New Odyssey Norm inspired!

[melissab]

Well after hearing all of Norm's praises for his 2014 Honda Odyssey and his amazing mpg as well as several other members here all saying how wonderful tow vehicles they are I picked one up myself today!! Needed the extra room traveling with 3 teens and Hubby from FL to Tx and also KS as parents and inlaws are aging so more trips needed. The tow pkg is being installed next week and it has plenty of hitch clearance!! I did get one model up from Norm's as he suggested it was worth it for the right hand camera and wow is that thing cool!! I've never even had a backup camera or a touch screen etc so I'm actually going to have to read the owner's manual. Gonna put on seat covers and all weather mats to keep everything clean from camping as this is my first non leather interior in 15 yrs. at least the kids are older now so hopefully less spills lol.

[GMike A]

You wont have any regrets. I have almost 200K miles on mine. Still pulls like my egg isn't there and my mileage is really great. Getting ready for a two month tour of Miss USA and am ready. Next car will be another Odyssey for sure. I bet the new ones are nicer than my 08. Good maintenance is key.



[QUOTE Well after hearing all of Norm's praises for his 2014 Honda Odyssey and his amazing mpg as well as several other members here all saying how wonderful tow vehicles they are I picked one up myself today!!

[Mike Magee]

Congratulations! Let us know how your MPGs pan out, as you get some miles (and towing miles) on your new van.

[honda03842]

Melissa,

We definitely wish you well with your Odyssey. We have had ours for almost 2 years and are very happy with it. It certainly can haul a lot of people and their things. It will easily tow your Scamp 13.

As to mile per gallon on our recent trip from FL we averaged between 17+ to 21+, typically 18-19 mpg. Our last run from NJ to ME we averaged 19.9 mpg, mostly Interstate.

We do use Synthetic Oil, just changed it here in Maine, $46.

[War Eagle]

We love the concept of the Odyssey and hear wonderful things about it, but the one thing that gave us pause when we checked it out at the local dealer is how rigid and relatively unadjustable the front passenger seat was. It appeared that, for some reason, Honda discarded a very comfortable 8-way power passenger seat in previous mid-priced models and replaced it with a very firm 4-way power seat in the current model. Why did they do that? My wife is of moderate height, yet the front edge of the front passenger seat pitches up and presses uncomfortably into the back of her legs, and it can't be adjusted down. That was a deal breaker to us - especially when considering it as a tow vehicle for long road trips. Has anyone else noticed this? Or did we just happen to sit in the one oddball Odyssey on the lot?

[honda03842]

We've now driven our Odyssey 34,000 miles and we both think it's the most comfortable car we've ever owned, of course everyone is different. Sorry it didn't fit your wife.

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[War Eagle]

Norm, Just out of curiosity, what year and trim model is your Odyssey? And how adjustable is the front passenger seat on yours (4-way, 8-way, etc.)? It could be that a former year/model will offer a better passenger ride for us than a new one. Again, just curious.... Dale

[David B.]

Dale, you could try placing a small "platform" made of plywood or other material under the floor-mat, to keep the pressure off the back of your wife's legs during your next test ride.
Dave & Paula

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by David B.

Dale, you could try placing a small "platform" made of plywood or other material under the floor-mat, to keep the pressure off the back of your wife's legs during your next test ride.
Dave & Paula

Dave, We actually discussed that, then thought it was a bit silly to spend that amount of money on a new vehicle only to have to travel with a footrest to make the seat comfortable. Especially when there are other high-quality vehicles on the market that "fit" us just fine. We still like the Honda brand (we loved our former 1992 Accord EX), and the recently re-designed Pilot (which we both find very comfortable) and the forthcoming (hopefully soon) re-designed Ridgeline are still on our list (along with the recently re-designed Kia Sorento). That said, we're not giving up on the Odyssey, just still weighing the pros and cons against the competition and expense of all the various trim levels for each. As with many things in life, comfort can be found, but it comes at a cost. Thanks again for your reply.... Dale

[melissab]

Dale, I'm only 5 ft tall so always struggle with circulation being cut off at the thighs which is why several types of camp chairs don't work for me but the Odyssey EX I have does not seem to do that. I do think the leather was softer though so you might want to check into that. Looking forward to our first trip. The tow pkg is being installed next week so just have to wait for kids to get out of school

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Norm, Just out of curiosity, what year and trim model is your Odyssey? And how adjustable is the front passenger seat on yours (4-way, 8-way, etc.)? It could be that a former year/model will offer a better passenger ride for us than a new one. Again, just curious.... Dale

WE have the most basic model, with the addition of a Transmission cooler and hitch as the only options.

