Model Update

Thinking a people mover? Then this is the one for you. Honda’s latest Odyssey is the best vehicle of its kind. Loads of space make seating for seven people comfortable and relaxed, while the smooth 132 kW engine is matched up to a very taut handling package, making the sleek looking Honda Odyssey an inspiring drive.

Putting the newest Honda Odyssey to a task is easy. The five-speed, grade logic transmission instantly links optimum engine power to the required job at hand, ensuring that the driver feels satisfied with the level of performance – whether it be in and around town or out on the open road. If you are after a swift and capable people mover, the 2011 Honda Odyssey is unmatched. Balanced handling, accurate steering strong brakes and a sharp engine give the Odyssey the nod.

There’s plenty of luxury onboard: Climate control (tri-zone climate control in the luxury Odyssey model), cruise control, cup and bottle holders, an onboard trip computer, powered windows, a comprehensive active and passive safety package and superbly comfortable seats.

Sleek Odyssey body styling is made even racier with Aero side skirts and bumpers.

The manufacturers of your regular 5-seater sedans market themselves as family cars. Which is all very well, but they seem to have not thought of one or two things:

• Some families have more than three children – I survived growing up in one.
• Even if you have two or three children, you occasionally need to carry grandparents, school friends or the football team, and the boys in blue frown on seatbelt sharing.
• Carrying three hefty teenage children in the back seat when they haven’t outgrown sibling rivalry can lead to World War III.
• You do not want to have the dog riding next to the picnic hamper in the boot, especially if the hamper contains barbeque sausages. Dogs and hampers don’t always fit under feet or on laps.

So what’s a family to do? Well, you could always join what my sister-in-law refers to as the “White Van Brigade” (except she’s referring to families with 5+ kids, homeschooled, and who grow organic veggies and bake their own bread). But vans aren’t to everyone’s taste, and the aforementioned teenagers usually hate them as being definitely uncool things to learn to drive in. So unless you do have 6+ children, then getting a 7-seater vehicle is a sensible and smart option.

The definite class leader of the MPV vehicle class is definitely the Honda Odyssey. This is definitely THE family car. Honda have designed the Odyssey so that it looks like a regular sedan but longer (none of that chunky van-with-a-nose look that some MPVs have). Instead, the Honda Odyssey is sleek and aerodynamic, with a sophisticated lack of fussiness and a definite air of focus. The large windscreen and rear view give excellent visibility to the driver (and passengers).

Both the standard Honda Odyssey and the luxury model have the same powerhouse under the hood that will give the driving members of the family plenty to play with. The 2.4 litre inline-4 engine with DOCH and Honda’s i-VTEC is now capable of delivering 132 kW of power at 6500 rpm and 218 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. The five-speed automatic transmission makes the Honda Odyssey a pleasure to drive and makes things that little bit easier for learner drivers who get flustered easily. The Honda Odyssey is designed as a low-emission vehicle, doing its bit to reduce pollution. And it consumes 8.9 litres per 100 km – not bad for a big car, which is a plus when you’re feeding teenagers that seem to clean out the fridge daily.

The handling in the Honda Odyssey is much better than the boxier MPVs thanks to its cleverly designed low centre of gravity, which makes it handle much more like a regular car. Double wishbone suspension front and rear makes the ride inside the Honda Odyssey comfortable, and the ABS brakes with EBD prevent skidding and loss of control when stopping.

Looking at the inside of a Honda Odyssey could remind you of an Escher artwork – the Honda Odyssey seems to defy normal laws of physics by being bigger on the inside than it looks from outside. All seven seats are beautifully comfortable, and in the Honda Odyssey Luxury, they are trimmed with leather and the front ones are heated. The driver’s seat is adjustable – manually in the standard version, 8-way electronic in the Honda Odyssey Luxury – and head restraints are provided all round for comfort and safety. The Honda Odyssey boasts a grand total of eight cupholders – more than enough for everyone – a centre table for the first row of seats, door pockets everywhere and an auxiliary power socket. The air conditioning in both versions of the Honda Odyssey is by climate control in the front and manual for the back. Both versions also have a CD/radio system with steering wheel mounted controls, and the Honda Odyssey Luxury also has a 6-disc CD player.

As can be expected in a family car, the Honda Odyssey has an excellent range of safety features. Front and side airbags are provided for the front seats in both versions, and the Honda Odyssey Luxury also has curtain airbags for all three rows. The seatbelts in the front seat are pretensioned, while all the rest are three-pointers. Side impact protection and Honda’s unique G-CON and progressive crumple zones complete the safety package.

Why join the White Van Brigade when you can drive in comfort and style with the Honda Odyssey?

Current model series include:

• Honda Odyssey
• Honda Odyssey Luxury

For any more information on the Honda Odyssey, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Honda dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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