Thanks for that info. I'll be sure to check that feature before I buy one. Safety should always be first!

2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L RES 3.5

General Comments:

The heating system seems good for all of the seats except the driver and front passenger. When temperatures are slightly below 0 Celsius my feet are cold after driving for even short distances. The rest of the vehicle is warm, though. Putting the heat selector on "feet only" you can just barely feel any heat coming out with the fan on high. This is not good if you live in a cold climate.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th November, 2006

23rd Apr 2007, 14:30

How can you say that? I live in Boston and My fan for the feet works fine. I'm never cold.

8th Jan 2020, 03:32

It could be a fan/blower motor that is going out. I have had it happen on a few cars over the years. Fairly easy fix in most cases. It's usually under the dash on the passenger side, but this being a minivan, it may or may not be easier or harder to get to. Seems strange to have such low feel of air on the front floor.