Doing it over I would go up one midol to get the right side mirror camera. A lot of extra stuff comes with it but I'd like that camera.

I think it must be four way adjustable, forward and backward and rear tilt.

As to our size, I'm 6'1" and Ginny is 5' 6".

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

We love the concept of the Odyssey and hear wonderful things about it, but the one thing that gave us pause when we checked it out at the local dealer is how rigid and relatively unadjustable the front passenger seat was. It appeared that, for some reason, Honda discarded a very comfortable 8-way power passenger seat in previous mid-priced models and replaced it with a very firm 4-way power seat in the current model. Why did they do that? My wife is of moderate height, yet the front edge of the front passenger seat pitches up and presses uncomfortably into the back of her legs, and it can't be adjusted down. That was a deal breaker to us - especially when considering it as a tow vehicle for long road trips. Has anyone else noticed this? Or did we just happen to sit in the one oddball Odyssey on the lot?

Sounds a lot like my 5'2" wife. She never liked our Highlander's (manual cloth) seats, largely because of this same issue. She sat in a Jeep Cherokee and hated its seats even though they were leather with power. But she's very happy with our Lexus GX's power leather seats. It's a good thing there are so many vehicles to choose from.

[ruscal]

A fabricator could likely lower the seat base as another option to the plywood deck.
I used mid row Odyssey seats in my '67 Chevy truck. I took a couple of inches out of the height to make them fit me.
Russ

[k corbin]

You don't have to live with the shape of that seat the way it came out of the factory.

An auto upholstery firm could modify the seat for you by adjusting the shape of the foam cushioning and of course adjust the cover to fit the new seat shape. That way it won't cut off the circulation in the front of her legs.

[flaco]

I agree on how good of a TV the Odyssey is. And crash worthy as I shall explain. In 2008 I was the victim of a 50MPH head on collision with my 2000 Odyssey. Someone on the phone turned directly in front of me. The airbag went off and it was totaled but I had not even a scratch! I then got a used 04 nicely loaded with leather and the rare wood trim for $16,000. 50 HP more than the 00. With either Odyssey there was too much rear 'squat' even with my Coleman Santa Fe pop up so I added a load leveler hitch with the long heavy metal bars and ball assembly. I now use an air bag system under the rear shocks and it seems to work quite well but you have to be mindful of air loss. We were looking at the comparatively heavier Scamp 16-6 but now favor the new
Parkliner. Anyone else have any input on load leveling for the
Odyssey?

[honda03842]

Our Scamp weighs 2600 lbs, 2400 on the axle and 200 on the hitch. We've noticed no problems with 'squat'. Next time I load up I'll check the ball motion.

We do have our Scamp's ball about an 1.5 inches further forward than standard.
We are carrying a Honda Generator in the back of the Odyssey .

We'll be leaving hear next Mpnday and I'll report the results.

[ruscal]

Dave,
To rely on an air bag system you will have to get the leak rate down to just a few PSI over night. Usually fittings are the culprit. Check all joints with soap suds all the way around. It is a good idea to have a compressed air source on board so you can refill as needed. The system in my tug took a few weeks to locate all sources of air loss, as I was not looking carefully enough at first and missed seeing bubbles on the back side of some fittings.
Once the leaks are taken care of you should get many years of trouble free service from the bags.
Simple systems require less maintenance than complex ones, but are less convenient to use.
Simple = 2 bags, 2 short hoses with shraeder valves for filling. You find air somewhere.
If you link the 2 bags together and have one shraeder valve, air will travel to the inside bag during cornering letting the outside wheel squat.
Complex= Onboard electric air compressor feeding a small air tank. Airline from tank to dash mounted air valves and air gauges for left and right bags. Accessory air chuck Tee'd off of tank for tire filling.
Pressure switch keeps tank topped off. Manual override switch to kill system. This system is what I did in our tug, and is convenient to use, but more piping to leak check.
Russ

[honda03842]

Effect of load on ball height.
When I connect the Scamp to the ball of the Odyssey the ball drops one inch.

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[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Effect of load on ball height.
When I connect the Scamp to the ball of the Odyssey the ball drops one inch.

I always knew that Norm had something on the ball...

[honda03842]

I should mention, my ball goes further into its receiver than most.

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