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By EWAN
KENNEDY
22 June 2009
‘Low’
and ‘sleek’ aren’t normally words used to describe a people
mover, but the 2009 Honda Odyssey we have just road tested
certainly deserves the description. Lower than some conventional
station wagons, with slim head- and tail-lights that could have
been designed for an Italian coupe, a huge grille that again
shouts out ‘sports’, a long bonnet, and a lowset roof that
tapers down at the back. This is the sort of vehicle that the kids
don’t mind being carted in.
A pleasing feature of the new body is A-pillars that are slimmer
than on the previous model Odyssey. This gives a better view to
the front-side, particularly on scenic winding roads; and there
are real advantages at crossroads in the suburbs as well.
If you're looking for even more sportiness in your Odyssey, this
latest model is the first to be offered in Australia with the
Honda ‘Modulo’ range of dress up accessories. Ask at your
local dealer for details of what’s on the list.
Though the external appearance of the latest Honda Odyssey is an
obvious follow on from the previous model, the interior follows a
totally different theme, particularly in the area of the dashboard
and instruments. It's positively futuristic with a sweeping-wave
dash and instruments that sit in no fewer than four layers.
However, friends who own the just superseded Odyssey didn’t like
the new setup, with the centre stack, containing the audio system,
coming in for serious criticism. They thought it was too boxy and
clashed with the rest of the dash’s styling.
Large, spacious cabins are the whole reason for the existence of
any people mover and Odyssey does it surprisingly well considering
its low stance. Sit three tall adults behind one another and all
have good legroom. However, the one in the rearmost seat may be
tight for headroom - make sure you try it for yourself. Access to
the rearmost seats is never easy in a vehicle of this type, but
Honda does it better than most, with back doors that go as far
backwards as possible.
There's a sort of walk-through facility from the front pair of
seats to the centre row, but the fold-down centre console makes it
a difficult manoeuvre as there's not a lot of space for your legs.
All Odyssey’s occupants now have full lap-sash safety belts, the
superseded model had a lap-only unit in the centre second-row
seat. All models now have six airbags.
Boot space is quite good, but the amount of luggage space suffers
if all seats are in use. The boot opening is larger than in the
previous model, but there's still more encroachment at the sides
than we like. And our Odyssey owning friends were surprised to see
luggage hooks in the boot are no longer standard. So the grocery
bags can slide about and do their own thing.
Ride comfort is almost car-like as a result of the low centre of
gravity and Honda's long-time expertise in seating and noise
reduction. Road and tyre noise on coarse-chip was pleasingly low.
This people mover can be used on rough and ready backroads during
weekend of holiday trips without overly tiring the occupants.
Power comes from an enhanced variant of the four-cylinder
2.4-litre engine from the previous Odyssey. Power is up 12 per
cent to 132 kW, while torque remains at a maximum of 218 Nm,
although it has been pulled slightly down the rev range and has a
fatter curve.
Engine performance is better than before, although you wouldn’t
call it exciting. If you're going to be carrying a lot of people,
and driving in hilly areas you may find the Odyssey struggles at
times.
Transmission is by a five-speed automatic. It used the quite old
principle of shift operation and can't be locked into fourth gear.
Fuel consumption during our road test of the last week was
typically about ten to eleven litres per hundred kilometres in
suburban driving, dropping below nine litres if you were willing
to push for economy on motorways.
The manufacturer’s list price for the entry level Honda Odyssey
is $43,990, and for the higher-specced Odyssey Luxury it is
$49,990. Statutory and dealer charges have to be added to these
prices.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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