Honda Odyssey minivan: 4 cylinders enough?
Prentiss Riddle
Nissan Quest. One burning issue looms over our decision: is a
4-cylinder engine enough to drive a minivan, even a relatively light
(3520 lb.) minvan like the Odyssey?
The Honda Odyssey is only available with a 4-cylinder engine, which
most people we've talked to consider to be a red flag. They predict
that the car will be sluggish and worry that the engine may develop
problems after a few years since it will have to work much harder to
pull a given load than a V6 would.
Our experience in test driving the Odyssey is that it is indeed a
little slow in accelerating, although if we really punch the gas it
can deliver enough for our purposes. The engine noise seems pretty
loud, in part because the Odyssey is so quiet in every other way (it
has a smoother ride and noticeably less wind or road noise than the
other minivans we've driven).
In defense of the Odyssey's 4-cylinder engine the Honda salesman makes
the following claims:
-- Honda has tuned the 4-cylinder engine to give it an extra 10
horsepower (Consumer Reports says it has 140 hp);
-- a V6 would increase the weight of the minivan, largely offsetting
any power gains relative to the 4-cylinder;
-- 4-cylinder engines in general and Honda engines specifically are
much longer-lived than 6-cylinder engines, because the shorter
crankshaft and the lower torque result in fewer problems;
-- the better handling, cornering, and braking of the Odyssey offset
its relative sluggishness to make it an overall better driving
experience (this one I can vouch for).
Consumer Reports loves the Odyssey, predicting it will be highly
reliable (a dinstinction shared among minivans only by the Toyota
Previa), yet CR says that a V6 for the Odyssey "probably would have
made a better choice".
Is Honda crazy to build a 4-cylinder minivan? Or are the naysayers
wrong and the Honda engineers right?
Time is of the essence, so I'd appreciate a quick reply by e-mail.
If you think others would be interested in your answer, feel free to
follow up to the newsgroup as well. Thanks.
-- Prentiss Riddle ("aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada") rid...@rice.edu
-- Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer.
Prentiss Riddle
> We've narrowed our minivan choice down to either a Honda Odyssey or a
> Nissan Quest. One burning issue looms over our decision: is a
> 4-cylinder engine enough to drive a minivan, even a relatively light
Thanks to the people who answered this question. I heard from several
satisfied Odyssey owners and others who think that the importance of a
V6 is overrated, and from no one who spoke against the Odyssey. One
person in particular said that the Odyssey showed a marked improvement
in its acceleration after he put the first 1000 miles on the car.
Now, if we can just get our Honda dealer to give us a price remotely
comparable to Nissan's current sale on the Quest, I think we'll buy
it. (The Quest GXE started out at $200 more than the Honda with
comparable options, but the Quest has a "no-hassle" price right now
which is nearly $2000 less than the first offer on the Odyssey.)
Aamir Hafeez Qazi
> We've narrowed our minivan choice down to either a Honda Odyssey or a
> Nissan Quest.
[snip]
> Our experience in test driving the Odyssey is that it is indeed a
> little slow in accelerating, although if we really punch the gas it
> can deliver enough for our purposes. The engine noise seems pretty
> loud, in part because the Odyssey is so quiet in every other way (it
> has a smoother ride and noticeably less wind or road noise than the
> other minivans we've driven).
--Just wait until you load up the Odyssey with a family and a load
of cargo for that family vacation. It'll feel not just a "little slow"
anymore, it will be painfully slow, and you'll be grinding your teeth
when you try to get over those hills. My cousin has a Quest GXE
and my uncle has a Quest XE, and they do quite nicely with their V6's.
> In defense of the Odyssey's 4-cylinder engine the Honda salesman makes
> the following claims:
>
> -- Honda has tuned the 4-cylinder engine to give it an extra 10
> horsepower (Consumer Reports says it has 140 hp);
--Whoop de doo...still not enough!!
> -- a V6 would increase the weight of the minivan, largely offsetting
> any power gains relative to the 4-cylinder;
--Going by that logic, does that mean Chrysler minivan shoppers should
not buy V6 minivans and go for the 4-cylinder versions?? Does that mean
Windstar shoppers should go for the 3.0 V6 instead of the larger, heaver
3.8 V6?? Obviously the more powerful powerplants would offset the
extra weight the engine adds, and that would hold true for the Odyssey too.
The Accord isn't much faster with a V6, but I'd imagine there would
be a greater difference between the 4-cyl and V6 Odysseys (when it hits
the marketplace).
> -- 4-cylinder engines in general and Honda engines specifically are
> much longer-lived than 6-cylinder engines, because the shorter
> crankshaft and the lower torque result in fewer problems;
--You're talking about problems that may not surface till well past
125,000 or 150,000 miles...both engines will do perfectly well
up till then, and even so I'd be surprised if Nissan's V6 didn't
hold up after that point.
> -- the better handling, cornering, and braking of the Odyssey offset
> its relative sluggishness to make it an overall better driving
> experience (this one I can vouch for).
--Sure, but ample power and torque are more important in a minivan,
I think. I also believe that the Quest handles well enough...better
than most other minivans out there...it does handle _safely_ enough.
--Finally, that 3rd seat in the Odyssey is virtually useless, and you
can't even put any real cargo in the back when you're transporting
7 persons...7 people would be a lot more comfortable in the Quest
and you could still put in a reasonable about of luggage (not for
a long trip, but you get the picture). And that's the core purpose
of a minivan in my book.
--Aamir Qazi
qa...@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu
Steven Parker
it is built in the USA on the Accord platform in Ohio. Wait 'til
then. The new engine will make 4 cylinder Odysseys worth even
less used than they would be normally.
--
Steven Parker
KTLA/TV-5 LOS ANGELES - THE CAR DUDE/Friday am news,evening news
KMPC 710/TALK radio LOS ANGELES - THE CAR NUT/Sat2-4pm/Sun5-7pm
Also on Tribune Broadcasting TV nationally in USA [above sig (c)]
David M. Spera
>
> The Odyssey DESPERATLEY needs a V6 and will get it next year when
> it is built in the USA on the Accord platform in Ohio. Wait 'til
> then. The new engine will make 4 cylinder Odysseys worth even
> less used than they would be normally.
And wait to see how expensive they will be! Remember how pricey
the Accord V6 is?
Dave
R.W.Tang
The power is not as good as the Previa SC but it is better than older Previas.
It's more than adequate IMO for driving kids around town and occasionally on
long trips. It is a replacement car for my Taurus wagon w/3.0L engine. The
Honda has better drivability and power compared to the Taurus. It was down to
price and the dealer was willing to be competitive and I got a price that was
lower than the best price I found for a demo Previa SC w/ about 3000 miles on it.
BTW, I found the Odessey's chassis/frame is not like that in an Accord although
they may have some common components. Just slide underneath the respective models
and see for yourself. The dealer must have been wondering why there was this
strange customer underneath their new models :-).