Thursday, November 8, 2012

The 2011 Odyssey, Pizza, and two crazy kids



2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L

I'll start by saying I have a 12 year old daughter whom I love so very dearly. I'll add though my 12 year old daughter is a complete maniac, when you add another kid to the mix. She just loves to sing, dance, yell, and have fun when there is another kiddo around. That being said it was Pizza Night, and her favorite pizza joint in New Albany, IN roughly 25 minutes from my house in Louisville, KY. For this little excursion I decided to take a vehicle with a TV/DVD system, so as to possibly calm these two little girls down on the way to the pizza place. That didn't happen and I'll tell you why. I forgot to bring a movie, so luckily there were plenty of ammenities to take my mind off the 2 little girls screaming Katy Perry songs no more than 2 feet behind me. The Odyssey has long been recognized as one of the best selling mini vans in the World. The Odyssey ranks high in reliability, safety, and styling (even if it's minivan), and they never fail to impress the minivan demographic. Tonights Odyssey is a 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L with leather, TV/DVD, Alloy Wheels, Moonroof, Rear Parking Sensors, Dual Power Doors and a whole lot more. The first thing we had to do when I picked up the girls was put some gas in the tank. I hadn't driven a minivan since I was 16 and my Mom had an Aerostar. So my point is I had no idea how much gas I would need and really how much we were going to use. I decided I would just put $15 in and see how far we could get. If we need more I'll stop again. Once we were gassed up, the girls were amped and we jumped on the expressway. The Odyssey is nimble for a big vehicle, it's quick, and it's extremley smooth. The interior seemed huge, and the girls had plenty of room to in the 2nd row. The sound system was great, the ambient lighting was cool, and the overall driver experience was really cool for a minivan. I was thoroughly suprised. These are not the minivans of the 90's these are technological dream vans at this point. The ammenities were everywhere, and all of them were well lit and easily controlled. The trip across the bridge took a good 25 minutes and by the time we arrived we were all 3 starving. One large cheese pizza and $25 worth of quarters for games later we were stuffed headed back to the Odyssey. As we approached I took the opportunity to blow the girls minds by opening the power van doors with the keyless remote. So as we approached the van the doors calmly slide open and the girls both said the same thing at the same time, "COOL!". Once we were all buckled up and nestled in we headed back home on I-65. Once again these Odysseys are phenomenal on the roads. The ride and the comfort on the expressway is unmatched by any of the vans I've driven in the past few years. We were totally comfortable, at all times. My daughter and I don't have the normal family life. I'm a single dad, and she is my only child. So my point is we would never need a vehicle that big. Howevere for a minute on the drive home I wondered what it would be like to be the guy with 3 or 4 kids and what would I be comfortable driving if I was that guy. The answer is the Honda Odyssey! These things are sweet. Tons of cool stuff, and a great ride. The $15 dollars I spent on gas was a great deal. The needle never even moved on the gas gauge and we crossed state lines. I'm just guessing, but I'm guessing it had alot to do with Hondas ECO feature which literally  changes the shifting patterns, energy use, etc. to save fuel. We defintiley drove 45 miles, and I'm telling you the needle did not move. So in essence, Pizza night is awesome, My kiddo is awesome but a little nutty, and the Odyssey is the ultimate family van. I would easily recommend the Odyssey to anyone in the market for an suv or minivan. The vehicle had a nice style, clean, crisp, futuristic lines, and the ride was phenomenal. If you're in the market for a minivan you ought to give the people from Honda a shot, because they definitley got this one right!

LENGTH 16ft 10.9in
WIDTH 6ft 7.2in
HEIGHT
5ft 8.4in
GROUND CLEARANCE
0ft 4.5in
Body style illustration may not reflect the actual shape of this vehicle.
Exterior Measurements
6 ft. 7.2 in. (79.2 in.)5 ft. 8.4 in. (68.4 in.)
16 ft. 10.9 in. (202.9 in.)0 ft. 4.5 in. (4.5 in.)
5 ft. 8.1 in. (68.1 in.)5 ft. 8.2 in. (68.2 in.)
9 ft. 10.1 in. (118.1 in.)
Interior Measurements
38.3 in. 58.2 in.
40.9 in. 64.4 in.
66.1 in. 39.4 in.
40.9 in. 63.5 in.
Fuel
Gas Regular unleaded
21.0 gal. 378.0/567.0 mi.
18/27 mpg
Weights and Capacities
3500 lbs. 1340 lbs.
4483 lbs. 38.4 cu.ft.
148.5 cu.ft.
** When adequately equipped, which may require engine and/or other drivetrain upgrades.
DriveTrain
Front wheel drive 5-speed automatic
Engine & Performance
3.5 L Single overhead cam (SOHC)
V6 24
Variable 250 ft-lbs. @ 4800 rpm
248 hp @ 5700 rpm 36.7 ft.
Suspension
  • MacPherson strut front suspension
  • Double wishbone rear suspension
  • Four-wheel independent suspension
  • Stabilizer bar stabilizer bar
Warranty
3 yr./ 36000 mi. 5 yr./ 60000 mi.

