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By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 July 2006
The third-generation Honda Odyssey, launched in Australia midway through
2004, was already a much lower, sleeker machine than we have ever seen
before in a seven-seat people mover. Yet, not content with that, Honda's
designers have given it an even sportier look as part of a midlife
makeover.
Odyssey gets a new grille, revised shaping of
the front and rear bumpers to beef them out and give them a bit
more character. A cleaner frontal look is given by using
indicators mounted in the door mirrors instead of in the rear
surfaces of the front guards. There are new rear lights with a
neat, clear appearance.
Inside, the Odyssey now has an integrated six-CD
audio system that can handle MP3 recordings.
Even better news is that the price of the
Odyssey remains unchanged, starting at just $38,790. This price
freeze has partly been achieved by the continuing strength of the
Australian dollar against the Japanese yen, but the fact that the
people-mover market is intensely competitive no doubt came into
Honda Australia's calculations as well.
In the $45,290 Luxury version of the Odyssey,
the black leather trim is complemented by a trendy piano-black
wood finish on the centre console.
Honda Odyssey is only a few centimetres higher
than the Commodore or Falcon station wagon, yet the designers have
squeezed a surprising amount of space into the cabin.
Odyssey can carry seven adults in comfort in a
two-three-two arrangement. A more practical arrangement would be
four adults and three children. The flat floor means that three
adults abreast in the centre-rear seat is achieved with less
hassle than usual.
The swooping bonnet shape means that parking is
all guesswork from the base of the windscreen forward, and some
who drove our test Odyssey didn’t like it for that reason.
An interesting feature is the use of a
power-folding rearmost seat in the upmarket Odyssey Luxury. A push
of a button sees it fold down completely out of sight, leaving a
flat floor.
With all seats in place there's still a moderate
amount of luggage space behind the rearmost ones. Not a generous
amount, but better than average.
Performance from the 2.4-litre four-cylinder
engine is better than expected, but it does struggle if asked to
carry a big load in hilly conditions. The tiptronic-type automatic
helps the driver keep the engine in its best rev range.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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