2003 Honda Odyssey: Oldie by a Goodie

Good points: Engine, handling, cargo room

Needs improvement: gas mileage, noise level, shifter, lack of new features

Honda's Odyssey was one of our choices as best ten cars in the nation when it first came out a few years ago. It had the new fold into the floor rear seat, a powerful engine, and handled like the Accord sedan it was based on. That was then, this is now. With competition from the all new Nissan Quest, Toyota Sennia, and Ford FreeStar, the stunning Volkswagen Eurovan, and the lovely Dodge/Chrysler vans pulling at a consumer's pocketbook, the Honda appears older in every regard except its superior handling and power.

You still get a highly competent van, but the Odyssey lacks the features found in the competition and the useful interior design is drab. For example, the second row passengers still do not have windows that lower and there is not a power option to lift the rear tailgate. Another matter of concern for us was that our test vehicle had over 10,000 miles on it and there was a rattle here and signs of wear there. The engine only got 18 mpg in mixed driving and we never were able to crack the EPA's 25 mpg estimate for highway driving even with the 3.5-liter, V6, 240-horsepower engine using the standard five-speed automatic transmission with overdrive.

On our last test, with a less powerful engine and four-speed automatic transmission, we average nearly 25 in mixed driving so there may be a trade off here with the new powerplant requiring more unleaded to provide more poke.

New this year is the availability of leather-upholstery in some models. Although we don't know why a family van filled with dogs, sharp objects, and kids with pens in their rear pockets would want the leather option. However, the seats are comfortable once you spend the time to get the adjustments correct. Also standard on our EX test van are the antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, traction control, and front side airbags, dual sliding side doors. The van also has available in the EX-L model a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with ceiling-mounted LCD screen, remote control, and wireless headsets. Another option was the GPS system of which Honda has one of the very best. You can't get this when you order the entertainment center, though.