Features

Interior Features

3rd Row Seats
40-60 split bench
manual folding split-bench

1ST_ROW_SEATING_CAPACITY:2
2ND_ROW_SEATING_CAPACITY:3
3RD_ROW_SEATING_CAPACITY:3
total_seating:8
2nd Row Seats
removable captains chairs
split folding
folding with storage

1st Row Seats
bucket

Standard seating shown. Other seating may be available as optional equipment.
Front Seats
  • Multi-level heating passenger seat
  • 4 -way power passenger seat
  • 8 -way power driver seat
  • Multi-level heating driver seat
  • Driver seat with power adjustable lumbar support
  • Height adjustable driver seat
  • Leather
  • Bucket front seats
Rear Seats
  • Split-folding rear seatback
  • Reclining rear seats
  • Folding with storage center armrest
  • Manual folding split-bench third row seats
  • Rear ventilation ducts with fan control
Power Features
  • Remote power door locks
  • Power mirrors
  • Heated mirrors
  • 2 one-touch power windows
  • Remote window operation
Instrumentation
  • Clock
  • Tachometer
  • Trip computer
  • External temperature display
  • Low fuel level warning
  • Compass
Convenience
  • Cruise control
  • Front console with storage
  • Front, rear and 3rd row cupholders
  • Front and rear door pockets
  • Overhead console with storage
  • Remote trunk release
  • Front seatback storage
  • Speed-proportional power steering
  • Universal remote transmitter (for garage door, security system, etc.)
  • 12V front and 12V rear power outlet(s)
  • Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
  • Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel
  • Rear view camera
Comfort
  • Interior air filtration
  • Three zone climate control
  • Cooled storage compartment
  • Cargo area light
  • Leather trim on doors
  • Front and rear reading lights
  • Leather trim on shift knob
  • Leather steering wheel
  • Front and rear floor mats
  • Electrochromatic inside rearview mirror
  • Dual illuminating vanity mirrors
In Car Entertainment
  • Element antenna
  • 6 total speakers
  • 229 watts stereo output
  • AM/FM in-dash single CD player with CD MP3 Playback stereo
  • XM satellite radio
  • Auxiliary MP3 audio input
  • 1 subwoofer(s)
  • 3 Months of provided satellite radio service
  • Memory card slot
  • Radio data system
  • USB connection
Telematics
  • Pre-wired for phone
  • Bluetooth wireless data link for hands-free phone

Exterior Features

Roof and Glass
  • Variable intermittent wipers
  • Privacy glass
  • Rear defogger
  • Power opening rear quarter windows
  • Intermittent rear wiper
  • Manual sunshades for rear side windows
  • Power glass sunroof
  • Remote sunroof operation
Body
  • Rear spoiler
Tires and Wheels
  • Painted alloy wheels
  • 17 x 7.0 in. wheels
  • Steel spare wheel
  • 235/65R17 103T tires
  • All season tires
  • Inside mounted spare tire
  • Temporary spare tire
Doors
  • Rear power liftgate door
Towing and Hauling
  • Cargo tie downs

Safety Features

  • 4-wheel ABS
  • Front, rear and third row head airbags
  • Dual front side-mounted airbags
  • Child seat anchors
  • Remote anti-theft alarm system
  • Emergency braking assist
  • Ventilated front disc / solid rear disc brakes
  • Rear door child safety locks
  • Daytime running lights
  • Engine immobilizer
  • Auto delay off headlamps
  • Dusk sensing headlamps
  • 2 front headrests
  • 3 rear headrests
  • Passenger airbag occupant sensing deactivation
  • Rear center 3-point belt
  • Front seatbelt pretensioners
  • Stability control
  • Traction control
  • Electronic brakeforce distribution
  • Front height adjustable headrests
  • Rear height adjustable headrests
  • Passenger head restraint whiplash protection system
  • Driver head restraint whiplash protection system
  • Tire pressure monitoring

 


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