Trip in the Odyssey.

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refaller

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Decided to take a hit in gas mileage and drive our 2005 Odyssey to the White Mountains for vacation. Over 1,300 miles it averaged decimal points over 25mpgs. Not bad considering the traffic getting up there and the mountainous terrain plus stops for sightseeing. It was way more comfortable than the Cube and managed some difficult places (we went up to 4200 feet on the Mt. Washington Auto Road- as high as you could get and my GPS took me on a road that no non-high riding vehicle should have ever been on). With 145,000 miles on it, this has been my most trouble free car ever. It consumed .25 quarts according to the dipstick (imprecise I know) over the trip. It didn't use to consume anything noticeable, but I am still happy after 10 years of ownership. Will definitely continue to drive the Odyssey on our longer trips.

ref
 
Originally Posted By: refaller
Decided to take a hit in gas mileage and drive our 2005 Odyssey

Yup. Easy choice. What's the point of getting better MPG if you're going to be miserable due to poor comfort the entire trip?
 
Our family of 6 would easily get 25-26mpg on long highway trips with our 2008 Honda Odyssey LX. Same with our 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SE.

Day to day driving is another thing. 17-19mpg tank/tank.
 
Our same-year MDX (same engine) has been similarly good to us, though we don't get the MPG you do. We're about 17 in town and low-20s on the road...due to the weight, the poorer aero, and the AWD.

We just passed 120k miles with it this week and look forward to many happy road trips this summer. Got a few lined up down to Florida and one up to Pittsburgh in June for a wedding.
 
Back many years ago we went on a trip. I we where living up in Missouri at the time and we went to Florida. Specifically Orlando area to go to Disney world and SeaWorld (grand kids).

The daughter wanted to take her '06 Corolla, I wanted to drive the Silverado so we put all the luggage in the back of the truck. About 6 of us and when we switched drivers I jumped in the Corolla.

Was ungodly small, no offense I'm 6'2 and that car was packed full of people. Wasn't a inch of leg room and I regret ever riding in the car. Seemed like ever 20 mins my knees legs where giving me pains.

I will never ride in a small car on a long trip again.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: refaller
Decided to take a hit in gas mileage and drive our 2005 Odyssey

Yup. Easy choice. What's the point of getting better MPG if you're going to be miserable due to poor comfort the entire trip?



Absolutely!
 
My daughter and son-in-law and their 2 daughters take many long vacations in their 2001 Odyssey. After fixing the sliding door problems they've had no other problems.

Their only worry is that they are waiting for the transmission to fail. Two of their friends have had Odyssey's that have experienced transmission failures that were very expensive to replace. At this point with all the miles on their mini-van if the tranny fails it will be the end of the Odyssey.

How is your transmission holding up?
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Would a minivan really get that much worse mileage than something shaped like a cube?

Cube is rated for 31 mpg hwy.
 
Originally Posted By: 3800Series
Back many years ago we went on a trip. I we where living up in Missouri at the time and we went to Florida. Specifically Orlando area to go to Disney world and SeaWorld (grand kids).

The daughter wanted to take her '06 Corolla, I wanted to drive the Silverado so we put all the luggage in the back of the truck. About 6 of us and when we switched drivers I jumped in the Corolla.

Was ungodly small, no offense I'm 6'2 and that car was packed full of people. Wasn't a inch of leg room and I regret ever riding in the car. Seemed like ever 20 mins my knees legs where giving me pains.

I will never ride in a small car on a long trip again.



yes, but how was the fuel economy? was it worth being crammed in like sardines?
 
We are going to keep our '06 Odyssey for the duration. It has 115K on it, and is garage kept for 2-4 weeks at a time. We utilize it for traveling only. When it rolls, its goes 100+ miles every time. Its the best traveling vehicle for my family of five I can imagine.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
My daughter and son-in-law and their 2 daughters take many long vacations in their 2001 Odyssey. After fixing the sliding door problems they've had no other problems.

Their only worry is that they are waiting for the transmission to fail. Two of their friends have had Odyssey's that have experienced transmission failures that were very expensive to replace. At this point with all the miles on their mini-van if the tranny fails it will be the end of the Odyssey.

How is your transmission holding up?


2005 transmission should be good. It's the 1999-2004's that were bad. Mine failed and was replaced in 2005. Have 120K+ miles on the second tranny with no problems since.

Why is your daughter/son-n-law waiting for their 2001 Odyssey transmission to fail? Is it having problems shifting during acceleration? It's one year older than mine and I think it would have fail already by now. Mine wouldn't go from 2nd to 3rd gear unless you let off the gas.
 
Our 2005 Odyssey has about the same number of miles. It really does get decent mileage driving on long freeway trips. I have the same oil consumption issue. While it is within the range of acceptability, the fact it never did before had me a little concerned. I have read that a clogged PCV valve could cause oil consumption so I changed it and the old one was fairly dirty. I haven't been on a long trip yet, but in the mean time I have put a reminder on my calendar to check the dip stick at least once a month.
 
Originally Posted By: 6starprez
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
My daughter and son-in-law and their 2 daughters take many long vacations in their 2001 Odyssey. After fixing the sliding door problems they've had no other problems.

Their only worry is that they are waiting for the transmission to fail. Two of their friends have had Odyssey's that have experienced transmission failures that were very expensive to replace. At this point with all the miles on their mini-van if the tranny fails it will be the end of the Odyssey.

How is your transmission holding up?


2005 transmission should be good. It's the 1999-2004's that were bad. Mine failed and was replaced in 2005. Have 120K+ miles on the second tranny with no problems since.

Why is your daughter/son-n-law waiting for their 2001 Odyssey transmission to fail? Is it having problems shifting during acceleration? It's one year older than mine and I think it would have fail already by now. Mine wouldn't go from 2nd to 3rd gear unless you let off the gas.


It works like new. The fluid has been drained and replaced on a regular schedule using Honda fluid. They are waiting for a problem to show up because of all the publicity. They are not sure what to expect but have decided to keep going. There have been no problems, no unscheduled maintenance and it runs well.
 
If you tow with the Odyssey, then you probably will kill the tranny. If it's just used to move people only and you keep up on the Tranny fluid changes, then you might get lucky with a 1999-2004 model.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Would a minivan really get that much worse mileage than something shaped like a cube?

Cube is rated for 31 mpg hwy.


So it would've amounted to minimal savings if he'd taken the Nissan instead. I'm always happy to pay more to be comfortable.
 
I installed a tow package a while ago with the tranny cooler, plus I do a drain and refill almost yearly. I did need a reflash on the computer to stop a shudder, but it was a quick easy trip during my yearly inspection at the dealer so I usually forget it happened. I have replaced the PCV and haven't noticed a difference. Regardless, the most I have added in my approximately 8000 mile change interval is .5 quarts so I am happy.

The Cube is roomy and comfortable in town. Going 70 mph in traffic the engine seems to struggle more and it is pushed around by the wind so driving takes more effort. The biggest reason I would take the Cube is because I am cheap:)

ref
 
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